Plot- A film based on a classic 1983 ghost novel by Susan Hill, it has also been adapted into a stage play as well. The film revolves around Lawyer Arthur Kipps (Daniel Radcliffe), who has been assigned to a remote North East town to sort the affairs of an Estate that belonged to an old eccentric. Only to come into contact with a vengeful ghost.
Like most ghost stories The Woman In Black is centred around a character who has had a tragic past, in this case it is Arthur Kipps. I won’t spoil it by giving you the details but as soon as he is introduced to audiences it’s not too long before he sets out on his travels and the film really gets going.
On arrival at Crythin Gifford we quickly learn that something is wrong, and without giving too many details away one particularly disturbing scene involving a child paves the way for the rest of the film.
The pacing of the film is one of the film’s key strengths, everything moves along swiftly and with a purpose, there were no long gaps between each of the scares and each scene was relatively short and purposeful, which is not always the case with similar films of this genre.
Whilst it’s true to say that Arthur Kipps is he main protagonist in the film we’re quickly introduced to Sam Daily (Ciaran Hinds) who plays an important supporting role for the remainder of the film as the plot unravels.
From beginning to end the film feels like a complimation of the best cliches we’re already familiar with in a ghost film, along with the romantism of an old England that has long since past. Steam trains, a house in the middle of nowhere, check, doors that open by themselves, check, mysterious noises, check, rocking chairs moving whilst no one is seated, check, eye shot camera angles of a ghost creeping up onto some unbeknownst to themselves, check. I could go on but I won’t ruin anything for you.
That’s not to say any of this is bad, if there is one thing that the film achieves it is a beleivable atmosphere of darkness and the unexpected, the sound effects are eerie, and aside from one scene we as the audience are only aware of what Arthur Kipps knows himself. There were plenty of times where I felt my stomach tense up as I watched the film unfold, it is the very least a film of this genre is supposed to achieve.
But the film does very little else, for one thing Daniel Radcliffe seems to have been miscast (can anyone really beleive he is a father of a four year old child?), it’s not to say that he isn’t a talented actor but his role for the most part is wooden, we can never tell whether he is frightened or not.
With all that said the ending is particuarly pleasing as we learn more about the reason why the ghost is being as menacing as it is (albeit vaguely), it’s a nice fitting conclusion to the film that will leave you satisfied, unlike other ghost films ‘The Woman in Black’ does did not go completely off the rails in the last quarter of it’s running time, unlike last years ‘The Awakening’.
So if you have the time to go see ‘The Woman in Black’ I would reccommend it but don’t expect it to push the boundaries of it’s genre and take you to places you haven’t been before, just enjoy it for what it is.
3/5
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