The Woman in Black (2012)
Written By: Grave Reviews Staff
Film Information
Director: James Watkins
Producer: Richard Jackson, Simon Oakes, Brian Oliver
Writer: Jane Goldman
Novel based on: Susan Hill’s The Woman in Black
Date Released: February 3, 2012
Cast:
Daniel Radcliffe as Arthur Kipps
Janet McTeer as Elizabeth Daily
Ciaran Hinds as Sam Daily
Liz White as Jennet Humfrye
Tim McMullan as Jerome
Roger Allam as Mr. Bentley
Alisa Khazanova as Alice Drablow
Rating = 2.5/5 Graves
***May contain some spoilers***
Synopsis
In the 1800s, Arthur Kipps (Daniel Radcliffe) is sent to an old English village called Crythin Gifford by his law firm to recover any documents that are relevant to handling the Estate of Alice Drablow (Alisa Khazanova). Drablow owned the Eel Marsh House, which is an isolated abandoned home that the people of Crythin Gifford will not go near. Kipps, who lost his wife while she was giving birth to their son, came to this village as a way of reconciling his job at the law firm. However, what he begins to discover is that there is a woman is terrorizes the people of Crythin Gifford and causes them to kill themselves. Kipps must attempt to ease the suffering of the woman in black, but is his efforts enough to bring peace to the village of Crythin Gifford?
Gore Factor
The Woman in Black (2012) is not explicitly gory but does allude to some disturbing imagery. For example, in the beginning of the film, the “woman in black” makes three little girls jump out from the window, falling to their deaths. Similar disturbing imagery is alluded to throughout the film. Although never visually seen, these scenes are disconcerting to say the least. In addition, the film also has some jump scares that add to the eerie environment that The Woman In Black offers. Overall, you will find very little gore in this film, but rather some equally uncomfortable scenarios.
The Grave Review
The environments of the old English village and mist created eerie and disturbing imagery which set the tone for the film. The Woman in Black (2012) is a sad and upsetting story about loss. The morbid environment fit well with the theme of the film.
In addition, both Daniel Radcliffe and Ciaran Hinds’ performance were well-done. Hinds plays a wealthy homeowner who lives near the village and invites Kipps to stay with him and his wife. Hinds’ chemistry with Radcliffe is very refreshing and together, both actors made a great contribution individually and collectively to the film.
Despite the quality of actors, there were some negatives to the film itself. One negative about this film is that, The Woman in Black felt very slow-paced. Often, there were moments when I wanted something to happen and felt that there were filler scenes. With the slow-paced style, there could have been more development with the backstories of the characters. Although the paranormal concept was sound, the film missed an opportunity to expand the story line and environment. Although The Woman in Black (2012) deserves praise for the acting and prop/environment work, the execution of the film as a whole could have been improved.
For the foregoing reasons, Grave Reviews gives The Woman in Black (2012) two and one-half and a half graves out of five Graves.
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