The Woman in Black (Rated PG-13)
- Starring Daniel Radcliffe, Janet McTeer, Ciaran Hinds
- Directed by James Watkins
- Plot: A lawyer sent to the rural countryside discovers a ghost terrorizing the locals.
A good haunted house movie is hard to beat, and The Woman in Black comes so close to being just that.
Based on the 1983 novel of the same name by Susan Hill, The Woman in Black has seen previous incarnations as a television movie and a play (that is currently the second longest running show in West End history).
Here Daniel Radcliffe, in his first post-Harry Potter role, plays a lawyer named Arthur Kipps. Arthur is still mourning the loss of his wife, who died in childbirth when his son (now 4) is born. Given one more chance by his law firm to keep his job, Arthur heads to a remote area of England to a secluded old mansion to make certain all of the paperwork is in order for a recently deceased client. Creepy house? Check. Oddly evasive locals? Check. A spirit who who causes the death of children when seen? Check. The expected hijinks ensue.
The movie offers sufficient chills and jump out scares and builds the tone of the film well. Strong performances from Ciaran Hinds and Janet McTeer flesh out the film nicely. Unfortunately the film requires a strong performance from Daniel Radcliff, and the young actor just seems ill-suited to the role. I'm not sure if it's too soon off of the Harry Potter franchise for me to see him realistically as another character, but the whole time, I felt like I was watching a little boy playing dress-up. Radcliffe just seemed out of place in the period horror piece. I was never fully able to engage Radcliffe as his character and was therefore never really able to fully engage in the film.
The Woman in Black is a sold attempt at an old-school horror film from the legendary Hammer Studios. The movie itself falls short due to Radcliffe's performance. That being said, the movie is a worthwhile escape for horror fans.
The Woman in Black is rated PG-13 for violence/disturbing images.
If you would like to see The Woman in Black, it is currently playing in Ames at the Cinemark Movies 12. Follow the link for showtimes. If you live outside the Ames area, then check out Fandango.com for theaters and showtimes near you.
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