Cast: Daniel Radcliffe, Janet McTeer and Ciaran Hinds
Director: James Watkins
Rating: 2/5
The Woman in Black is more funny than scary...
By Priyanka Ketkar
The night has fallen and the train is moving in a really fast speed; inside, leaning against the window is Daniel Radcliffe who has almost fallen asleep and is half dreaming, half hallucinating when suddenly he wakes up with a start! No. it is not 'coz of the dementors and no, I am not talking about Harry Potter. Daniel Radcliffe is all grown up now and he is a widower with a child in The Woman In Black.
Yes, the movie is supposed to be scary. It has everything- a beautiful yet spooky mansion, some ghosts walking, a few village superstitions, some scary and loud noises and a Woman in Black. But sadly, none of these things manage to scare you enough and there is not a single moment where you will sympathise with Arthur Kipps and his plight. The Woman in Black is based on the celebrated 1983 novel by Susan Hill that has been adapted for television and stage with undeniable degrees of success. But will the movie taste the same success?
Arthur Kipps (Daniel Redcliffe), a young lawyer is attempting to piece back his life after the untimely death of his wife. While trying to handle his grief on one hand, he has to take care of his little kid Joseph (Misha Handley) and try hard to save his job on the other hand. An assignment which will probably either plaster his place in his law firm forever or get him fired, is handed over to him and Arthur has no choice but to take it. Leaving Joseph behind for two days he sets-off on the journey to the Eel Marsh House, to sort out the estate of late Mrs. Alice Drablow. Unaware of what goes on in the uninhibited house and totally ignorant about the legend which revolves around it, he is determined to get this work done despite several warnings from the villagers. But Arthur's beliefs are about to be challenged by deaths of several village children, a rocking chair, his friend's dog which barks at something invisible, musical toys which play without being wound and of course, a woman in black who keeps screeching on top of her voice.
But as every horror movie demands, the hero goes chasing the shadows despite having told otherwise and then wants the ghost to rest in peace; hence he attempts to be overfriendly and tries to help. Ditto in The Woman in Black. You can actually sit and predict the next scene in the movie. Since we have seen so many horror movies and better ones at that, this one seems like a bad melange of all of them. There are moments which will scare you (if you are inside an empty house, in a lonely place and you suddenly hear some noise, you are bound to get scared) but they are far and few. The only good thing about it is that instead of using blood and gore, the director relies on creating suspense and panic through eeriness.
The end is quite spooky and unusual but still it feels absolutely unconvincing and funny. Daniel Radcliffe seems like a very odd cast-choice. He looks too young for his age and is not very convincing as a grieving widower. Ciaran Hinds and Janet McTeer's performances appear natural and their screen presence is much more impressive than Daniel Radcliffe's.
The effects are amateurish and the sounds (screams) are absolutely non-scary. The movie is set in an old time and the look given to the movie is hence very elegant and neat. But that alone cannot help save it from a fall right?
It has been a long time since we have seen a horror movie and this is probably the only reason why the movie can be watched. The Woman in Black is more funny, than scary and all those who want to watch a good scary movie for the weekend; this one is definitely not it.