The Woman in Black (2012 Film)

On February 3, 2012 Daniel Radcliffe's long awaited post-Harry Potter debut film was released into theaters. The film, The Woman in Black, is a horror film based on the 1983 novel of the same name. In the film, Radcliffe plays a young lawyer, named Arthur Kipps, who struggles to raise his four-year-old-son Joseph after his wife dies during childbirth. Kipps is given an assignment by his firm to handle the affairs involving the estate of the newly deceased Alice Dablow, an elderly woman who owned a manor called the Eel Marsh House. Kipps travels to the small village in North East England where the manor is located, and his arrival soon sets off a chain of catastrophic events that lead to the resurrection of a decades old curse.

The movie was met with mixed reviews. Paul Chambers of CNN Radio praised the film, saying, "Radcliffe plays an adult quite convincingly. Kipps is a character you care about. And, the story is about as spooky as it gets." However, Rafer Guzman of Newsday calls the film "…a disappointing post-Potter debut from Radcliffe…" The film currently has 64% rating on the Rotten Tomatoes meter, a considerably high percentage for a horror film.

The film has a healthy balance of strengths and weaknesses. The screenplay for the film isn't the most original screenplay in Hollywood, however, the actors put on fair performances and the film's eerie soundtrack will send a chill down anyone's spine. The costumes will leave fans of 19th century London fashion drooling, but the lackluster conclusion to the film will leave fans of mind-blowing twist endings disappointed. All in all, The Woman in Black is not a bad watch. It may not be the scariest or most original horror film out there, but it is a refreshing take on a classic ghost story. It's also an excellent choice for future Scary Movie Slumber Parties!