reviewed by debbie lynn elias
Daniel Radcliffe fans, never fear! There is life after Harry Potter…albeit dealing with the afterlife. Wielding a more mature type of magic (i.e., his acting skills), with THE WOMAN IN BLACK, Radcliffe casts a spell of suspense and spine chilling thrills that will have you jumping out of your skin faster than you can shout “Illuminata!”
Based on the 1983 novel of the same name by Susan Hill, The Woman in Black as been adapted into a stage play, a radio play and a tv movie, all to great acclaim and success, but none has packed the wallop of a true ghost story until now. With a screenplay adaptation by Jane Goldman, director James Watkins delivers the complete package of ghostly frights and things that go bump in the night, celebrating and utilizing the gothic elements of the Victorian era to full advantage, proving that nothing beats a good old-fashioned spectral scare.
Arthur Kipps is an unhappy man. A young London lawyer, he is also a widower with a young 4-year old son. His wife died during childbirth leaving Arthur to raise little Joseph. But for four years, Arthur has wallowed in his grief. Long noticed by his son, Arthur’s despair is also noted by his employer who advises Arthur that his job is now on the line. With a final warning from his boss, Arthur is sent to the town of Crythin Gifford to settle the estate of a reclusive and mysterious woman. Mr. Jerome, a local solicitor, has been handling the affairs but has been none too prompt or exacting in the matter, thus necessitating Arthur’s intervention. But on his arrival, it is clear that something is amiss. Despite housing arrangements, Arthur is told there is no room at the inn and to get back on the train to London. Why? Townspeople run into their homes and lock themselves behind closed doors when they see Arthur on the street. Why? And then, the local carriage taxi doesn’t want to take Arthur to the deceased’s home inn the remote Eel Marsh. Again, why? In fact there is only one person in town who is friendly to Arthur, Sam Daily, the town’s wealthiest man.
After much haggling, Arthur finally does get his ride to Eel Marsh but once there begins to experience some strange and frightening encounters. A huge manor out on an island that is only accessible at low tide, Eel Marsh bodes dark secrets. In a small family graveyard, Arthur thinks he sees a heavily veiled woman in black. Are his eyes playing tricks on him? In the house, doors slam, antique children’s toys suddenly play music, a rocking chair furiously rocks above him but no one is in the chair. Is Arthur being driven to madness? Is someone trying to frighten him away? On his return to town, local children start dying horrible deaths. And Arthur again sees the woman in black as one child sets herself on fire, erupting into flames and death. Who is this specter? And what does she want from Arthur?
For anyone who saw “The December Boys” several years ago, you knew then that Daniel Radcliffe had talents beyond being a boy wizard, talents which Radcliffe has methodically and carefully cultivated so that now, with his first post-Harry Potter film, he has the maturity and skill to deftly navigate a story of which he is on screen alone 90% of the time. At first blush, one still sees the young Harry Potter as a black crow flies from a chimney in attack mode. But as dawn starts to turn to dusk, and shadows and darkness consume Eel Marsh, memories and images of Harry Potter vanish and one is looking spellbound at a truly frightened Arthur Kipps, clutching candles in his hand as noise rains down on him from throughout the house.
Among the co-stars are the excellent Ciaran Hinds as Sam Daily, who plays something of a devil’s advocate to the townsfolk and the always-reliable Janet McTeer, who shines as Mrs. Dailey, a woman who lost her child and now showers all of her attention on two little dogs whom she dresses in sailor suits, sitting them in high chairs at the dinner table and hand feeding them with silver spoons from bone china bowls.
Tim Maurice-Jones’ cinematography is brilliant. Immersing us in shadowed darkness at Eel Marsh, cold steely greys of the English rural seaside and then surprising us with sunlight and ethereal lightness at the Daily home and in Kipps’ visions of his deceased wife. The cinematography allows us to feel the heaviness of not only Kipps’ emotional burden but the torment and loss of The Woman in Black herself.
And let’s not forget Marco Beltrami’s score which provides another subtle , yet creepy, layer of suspense, always lurking in the shadows, fueling the heart-pounding anticipatory terror.
Be afraid. Be very afraid of The Woman in Black. It will scare you to death.
Arthur Kipps – Daniel Radcliffe
Sam Daily – Ciarin Hinds
Mrs. Daily – Janet McTeer
Joseph Kipps – Misha Handley
Directed by James Watkins. Written by Jane Goldman based on the novel by Susan Hill.
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