A widowed lawyer leaves his young son for an isolated and eerie manor house to organise the estate of the Drablow family. A curious and intensely sinister story unfolds as we learn the family’s secrets and the vicious legacy of the Woman in Black.
This is an old fashioned ghost story. No gore, no twisted plot, no half-naked teenagers. Instead the movie, like the book, relies on the sinister, the paranormal and most importantly, it’s left up to us to decide how frightening the vicious spectre really is. It’s what we don’t see that terrifies us. The vastness of the dreary causeway and the intense isolation of Eel Marsh house are visually rich so those who enjoyed the intense and atmospheric descriptions in Hill’s book will not be disappointed. The main foyer, staircase, upper hallway and nursery are really the only rooms presented to us in any detail while the rest of the house is left to our imagination. Finally a film that realises it’s what we don’t see that scares us. Rhythmic thuds, fleeting shadows, foggy apparitions, darting eye movements and murky reflections allow us to piece together this ominous character.
Of course The Woman must appear to us at some point and by and large this is frightening and skilfully done.
A surprisingly fun aspect of the film is the treatment of the paranormal itself as Kipps (Radcliffe) openly discusses his scepticism with a kindly villager he befriends. Radcliffe plays the role well enough but there are times when his speech and movements feel deliberate and he seems to lack emotional range. This is disappointing in his first post-Potter venture where movie-goers will be hoping for a more intense portrayal and sadly he misses the mark.
As the story reaches its climax and all seems to be resolved, the ending feels too abrupt and the creeping sense of pace so well-established throughout the film is lost.
All in, The Woman in Black is nothing special but it is a sinister tale, beautifully furnished and carefully crafted to draw us in to a truly frightening ghost story.
For more of my articles and arts reviews visit www.acrossthearts.co.uk
2 comments:
I liked it ! Although I think Radcliffe was probably too young for this role. I was looking forward to seeing him perform in a different setting. The rocking chair episode sure was a creepster ! Solene Q.
Yeah, the rocking chair was good. I think that room is general was a scary, scary place.
Post a Comment