The Woman in Black (2012)

As far back as the earliest days of cinematic macabre, the haunted house has been a staple of the scary movie. From ghosts roaming a spooky manor to unexplained noises that are often much more than "bumps" in the night, these places are creepshow classics. Up until recently, few films have delivered the entire paranormal package -- atmosphere, acting, mythology and menace. Enter The Woman in Black. Adapted from the novel by Susan Hill (which was also turned into a stage play and a 1989 British TV movie), it stars Harry Potter's Daniel Radcliffe as a young lawyer sent to the outskirts of England to clean up the messy estate of a recently deceased client. There, he learns of the area's terrible curse and the title figure, who seems to be behind a rash of unexplained killings.

Indeed, many of the local villagers believe that Eel Marsh House is possessed with the spirit of a diabolical dead woman whose sudden appearances portend the death of one (or more) of their children. No one, not town lawyer Mr. Jerome (Tim McMullan) or the local pub owners, has avoided her wrath. Even the area's wealthiest land owner, Sam Daily (Ciarán Hinds) and his wife (Janet McTeer) lost their son. So when the recently widowed Arthur Kripps (Radcliffe) shows up, he is immediately met with suspicion. While working in the dilapidated house, he hears and sees things that convince him the legends are true...and, indeed, more bodies begin to pile up. Eventually, Kripps discovers a shocking truth behind the specter's motives, and thinks he may have a solution to the senseless scourge affecting everyone.

Dark, foreboding, and very well balanced, The Woman in Black is a sensational slow burn to shock scarefest. It's not perfect, and it cannot compare to something as sensational as Insidious, but when it comes to Britain's storied Hammer Studios and its legacy of horror, this newest entry in the company's creative canon does the past proud. Everything here, from the careful direction by James Watkins to the solid script from Jane Goldman (who also worked on Kick-Ass and X-Men: First Class) focuses on bringing old-fashioned fear factors back to unsuspecting audiences. As the mood darkens and the threat increases, an overall sense of dread drowns the viewer, sweeping them up in the unsuspecting horrors about to happen.  

For his part, Radcliffe is the perfect audience entryway. Carrying his own baggage (his wife died in childbirth) and sporting routinely red-rimmed eyes (from crying...or perhaps, the hidden flask he keeps in his briefcase), he elicits our sympathy; we want to see him succeed. The pressure is on Kripps to deliver -- for his young son, for his company, for his career, and eventually, for the town. He's an accidental hero at best, but he takes on the role with a real sense of purpose. Equally effective is the rest of the cast, expertly playing the frightened populace of eccentrics that our hero must battle to win the day.

To a fright fanbase raised on torture porn and the latest examples of F/X gore, something subtle like The Woman in Black may appear underwhelming. However, this is the kind of movie that gets under your skin, that crawls across the back of your neck and sends shivers up your spine. In the end, the experience as a whole may not make much sense. For all his detective work, Kripps really never discovers a "cure," or a clear answer as to what really happened. Indeed, the main purpose here appears to be the creation of ambiance and an overall feeling of unease. In that regard, The Woman in Black succeeds.

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The Woman in Black (2012)

Reviewed and Recommended by Erik Baquero