The Woman in Black

Directed by James Watkins 
Cast: Daniel Radcliffe, Ciarán Hinds  

Finally I caught this film in a dollar-theater here in Greensboro, after it exhausted long ago the official premiere network rounds. But the wait was worthwhile. This movie is a creepy old-fashioned ghost story where in fact, voilá, there is a ghost. A real one. And scary as hell. So, what I am saying is, when you open a door like that in a script, well, anything can happen. As in fact it does. 

Daniel Radcliffe --who famously portrayed Harry Potter in the film series-- makes a good job as a frightened but brave lawyer who, during the early twentieth-century England is sent by his company --in the old Dracula's storyline tradition-- to a remote village to retrieve documents from an old estate haunted by the supernatural. Then he realizes that all the villagers are as scared of him as they are from the abandoned house he is visiting. And, of course, sooner than later he begins to understand why. He starts hearing strange noises and to see weird things --that the freaked-out spectator sees before him. Among the visions is included the hateful woman in black who lost her child in the past and, as revenge obliges in scary movies, is taking with her the children of the terrified villagers in the present. According to the town people, whenever the woman in black is seen by anybody, the next thing that happens is that a kid dies in a horrible manner.

But, let's stop talking about the plot. It does not make much sense to be honest. The strength of the movie resides in its horror crescendos and its artsy production --including malevolent monkey toys and trashed old dolls, no less-- that conjures up those fears that were breastfed to all human beings  from scary stories.

Unfortunately there is a couple of moments where the director exaggerates the gratuitous shocks --and the strident music that comes along with them, that are a staple in every horror film from the last decade. But, all in all, and including the very respectable presence of Ciarán Hinds in the cast, this is a good film that enjoyed a decent and well deserved box-office return. Warning: at times, it's really scary.