Review of The Woman In Black

Although I was excited to see this film, I was sceptical at the thought of Daniel Radcliffe doing anything other than Harry Potter. This being because since he started doing the Potter films when he was eleven years old, so I imagine he would struggle to get out of that character. 

Once the film had started I feared that my assumption about Radcliffes acting was correct. It came across as very dry, and very much like Harry potter, but as the film progressed he seemed to get more into his character and we as the audience saw a different side to his acting. By the end I believe that he has a done a fine drop at portaying this character, my only complaint about him is that I find it hard to see him as a father of four-year old child when he still looks like a teenager himself on screen. The real star has to be the house. The house is what creates the whole atmosphere throughout. It's dark, dreary, old, run-down, it is perfect. With a few well placed glimpses of a terrifying (almost Grudge looking) dead woman, it scared alot of people (including me) in the screening I went to. 

I haven't read the book, or seen the original film from 1989, so I went in with a completely open mind since I had nothing to compare it to. The story is solid enough, but it begins slowly and I think a few people will be disappointed with the ending.

I've heard many complaining that it is too scary for a 12A and should possibly be an 18, a 15 at least, but I disagree. When you look at the film in its essence, most of the scares are shock/jump scares, there's no real gore factor (it doesn't accidently slip into the slasher catagory like most modern horrors) and there's no nudity, so it is perfectly justifyable that it has a 12A rating and to be quite honest, it's a smart move, it bring in a younger audience, and tricks older audiences into thinking it won't scare them.

I would highly recommend seeing this film in the cinema. It is one of those flics where atmosphere is everything, and you just won't be able to get that watching it at home on a smaller screen.

All in all, it's not perfect, but it does what you need, a likable character, a good setting, a brilliant score (the music is what really brings out the chills in the house) and a solid enough story to keep viewers interested throughout.

8/10