A lot like Dead Silence meets Insidious.

Rating: Null/10 (31 January 2012)

The movie starts out slowly with a bit of humor. Actually, 3 girls died and some people in the theater found it funny. I kinda doubt that's what the film-makers had in mind. A drawing by Radcliffe's son in the movie drew the most laughs and it was a recurring prop that was later used as a plot device. The only other recognizable face was Ciaran Hinds from Above Suspicion. It has an eerie feel to it as if some sort of filter was used to make the movie feel like how the haunted house looked. Yep, it's one of those types of movies. To sum it up, Harry Potter is playing a lawyer who has to settle the affairs of the house and it becomes a cold case and if he doesn't, his job is on the line. This is more of a horror mystery. There wasn't much lawyer work going on. A lady lost a son, she's dead, her son is dead under mysterious circumstances, she can't move on until it's solved, you get the picture.
Radcliffe just happens to be the character who has to work in the house and you already know he uncovers the truth. During his discoveries, the plot begins to unravel and some of the antagonist's intentions, and supernatural powers, are revealed. The number one problem with this movie is the use of jump scares. There were just too many of them in my opinion. Not that the audience didn't react to them because that's what jump scares are supposed to do but there were some genuinely scary moments that didn't need to use that technique. Thankfully, some didn't. This really is a scary movie. There's a very long scene where Radcliffe is experiencing about as much Amityville stuff as one can handle. That scene in the house was very well done and suspenseful. It's just you, the house, Radcliffe, and all the various haunts. The director did a good job with that. Most of this movie takes place in the daytime like Feast 2 (not a good comparison, I know) but they still did a good job building suspense.
Without giving too much away, The Woman In Black lost her child and that means everyone else has to lose theirs, too. The girl setting herself on fire scene was good but I think the other death scenes should have been on par with the quality of that one for added chills. Props play a big part in the movie. Specifically dolls and toys. If you're sensitive to children dying or anything related to that, you don't wanna watch this. It will scare you. It's not gory or graphic but clearly the audience sympathized with what was going on in the movie when those particular scenes came up. The biggest error in the movie was the addition of the dog that accompanied Harry Potter into the haunted house on one of his return visits. What happened to the dog? You know what? Someone said exactly that out loud. Gimme a Napoleon Dynamite "IDIOT" for that guy!
But seriously, the dog was just forgotten completely. There were a lot of clues as to what would happen later in the movie. Lots of foreshadowing if you pay attention. You can figure out how the movie is gonna end if you do. Speaking of, it's a very good ending. Sad yet happy at the same time. And even then, some knuckleheads in the audience had to spoil things by saying the obvious right before those scenes started. The climax pretty much happens right at the end of the movie and it concludes shortly after that. The overriding theme is grief and how to deal with it. The Woman In Black's grief was resolved, or so it was thought. With that resolution, you think the movie is done but it's not. There's a very brief scene explaining why she continues to do what she does but prior to that, it's not really explained why.
All the minor details are there but there's just not enough exposition. 3-5 minutes more of an explanation about her son's death and her feelings towards those involved in his death would have made the final revelation of her intentions make more sense. Not that it doesn't but for this type of movie, it needs to be shown. The absolute ending is nice. We get a clear image of what she really looks like. It's very reminiscent of Insidious in that aspect. A new revenge horror icon has been created similar to Freddy Krueger in the fact that she kills kids. Yeah, yeah, I'm exaggerating but this was a very enjoyable horror movie that does its job by scaring you and keeping you interested the whole way through. It's not gonna keep you awake at night but you'll enjoy the ride. Solid acting, scenery, and special effects all the way around despite the minimal cast and budget. Worth paying for and seeing on the big screen but just make sure you see it with an audience that doesn't have the maturity level of a Peanuts character. Nothing happens after the credits. I give this 7 out of 10 stars. The movie poster ain't that great (yet still relevant to the movie) and it's rated PG-13 but those detriments shouldn't stop you from giving this a chance.