Great first hour, then runs out of steam

Rating: 7/10 (18 February 2012)

For an hour or so The Woman In Black is a wonderfully spooky film, with a central 20-odd minute sequence almost devoid of dialogue that's a real stand-out: Ratcliffe exploring the house though darkened corridors and shadowy rooms, encountering incredibly effective supernatural manifestations - the sequence with the rocking chair is one of the most frightening things I've ever seen in a horror movie; and yet it's very subtle, too. Of course the story is basically a bunch of M.R. James clichés - the evil looking dolls, the shrouded figure, the soft pounding noise, the sudden appearance of the monstrous apparition behind our hero, etc. But the movie handles those clichés with splendid effect.
Unfortunately the last 30 minutes is a bit of a let down after what's gone before. The ending, which should have focused on the result of the train encounter, instead gives us what can only be called sentimental rubbish. I'm trying not to spoil things by being too explicit here.
Daniel Radcliffe, who some people have called wooden on here, is perfectly fine in my view - if a little young for the role. He portrays an anguished solicitor trying to hang on to his job while still grieving over the death of his wife in child-birth. He resists the temptation to enter the national gurning championships when many other actors would have done so, and the film's well directed, long on atmosphere and jumpy moments, short on blood and looks splendidly spooky - the house in particular is wonderfully decrepit, fully realised by crisp yet atmospheric cinematography.
It's just a shame the ending is so weak. This would have been a classic had it sustained its creepy momentum. I think this is Hammer's first genuine ghost story - surprising as they made over 50 horror movies in their original incarnation. Inspite of the weak ending the movie is very good on the whole and well worth a view.