The Woman in Black [DVD]

This movie is wonderful and genuinely scary. The story is both sad , but all the details involved with the characters, you can understand their sorrow and upset. Daniel Radcliffes character is the central character and is doing his best to make the best of a bad situation in the story. He is a psychic but he does not recognise himself as such. He takes each scary situation in his stride and tries to deal with it logically.His character is under immense pressure to keep his job in exceptionally trying circumstances. The spirit scenes are genuinely frightening. You feel the tension as the spirit is intent on explaining her story to him. The supporting characters have their share of terror, which increases by the minute. I recommend you buy it for Halloween or the holidays to get the full effect of this haunting story.It would make an excellent gift to anyone insterested in getting a good scare with a story full of twists, turns , sorrow and happiness. The background to which it is filmed, is unusual in its settings. The house where the spirit resides was once very elegant and rich. The time frame is based on the early part of the 20th century.One person whom he has to deal with is a local official who has also had sorrow from the woman in black. His psychic wife, although he does not acknowledge her psychic gift does see what tragedy could come when the woman visits. She tries to compensate for her sorrow in other ways and is a dog lover, as so is her husband. This story is thrilling, very chilling and is a very good movie. Wonderful piece of fiction. Thanks

THE FILM to really show people that new Hammer mean business.They have slowly crept a few titles out before this to test the water. The online "Beyond the Rave" modern vampire tale was ok but very episodic, filmed as it was in 5 minute chunks for internet viewers. Then came "The Resident", a mediocre thriller, followed by "Wakewood", an interesting horror similar to the Pet Sematery story.But now we move into full blown gothic territory with "The Woman in Black".It's nice that Hammer have finally made a ghost story, as they curiously managed to avoid this in their golden 1956-1976 period, and this one is a cracker.Full of foreboding and menace, the film slowly immerses you in it's grip as the young Daniel Radcliffe ( who is suprisingly good,) is sent to sort out the affairs of a deceased woman in her rotted old mansion, and soon discovers she is not at rest at all, and is intent on killing off the children of the area in revenge of her own child's death years before.Very well made, and creepy, this has a lot of quick shocks and is quite strong for a 12 certificate.

The region 1 release has the following benefits: the image has not been tampered with so as not to frighten children, as it is in the UK. Obviously in the UK, money is the key factor in creativity and an agreement to dampen down the sound, the imagery & the deliberate fear induced was made with the BBFC. As it is, i am rather a long way from twelve years old & do not desire watered down water; if i was twelve however i would try watching this ghostly haunting scare film on UK tv, when it occurs. When it does it is probably going to be the same dampened-child-friendly-money-driven cut.So, expectant that a new wave of Hammer related fare might by pleasantly gothic..it is. The Woman in Black is moody, lingering and has all the hallmarks of the haunting films of yesteryear. Period drama clothing is much in force, rain rains like it can in britain, shadows are very shadowy & a slow-numbing certainty that Radcliffe really should just toddle off home to his son, is always foremost in mind. The direct, simple tale is actually a heavy, death-laden gothic doom, yet comes across because of the nimble pace, as anything but cloying. Sentiment also, is sound but not overbearing. A solid gothic ambience underscores a stiff-upper lip and suppressed emotions, bursting forth in superstitions and the villagers pent up sense of futility. All of this, if not overt, is definitely springing from the same well-spring as old Hammer flicks. As such, its enjoyable, has potent moments of scare, startling at times, which work primarily due to the well shot camera angles, the use of shadow, the slow build of suspense & deliberate sense of foreboding. Subtract this or dampen it, and yes a child might have fewer nightmares.....But honestly, the idea that the creativity on show here, well executed, should be put into question in the UK, simply because it too effectively performs what it sets out to do, is ludicrous. Would one trim down every horror film in order to make it palatable to all and sundry? No. This was made to haunt & terrorize. That is what I paid for on my way into the ride..