Film Reviews

The Woman in Black

• Rating:
• Director: James Watkins
• Starring: Ciarán Hinds
• Details: US/TBC TBC

Do you buy Daniel Radcliffe having a toddler and a recently deceased wife? Frankly, that is cause for more suspension of disbelief than the supernatural goings on in this Hammer production. Offering a spattering of jolt-worthy moments, and a decent amount of atmosphere, hardcore genre nuts might just get something out of this adaptation.
Radcliffe is a single father struggling to cope with the recent passing of his wife, who died during childbirth. On the brink of being fired from his real estate job, he must travel to a creepy country town and close a deal for a country mansion the locals fear haunted. Naturally, the locals are right, and the place is haunted by the ghost of a wronged woman, who is taking her revenge on the children of the village after her son was taken from her before she committed suicide.
Opening on a shot of Radcliffe that shows him all grown up, he still manages to look like a cross between Elijah Wood and Robert Pattinson - granted the latter may be more down to mutton chops and a perpetually pained look. He's front and centre for the entire production and actually does a solid job. That said, he is horribly miscast and there's no getting around that. No amount of facial hair can make him look capable of fathering a four year old, but the Harry Potter star is still surprisingly strong and does a notable job carrying his first film solo.
The scares come thick and fast, and that's somewhat of an issue. There's nothing for ages, then a barrage of thrills that while effective, could've done with a little more spacing. What it does extremely well is the foreboding. The cinematography and set design is moody, gothic and really underlines the creepy atmosphere - even if the story is old hat (granted this tale was originally penned in 1987).
The ending is a little predictable, but overall Hammer continue their mild winning streak.

Review by Mike Sheridan