A Dark, Wildly Atmospheric Exercise In Supernatural Horror!

Rating: 9/10 (7 June 2012)

Since the publication of Susan Hill's 1983 novel, "The Woman in Black" has endured great success in London as an underrated TV movie of the 80's and a rather popular theatrical adaptation. Seems to me that it was in dire need of attention in America. Director James Watkins, screenwriter Jane Goldman, and the newly resurrected horror studio Hammer have brought it back by giving it the remake treatment, and for the first time in a while, a horror remake is as solid as its inspiration.
Just coming off of the tragedy of losing his wife in childbirth, Arthur Kipps is sent to an ordinary and lifeless town to settle the will and other documents belonging to the dead Alice Drablow, who owned the supposedly haunted Eel Marsh house. While he makes a friend in a man named Daily, the residents of the town treat Arthur as a disease and strongly encourage him to stay away from Eel Marsh. But Arthur is not a superstitious man, and spends several nights in the house. Then things take a turn for the worse. Creaking floorboards, imaginary footsteps, and large shadows plague Arthur while he is on his mission. Worst of all, a female figure in a black dress makes her presence known, and it's quite clear that she is a restless and angry spirit.
As gruesome as director Watkins' first film "Eden Lake" was, the stark realism of his antagonists' gory actions set up a tremendous sense of reality for the audience. "The Woman in Black" takes a different route. Watkins understands that as fictional as a ghost story may be, such a film requires minimal blood and intense tension and paranoia. We see the title specter very rarely, or even from a distance to bring up Arthur's supposedly blurred imagination. Is she real? Could the house really be haunted. Well, such a phantasm is questionable to the main character's sanity.
But tension abounds in "The Woman in Black" right when Arthur steps foot into Eel Marsh House. You can tell right away that the place is destined to be haunted. The inside is raggedy and aged, and the creepy dolls in one of the rooms are still eerily playing. Once a noise occurs, Arthur and the audience go quietly ballistic. As an entry into mainstream horror fare, the film does have its share of "BOO!" scares, but here, it's all about suspense and waiting for the fear to creep up on you.
Most movie buffs will check this movie out for the casting of Daniel Radcliffe as Kipps. Fresh off the conclusion of the "Harry Potter" series, Radcliffe has a lot of weight on his shoulders. Most of the movie depends on him and his reactions to the supernatural events going on around him. He still looks a little young to be married with a child, but Radcliffe handles himself surprisingly well. Ciaran Hinds and Janet McTeer back up the main character greatly as Daily and his unstable wife.
Perhaps the movie could have been better if Jane Goldman included some humor in her dead serious script, but "The Woman in Black" sticks to the old-fashioned formulas of such films as "The Haunting," "The Innocents," and "The Others." Throw in a few creepy children and some great effects, and you have a recipe for a solid haunted house movie. Thanks to a heavy atmosphere and a good performance from the Harry Potter alumni, "The Woman in Black" achieves its goals and brings some great chills to the spine.