Best horror film in ages!

Rating: 8/10 (17 February 2012)

The thing that is in everyone's mind when Daniel Radcliffe first appears on screen is Harry Potter! I personally think that Radcliffe has one of the hardest challenges an actor can ever face, which is trying to get out of being typecast, or perhaps never being cast at all because of his huge involvement in the Potter franchise. But I am pleased to say that he excelled in The Woman in Black (Dir. James Watkins, 2012), providing a believable performance as Arthur Kipps. Only at the beginning did his act falter; as Radcliffe seemed nervous around the boy who was supposed to be his son.
I'll briefly mention that this film flows particularly well, and gives off a high degree of verisimilitude, thanks to the talented supporting cast. Ciarán Hinds and Shaun Dooley are two actors that are worth mentioning as they play Mr Daily, a character who becomes the only friend for Kipps, and Mr Fisher, the innkeeper who attempts to drive Kipps out of town so as to protect the children. Both their performances are strong and they create a fantastic side-kick and a great minor antagonist.
Apart from what I had gathered from the trailers, I was unaware of the story of The Woman in Black when going into the cinema, having not seen the theatrical production or original TV film. The Woman in Black has a strong and interesting narrative, something that isn't common for many horror films within the last ten years, and provides plenty of scares, jumps and horrific moments. The most intense and captivating scenes within the film occur at the manor in the marsh. Fear excels to a new level when Kipps decides to stay in that house over night.
Creepy toys and terrifying dolls are continuously visible throughout The Woman in Black establishing a strong concept of fear within the secrete village. As well as perhaps symbolising that the woman is always watching Kipps, no matter where he is. There is a shot where Kipps walks past a toy with a candle, the candle is reflected in the toy's eyes making it seem like they are moving and following Kipps.
The only really disappointing aspect of the film was the conclusion. All I can really say without spoiling the plot is that there should have been a cliff hanger instead of the plot being resolved.
This was by far the best horror film I have seen in a long while, mainly due to the decision not to make it a hand-held documentary. The director uses diegetic and non-diegetic sounds to create suspense, which again takes the film away from the silent "jump" scenes over-used in modern horrors. I hope that more producers watch this film and realise horror films don't all have to be exactly like Paranormal Activity (Dir. Oren Peli, 2007) to terrify audiences.
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