Slow start, but very solid, old fashioned ghost story

Rating: 7/10 (7 August 2014)

First of all, forget the rating system on IMDb. I rate by genre. How can I compare this movie to a classic like To Kill a Mockingbird? Impossible. The Haunting (from 1963) would be a TEN in the Ghost Story category. In my opinion, movies like Poltergeist would be a 4, whereas Insidious maybe a 5. I am hoping that there are movies I haven't seen (due to research on IMDb) that would fall even lower on a rating scale of this nature. I must point out that I have NEVER seen a Harry Potter film, so no prejudice here. Except for the aforementioned Haunting, not too many movies would hit the Hall-of-Fame numbers of 9 and 10, but The Woman in Black dares to hand out enough chills and thrills to creep very close to such a lofty ranking. Except for a VERY slow start to the film, this movie ranks right up there with the best that I have seen when it comes to ghosts and spirits. A couple of cheap BOO moments, but that has to be expected. By having the movie take place in the early 20th century and in good old foggy England, you don't have to deal with cell phones and home video to ruin the story. Wait until late at night, dim the lights and get ready to be spooked. Be patient, since the beginning drags a bit and really, the ending could be a bit better, but the middle 70 minutes has plenty of chills. Children over ten can enjoy it, as long as they have been exposed to spooky stories in the past. No sex, no swearing and very mild gore/violence. I'm a bit old fashioned, but I really liked it.