The Woman in Black
“During afternoon tea, there's a shift in the air.
A bone-trembling chill that tells you she's there.
There are those who believe the whole town is cursed.
But the house in the Marsh is by far the worst.
What she wants is unknown, but she always comes back.
The specter of darkness. The Woman in Black.”
If you are a fan of horror thriller movies then you should have been excited about the movie from the trailer itself. Many people went to see it because Daniel Radcliffe plays the main role of Arthur Kipps, a young lawyer whose wife died four years ago while giving birth to their child, Joseph (Misha Handley). Dan might not have the face for a husband with a four years old child, but he definitely played his role extraordinary and he deserves a pat on the back just for managing to get out of “Harry Potter” look.
But honestly what makes the movie so great isn’t the cast, despite of their good acting, but the bare fact that the plot is so good you will have chills during the whole movie. The story follows Arthur to a small seaside town where he is to finalize the papers of an old estate nearby the town as the widow who owned it was recently deceased. However, once he gets in the town he will notice people avoiding him and telling their children to stay away from him. He is told several times not to go to the estate, but he ignores their warnings and decides to go.
By reading the papers of the owner and some old letters, he soon understands why people fear the house so much. He learns of the shadow they call “the Woman in Black” and how she haunts the town, specifically the children, because of how she lost her own child and wasn’t able of dealing with the fact she didn’t even see his body. Realizing what horror he has unleashed by visiting the house, Arthur will decide to fix things by trying to reunite the Woman in Black with her child, but things won’t be as simple as he expects.
The movie is in fact a remake of The Woman in Black from 1989 where Arthur Kipps is played by Adrian Rawlins (James Potter in the Harry Potter movies, where Daniel Radcliffe plays Harry Potter, but I’m sure you already know that). While I haven’t seen the original movie, nor have I read the book the movie is based on, and I cannot compare any of them, I believe that Woman in Black might be in fact one of the better horror movies made lately.
There are no gore elements at all, and the movie itself has a perfect amount of thriller and horror scenes to make it enjoyable as a whole. The widow’s story is truly touching and sad, yet her act for revenge is absolutely terrifying and your emotions are bound to get jumpy while watching. From the creepy dolls to the petrifying gaze of the Woman in Black, there are enough scenes to get your adrenaline hit the ceiling of your room.
Obviously this is a thriller horror and if you are a fan of movies like Saw this might not be your cup of tea, but If you like ghost stories and would like to enjoy a decent plot, this movie is a must see. Whether you decide to watch it just for Daniel Redcliffe or because you like the plot, you definitely aren’t going to regret it.
