The Woman in Black

Jeri Jacquin, Movie Maven

Opening in theatres this Friday from director James Watkins and CBS Films comes a chilly time in the marsh with “The Woman in Black”.

This film tells the story of Arthur Kipps (Daniel Radcliffe), a young lawyer who is grieving the passing of his young wife leaving behind their son to raise. His superior sends Arthur to take care of the final disposition of the Drablow house and its possessions.

When Arthur arrives at the small town he finds a cold reception, not only by the villagers but by the house in the marsh. The only person who seems to talk with him is Mr. Daily (Ciaran Hinds), whose wife Mrs. Daily (Janet McTeer) has the answers to secrets.

At the house, Arthur begins to see and feel the presence of the woman in black. Since no one will tell him why she takes the lives of children in the village, he takes it upon himself to discover the clues.

Arthur knows what he must do to save what he loves the most.

FINAL WORD: Radcliff as Kipps did a fantastic job in this role. He has the ability to show so much emotion on his face and in his eyes. That is a big reason I enjoyed watching him in this film. The feeling of sorrow matched with his ability to carry a scene where there is only intensity and nothing else is well done.

It cannot be easy to break away from being Harry Potter but this is his beginning. Playing the role of a father with a young son leaves no doubt that Radcliffe is no longer the young wizard but a grown man.

Hinds as Daily is a secondary role that he does well, as always. It was good to have another person who, although not believing in ghosts, did the right thing by Arthur’s character. I must admit, the dog was a nice touch as well.

McTeer as Mrs. Daily gives us an eerie look at the secrets to the woman in black and the connection with the children of the villagers. After her wonderful role in “Albert Nobbs”, it is good to see McTeer again.

Other cast include: Roger Allam as Mr. Bentley, Shaun Dooley as Fisher, Mary Stockley as Mrs. Fisher, Alexia Osbourne as Victory Hardy, Alfie Field as Tom Hardy, Tim McMullan as Mr. Jerome, and Liz White as Jenet.

TUBS OF POPCORN: I give “The Woman in Black” three and a half tubs of popcorn out of five. I truly did enjoy the fact that this reminded me of the spooky classic films I grew up with. There isn’t huge amounts of blood, gore, and slashing, instead, there is a mystery, a story and things that go bump in the night.

The setting was perfect for the tale with the gray and rain just adding to it. It is a haunted house tale that will give the audience the Victorian chills they seek and the gothic jumps they want.

In the end – what do they see?