The Woman in Black (2012)

I will give Daniel Radcliffe some credit, he is doing other films in order to distance himself from the ‘Harry Potter’ films. Not that the Harry Potter films are bad, they’re really good, it’s so that he is remembered for something other than being the Boy Who Lived. Then again looking at the tagline on the poster, I couldn't help but think that Radcliffe should start believing in ghost stories, as he's in one.

But the first thing that comes to mind, is that Radcliffe, who plays Arthur Kipps, isn’t the right character to play a father. I suppose he was the only one at the end of ‘Harry Potter Part 7.2’ to actually look normal, whereas Rupert Grint and Emma Watson looked weird and Tom Felton looked hilarious. But here, well, okay Radcliffe looks fine I suppose, with his hair and sideburns, as well as the fact that he has a shaven beard and goatee, but he still sounds like...well, that he still goes to Hogwarts. He doesn’t sound right for the part.

 

Thankfully that’s about it for his character, which is good cause I do like the guy. I do think Radcliffe is one of the best actors of this generation. He does do a great job throughout the film, which makes you easily forget about. As does mostly everyone else in this. Ciaran Hinds does a brilliant job as a supporting character, and I do have to say that Liz White does give such depth to playing the Woman in Black.

That being said, there are some minor characters who could’ve been better, it’s a cross between over the top, and not giving it their all. Sophie Stuckey did an alright job as Stella Kipps/The Woman in White, but she wasn’t in the film that much. Which is understandable, she is dead.

The acting of the children though was really good. Yes it’s odd that I, who did the ‘Worst Child Actor Performances’ list, found the child acting in this really good. What comes to mind is the opening scene, where the three girls jump out the window. That was done brilliantly; it was creepy and gave a great introduction to the film. The kids actually gave about half the scares in this film, because kids are fricking scary! The fact is that they’re suppose to be pure and innocent, they haven’t been corrupted by life yet. This means that it’s scarier when they’re on screen; it’s either more terrifying that a child is in danger, or they’re scaring the Hell out of you.

Oh yeah, this film is actually quite scary, especially since it’s a 12A rating. The film successfully sets a great tone with the dark lighting, the sense of feeling alone, and the fact that you need to watch for the little things. Seriously, there’s the point where the Woman in Black is sneaking up on Kipps, and if you look in the top left corner, you can see a mirror with the Woman in Black’s reflection.

There’s also a point where Kipps is looking around Nathaniel’s (Ashley  Foster) room by candlelight at night, and the light is reflected on a toy monkey’s eyes as Kipps moves across the room, making it look like the monkey is watching every step Kipps takes. This was a surprisingly effective piece of cinema; it was creepy, yet ingenious.

On top of that, the film does goes go more for the chills, rather than gore, which is pretty rare for a horror film nowadays. From the hanging to running around in the fog to the lights going out. Granted, for a horror enthusiast, like myself, the scares can be lacking, and I don’t really find high pitch screaming scary, it’s more annoying and irritating.

The story wasn’t just a standard horror, there were some actions scenes, such as Kipps running into a burning building to try and save a girl, or Sam Daily (Hinds) forcing the villagers to get out his way when he drives towards them. The ending was also surprisingly well concluded; it was an emotional scene and actually left it at a good point.

That being said, there were some bits which confused me or annoyed me. I mean, should a film that is primarily a horror have comedic aspects? Because it was funny when Elizabeth Daily (Janet McTeer) said that the twins (Or something like that) are coming to dinner, and it turns out they’re cute dogs.

There’s also the point that if Nathaniel’s body is recovered and laid to rest and placed with the Woman in Black’s corpse, then she will stop. Since I haven’t read the book, yet, I had no idea what was going to happen. I had the feeling that Kipps was going to be her son, but I was also getting the feeling that that wasn’t the end of it. I won’t say if it was, but it was a nagging feeling I had which hampered my enjoyment of the film.

Also, a bit of a plot hole I guess, but if someone seeing the Woman in Black causes her to go and manipulate children into killing themselves, then, I don’t know, move out of the village? Seriously! If it’s that easy for children to kick the bucket, then move the Hell out of the village, she doesn’t seem to go beyond the borders of the village.

But anyway, it appeared that the film was going to be good, and I’m glad to say it was. The acting is good, the effects are good, the plot is good, the scares and tone of the film are surprisingly great. It certainly was a great film to enjoy.