Review: The Woman in Black

About the Movie

Rated: PG-13
Starring: Daniel Radcliffe & Ciarán Hinds
Running Time: 95 minuets

Dispatched by his boss to an isolated seaside village to tie up a recently deceased client's affairs, a young London lawyer finds himself in a community grappling with dark secrets -- and a haunting presence with a sinister agenda.

My Review

Rating: 4 stars

My fear with this one is that Daniel Radcliffe wouldn't be able to convince me he wasn't Harry Potter. How wrong I was! The character he plays is such a departure from Harry Potter that I didn't even think about it after the first 10 minuets or so. I also have to say that Mr. Radcliffe is such a great actor. I never really paid much attention to the acting in Harry Potter - that wasn't what I watched those movies for anyway... But I think Radcliffe has really proven that he's a great actor with this one.

This is one of the better "horror" movies that I've seen in a while. It used sound and light to create suspense, while the story was being built up. There were quite a few "jumpy" moments, which even though I was expecting them got me. My dog even woke up with a start twice.

The story was pretty good. A young man must go to a village where he's unwelcome and while there he uncovers their secret. As he's putting the pieces of the puzzle together children in the village start dying. The young lawyer is trying to figure how all this connects together while he accepts the hospitality of one of the wealthy families in the village. The wife appears to be a bit crazy, but she does help put some fire into plot.

The only reason this did not receive a 5 star rating was the ending. It wasn't a horrible ending, but I was expecting something different. After the puzzle is "figured out" I thought that would be the end. But the ending is much more sinister than I would have imagined.

I would have to say despite the PG-13 rating that it shouldn't be watched by younger kids. I think I would have to say 15 or 16 rather than 13 as the appropriate age limit. There's some graphic scenes, although they aren't necessarily violent they are disturbing none the less. There's not much in the way of strong language, I honestly don't remember any but it could have just slipped my mind.

If you are interested in purchasing The Woman in Black please check it out in my Amazon Store.