The Woman in Black: Movie Review

Cast: Daniel Radcliffe, Ciarán Hinds
Direction: James Watkins
Genre: Horror
India Release Date: 17th February 2012
Get ready to be spooked for the ‘The Woman in Black’ marks a solid comeback of old-school horror.
Isolated haunted mansion, rocking chairs, beheaded dolls, random screams, mysterious deaths, untold secrets, dangerous silence, hostile onlookers, hallucinating sequence of events and horrifying consequences.
If you like psychological horror, The Woman in Black is a film not to be missed.
Solicitor Arthur Kipps (Daniel Radcliffe) takes up an assignment of his law firm as a last chance to salvage his job. The young widower leaves his 4-year-old son in London as he travels to a remote town to check into the estate of the late Mrs. Alice Drablow and settle her affairs.
Arthur is stared at suspiciously by the villagers as he makes his way through to the gothic mansion of the late Mrs. Alice Drablow. As Arthur unlocks the huge mansion which has been shut for years, he unknowingly pulls the lid off the horrifying secret that lays buried in the land of El Marsh.
The Woman in Black has a slow and steady build-up so don’t go looking for a pacy thriller. Watkins establishes the haunting mood of the story perfectly. You keep witnessing doors slamming, shadows playing hide and seek as the protagonist sweats over unraveling the abnormal occurrences. The process does seem a bit repetitive and elongated but it serves better impact for the climax.
Art direction contributes the most in the film’s making. The sets are elaborate and reason why you get that eerie feeling throughout. The Victorian England setting is just perfect. Sound effects, cinematography, makeup, subtle background score are just as they should be.
The beginning scene of the film is remarkable.
Thank god Radcliffe is no more the Harry Potter! The actor does a decent job although he falls short of giving an array of expressions when needed. He exudes ‘exhaustion’ more than ‘disbelief’. He playing a father too seems unreal. The monotony in his body language needs to be worked on. The supporting actors do a great job but the film revolves around Radcliffe and he continues to dodge ‘dark forces’ even in this one!
It is the film’s gothic setting that gets to you even before the protagonist comes to picture. The Woman in Black is a must watch if you like horror. If you are the curious kinds, you’ll have fun chasing the dark shadows.
Verdict: Good