The Woman in Black
Director: James Watkins
By Alex Watson
For years audiences have been given the chills by Susan Hill’s terrifying Victorian ghost story, The Woman in Black. Its pitch black menace is felt throughout and it is rightly regarded as a classic of its genre. The stage adaptation has also been a major success in London’s West End. I was lucky enough to see a production of it last year. You will never find a more chest-tightening stage piece than this! However, since its publication it has been strangely absent from our screen. Apart from a made for TV version in 1989 (which is still worth a look), there has been no big screen outing for this tale of horror. So now we turn to Eden Lake director James Watkins’ version. But will it conjure up the same lurking threat of the original?
The story surrounds young solicitor Arthur Kipps (Daniel Radcliffe) who still grieves for his wife who has died in childbirth. Kipps is sent to a small Northern town of Crythin Gifford to settle the estate of recently deceased Alice Drablow- who lived a remote house called Eel Marsh House. Upon his arrival he sees a society seemingly in fear of an unknown presence and the locals want nothing to do with him! Whilst sorting through the paperwork for Mrs Drablow’s estate he learns there might have been more to her family than meets the eye! He is also nervous about a mysterious woman dressed in black who skulk’s the grounds of Eel Marsh House!
The film version of The Woman in Black certainly stays faithful to the spooky spirit of the original and delivers us numerous scares. In one scene where a petrified Kipps wanders the dark halls of Eel Marsh House, the tension is unrelenting and Watkins never gives the audience a chance to breath! And when the shocks come- a massive jump is guaranteed! But it’s not the sight of the lady up close that provides the anxiety, here her very presence is the threat. Through a glimpse of her in a doorway or in a window pane, the effect is everlasting. Also the movie perfectly captures the perplexing world that is Crythin Gifford. The town is permanently in mourning due to the constant loss of their children. Through Watkins, we see a town scared stiff of the swirling mist from the marsh.
But one area where this film falls down is in it cutting and pasting of the story line. The central characters and ideas are all there, but a lot of key areas of the original plot are strangely absent. In particular the explanation of how the Woman in Black really came to being is drastically altered and on screen doesn’t have the same effect. Also the back story of Kipps is also hacked to pieces, in the original he was happily married with a young child. But in this he is transformed into a troubled widower which doesn’t give threat to his family as events progress. The main point of contention is the ending. Originally the stage play ends on a threatening note. But in James Watkins’ piece events are seemingly rounded up with a near happy conclusion. Debate will ensue as to whether this was the right choice?
In his first post Potter adventure Daniel Radcliffe does well as Arthur Kipps. Originally he looks far too young to convince as a father of a four year old boy. But as The Woman in Black enters darker territory it is there that his acting grit shows. Frequently alone and with nothing to react to, his big scared eyes have the audience gripped with anticipation. There are also strong turns from veteran Ciaran Hinds as wealthy landowner Sam Dailly. A man who scoffs at the notion of supernatural spirits, until it becomes impossible to ignore them! Janet McTeer is a revelation as Mrs Dailly, the ghost of her dead son lingers hard on her and she has now replaced him with two dogs that she treats like people! In creepiness terms her limited screen time is as scary as the ladies!
So the legend of The Woman in Black lives on, its frights aplenty and the house full of haunted souls. Time will tell if this has been a worthy adaptation of this novel. But it’s odds on to be the scariest movie of 2012. Make sure you sleep with the lights on after seeing this because the lady will be haunting your dreams!
Closer to the Edge 