The Woman in Black is the first period piece from the re-launched Hammer Films and was generally well received by critics and moviegoers when it was released to theaters in February.
With the film's recent released to Blu-ray, I wanted to revisit the movie and felt pretty much the same way about it that I did when I saw it in theaters. I've included my impressions from the previous review, along with new comments, and details on the Blu-ray extras.
Daniel Radcliffe plays lawyer Arthur Kipps in his first post-Harry Potter role. Arthur’s wife died during child birth and he’s having a tough time coping. With his career on the line, he has one last chance to prove his commitment to his law firm. The task seems simple enough: Arthur has to sort out paperwork from a recently deceased client, but things don’t go as smoothly as planned when he encounters a ghostly woman in black.
The Woman in Black is based on the popular novel and stageplay. The story is relatively straight forward and follows Arthur throughout the entire film. There’s no doubting that this is Daniel Radcliffe’s movie and his performance is what makes the film. From the beginning, we know that he’s grieving from the loss of his wife and does a great job of carrying that sadness throughout the film. One interesting segment in particular involves Radcliffe investigating the house with absolutely no dialogue for 10-15 minutes straight. He’s able to carry that scene and the entire film with ease, and I quickly stopped thinking of him as Harry Potter while watching the movie.
In terms of scares, the first half of the film contains mostly fake scares, such as a loud noise or animal flying across the screen. These types of scares get the audience to jump, but it is mostly by surprise and not because they are seeing anything terrifying. This changes by the second half of the film, when legitimate scares are created by more interaction with the woman in black.
The Woman in Black is beautifully shot and Watkins takes his time building tension. The movie successfully creates an uneasy atmosphere and very effectively makes you feel that you’re in that time period. It is rare that we see period horror films and even more rare that they are well executed. For classic horror fans, this feels like it could fit in as a classic Hammer movie. The only thing it’s missing is a busty bar maid and I could easily have seen Peter Cushing playing Arthur Kipps.
Having watched the movie multiple times now, the main issue is still that it doesn’t have a stand out scare or scene that really sets it apart from other ghost stories. Ask any horror fan what the most memorable scene is from a popular horror film, and they will be able to shout out an answer, such the shower scene in Psycho, pea soup in The Exorcist, or an axe to the door in The Shining. Unfortunately, I can’t really pick a standout scene for The Woman in Black. It is a well executed film, but it doesn’t really do anything to set itself apart from what we’ve seen in the past.
*Spoiler Warning* I know that the ending was a turnoff for some of those who have seen the film and I feel that a bleak or ambiguous ending would have helped by leaving the audience more fearful of the woman in black. However, the introduction of Arthur's wife at the end was done in a way that matches up with what we had seen throughout the rest of the movie, and it didn't bother me enough to ruin my overall experience. *End Spoilers*
If you're watching this on Blu-ray, there are two short behind-the-scenes features: "Inside The Perfect Thriller: Making Woman in Black" and "No Fear: Daniel Radcliffe as Arthur Kipps". They're more like promotional spots and don't go into the making of the movie in too much detail. The more important item for me is the commentary with director James Watkins and screenwriter Jane Goldman. If you're interested in learning about certain items that were cut or their reasoning behind a particular scene, it's worth listening to.
The Woman in Black plays it safe, but Daniel Radcliffe and James Watkins elevate this film beyond what it could have been in other creative hands. While the film doesn’t go to extremes that will please every type of horror fan, this is a good looking, well crafted classical ghost story that will appeal to both Hammer Horror fans and the casual moviegoer.
Film Score: 3.5/5 Disc Score: 3/5
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