The Woman in Black

Unlike most modern horror films, THE WOMAN IN BLACK is very low on gore, or even big, sound/quick-camera-movement scares. Rather, as the vessel for Daniel Radcliffe's first film after the end of the Harry Potter series (although not his first film outside of that pantheon), THE WOMAN IN BLACK plays a safe game of classically mounted horror. A lawyer in what we're supposed to take as early 20th century England, Radcliffe's ridiculously stubble-ridden Arthur travels at the bequest of his firm to take care of an abandoned plot of land in a far-off town. Upon his arrival, Arthur is briskly shooed by the townspeople, although he finds a friend in Sam Daily (Ciarán Hinds), who drives him about town as he undergoes his investigation of an estate. The estate, it so happens, is one that has come under Arthur's control due to a tragedy, in which a child died, and many people kept their mouths shut about what actually happened. More children in town begin to die, however, after Arthur is spooked at the crumbling old house and sees a ghost, the woman in black. But, as I said before, most of THE WOMAN IN BLACK's scares are pretty lowly, and only the wonderfully cloudy landscape is to wonder at. The film also ends with such a cynical but inevitable event, that it's sort of disappointing in its concession to modern horror endings. The film isn't much, but its pacing is well handled, and Radcliffe's Arthur is a good companion for the duration. But most of the horrors that we're supposed to be shocked at are pretty weak, and despite the good execution of the story, everything that's supposed to be a high point is at the same level as the rest of the film.

★★