The Woman in Black (2012) PG-13

Life after Harry Potter has begun for young Daniel Radcliffe, and it starts with The Woman in Black. It's a curious decision because haunted house films these days are quite the bore, if you know what I mean. However, a solid screenwriter by the name of Jane Goldman (Kick-Ass, X-Men: First Class) helps give this film some credibility. Young director James Watkins (Eden Lake) still has a lot to prove, but I enjoyed Eden Lake and I have to say, this film isn't half bad...

This "horror" film is based on Susan Hill's 1983 novel by the same name. This may be your traditional ghost story that relies on suspense and atmosphere, but it pretty much works here. Watkins put together a small cast, led by Radcliffe, and they work well off of each other. It never hurts having brilliant veteran supporting actor Ciaran Hinds (Munich, The Eclipse) on board.

I'm not lying when I tell you this is a very simple ghost tale, so the plot won't take long to explain. Radcliffe plays Arthur Kipps, a young, single father of one. His son's name is Joseph (Misha Handley), and he's growing larger each and every day. Arthur is a very busy solicitor, so he's forced to hire a nanny (Jessica Raine) full-time. His job is in serious jeopardy, because of some mediocre work on a few big cases. Arthur's boss Mr. Bentley (Roger Allam) gives him one last chance to keep his job. He sends him out east to handle the estate of a deceased woman.

The Eel Marsh House resides on an island in the marshes. The road that leads to the house is often times under water. At high tide, the estate is completely cut off from the mainland. It's an odd, but appealing little plot twist that I've never quite seen before. When he arrives in town, the locals greet him with resentment and trepidation. Arthur is confused, but anxious to get to the Eal Marsh and get to work.

He meets a nice, gentle man named Sam Daily (Hinds) in town. Daily is the only one who doesn't give Arthur the cold shoulder. He befriends Arthur, and gives him rides to the marsh when needed. Before I get much further, I will add that the film opens with three young girls playing around with dolls. The girls are seemingly having a good time, when they suddenly become fixated on the window at the other end of the room. They slowly walk towards the window, open it and leap out to their death. That scene will come into play in a little bit.

It's obvious from the start that it's going to take Arthur an extremely lengthy amount of time to get all the papers in order. His first day on the job goes as usual as he gets to know the over-sized, beautiful house. However, towards the end of the first evening he sees a strange woman in black out the window. He goes outside to find her, but fails to do so. He also hears some bizarre and eerie sounds from time to time, but it does get windy out in the marsh and it's a very old house.

The next day, Arthur reports seeing a woman on the property but the police officer thinks nothing of it until he mentions that she was in all black. The policeman's facial expression immediately changes when Arthur releases these details. He looks terrified beyond belief, and leaves the station in panic. Arthur is bewildered by the mans actions. Before he has time to look for another policeman, three young children enter the station. Two of the kids are screaming that the young girl has drank poison. Blood begins to pour out of her mouth as she drops to ground and her death.

As it turns out, she's not the only child to kill herself in this quiet, secluded English town. Every time someone has reported a woman in black sighting, a child has killed themselves. The townspeople blame the most recent suicide on Arthur for sticking his nose around in the Eel Marsh House.

Daily invites Arthur to have dinner with him and his wife, Elizabeth (Janet McTeer). They have a nice, little meal in each other's company, but it's not long before Sam's wife starts going bonkers and begins carving pictures into the dining room table. Those three girls at the beginning of the film turn out to be the three daughters of Sam and Elizabeth. She's still tormented by their triple suicide, and knows the woman in black is to blame.

Arthur decides to return to the house, despite everyone's best interests. Daily offers him his trusted dog for protection, and Arthur playfully accepts. While Arthur tries to get some real work done, because he does have a deadline and desperately needs his job security, the dog keeps watch. Every so often, the dog begins to bark and Arthur takes a look around to make sure he's not in harms way. To this point, there definitely has been some real dread brought on by Watkins' direction, stout cinematography (Tim Maurice-Jones) and some spine-chilling original music (Marco Beltrami).

Arthur begins to see more and more of the woman in black, as she haunts him and his little dog friend. Arthur also begins to see ghosts of dead children. He eventually finds out the truth about this so called "woman in black." The Eel Marsh House was owned by Alice Drablow, who lived with her husband and son, Nathaniel. Her sister, Jennet, also lived there for some time. She was sent to a mental institution not long after Nathaniel was born. Arthur eventually finds out that Nathaniel was in fact Jennet's son. He died in a carriage accident. Jennet later killed herself. The ghost of Jennet has come back to Eel Marsh to haunt its inhabitants and the children of the nearby village. Arthur must now find a way to right things with this retched ghost in black.

The woman in black character actually isn't a terrible one, folks. She's not frightening or terrifying by any means, but she'll give you chills and may get you to jump once or twice. Most films of this nature are often quite dull and anything but frightening, but The Woman in Black works on some level thanks to a quirky and eccentric performance by Daniel Radcliffe. Only time will tell whether or not he can thrive as an actor outside of Harry Potter, but I'd say this was a good first step for the young man.
C+

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