Gothic horror at its finest

Rating: 8/10 (18 February 2012)

It's been a long while since I watched a film so rich and drenched in the psychological aspects of horror rather than the visceral ones.
SPOILERS--- begin The dilapidated, old mansion full of worn-down rooms and the traditional, grandfather clock nicely setup the mood and atmosphere for the ominous that comes from beyond. The creepy factor is accentuated with the mechanical toys that at some moment one could swear they would come to life at any moment to haunt the protagonist.
This is Daniel Radcliffe's first, post-Harry Potter role, and I would say his body and facial expressions capture our wildest imagination when he dares to venture alone inside the mansion at night or investigating all the strange noises and visions during the day. SPOILERS--- end
Furthermore, I am a huge fan of Gothic style ever since I was introduced to the genre by watching Tim Burtons' films like Edward Scissorhands and Beetlejuice, since childhood. And, I was wondering how the Goth and horror premise for this film would have been handled if either Tim Burton or Guillermo del Toro had been offered to take the mantle in this movie.
Anyways, The Woman in Black never deviates from its formulaic storytelling and succeeds at keeping the suspense factor and lingering feeling of dread and fear at all times, proving that what matters in horror is a gripping story with a protagonist that speaks for us our worst fears at a psychological level, making him or her to start doubting the rationality of the mind once the ominous Lady of the Black decides to make her presence known.
Furthermore, a very good advantage this film possess is that it relies in both psychological horror and an ominous story to keep its audience in expectation of what's in store lurking at every corner of the creepy mansion, keeping the use of CGI special effects limited by the dark visuals or to a minimum when they are needed to be used; this is the kind of horror that stimulates the viewer's imagination, because it delves into the fear of the uncertain and the unknown.
I definitely enjoyed the film, and I will list it as one of my most see for this year's Halloween season.