A chilling old school horror

Rating: 7/10 (21 May 2013)

So what this mostly will be remembered for is as Daniel Radcliffe's first post Harry Potter project. Which is a bit disrespectful to what is a, quite chilling decent horror movie.
Based on a Susan Hill novel of the same name, the film follows a young widowed lawyer played by Daniel Radcliffe called Arthur Kipps, who is essentially on his last warning at work and travels to Eel Marsh House to look through the papers of the late Alice Drablow. he experiences resistance from the local and glimpses of a woman dressed only in black. Daniel Radcliffe is adequate in his role continually improving in all his films. As he was no acting child prodigy that's for sure. The film does feel very accurate to the time period. With the house used in the film being very creepy and suitable perhaps being the star of the show. Also because of it's inexperienced star the film very much does rely upon supporting characters especially good were Ciarán Hinds who plays a man in denial about the myths until evidence becomes to much to deny, and his wife played by Janet McTeer who is still grieving over a lost child, really competes with the titular character for creepiness.
A couple of things that do work against it, is the film does not seem very original. with it's scares and story line seeming to be well trodden paths before. Also is very well telegraphed before it happens of how the movie will end lessening it's impact quite a lot.
A decent horror with a adequate amount of scares. Which turned out to be a smart interesting choice by it's star.