Coud Have Been Great

Rating: 4/10 (7 February 2012)

Going into this film, I had read many conflicting reviews. Some loved it, some thought it was generic. I can see each side of those arguments. For many hardcore horror fans, they will come out thinking "I've seen this 100 times before, but the saddest part is that it could have been great." The directing was the hardest part to watch with this film. I'm a fan of James Watkins' Eden Lake, so I was expecting the directing to be better in this. It seems like with every subtle genuinely terrifying thing in The Woman in Black, an unnecessary jump scare followed. I don't know if Watkins was pressured by producers or the studio to put in those dumbed-down jump scares, but they ruined the film. As Alfred Hitchcock said "it's not the scares that terrify the audience, it's the anticipation." As I was watching this film, I was just anticipating jump scares, which doesn't genuinely scare anyone.
Daniel Radcliffe was embarrassing with his acting. Absolutely atrocious. He didn't look scared, thrilled, saddened, or even happy. Just indifferent the entire film. He didn't act at all, just gave generic surprised looks. Having said that, there's something about him that I liked still. He has the "it" factor, just as an actor has "it". Regardless, he was bad in this film.
This isn't a bad film, but it sure has been done before. As I said before, this could have been amazing. I did get chills throughout my body at certain parts, but they were quickly replaced by disappointment due to jump scares. If you're a horror fan, this will be run of the mill to you. If you're new to horror, you may like this. Overall, this could have been great.