A Ghost Story for the Steampunk Set
I always cringe when I see that a horror movie is rated PG-13. Nearly always, it's a sign that the movie doesn't go far enough, plays it safe and tries to make due with a series of startling noises and yucky special effects, rather than a story that truly terrifies.
The Woman in Black is not one of these movies.
Be warned: At first, it's a bit jarring that Harry Potter has transitioned straight from adolescent wizardhood to being a somber attorney with a young son. Fortunately, Daniel Radcliffe is a really good actor, so it doesn't take long for us to buy him as Arthur, a grieving widower, one who suffers the occasional hallucination of his lost love.
In real life, though, Radcliffe is only 22, the age at which most actors are playing high school freshmen. Radcliffe doesn't look particularly juvenile, but certainly young enough to be carded (in the U.S., at least). But he definitely doesn't look old enough to be a lawyer with a dead wife and toddler.
None of this is fatal, because Arthur's backstory ends up being totally inconsequential. This is a movie about a ghost.
In order to avoid financial ruin, Arthur accepts a job clearing up the estate of Alice Drablow in the north of England. His task is to search a freaky abandoned gothic mansion for Alice's AWOL papers. Of course, the house is isolated, accessible by a single track and located in the middle of a swamp. Perfect!
Oh right, the house is haunted ... but not by Alice. According to local legend, her sister Jennet Humfrye (Liz White) was so crazy that she wasn't even allowed to care for her own son, who was raised by Alice and her husband. Clearly, Jennet had serious issues, which have persisted even after death. The townspeople are convinced that Jennet (she in the black cape) comes for their children as revenge for the death of her own.
Arthur doesn't buy it, not even after the villagers warn him off. Plus, he needs the money. He is shunned by everyone in the town, except for the local baron, the always delightful Ciarán Hinds, whose wife (Janet McTeer) also seems to be on the verge of a pretty bad case of insane. In the early 20th century, women had very few career options: They could nurse, teach or succumb to psychosis. Obviously.
It isn't long before Arthur witnesses the local children committing suicide in the most gruesome ways imaginable. Back at the mansion, Arthur is haunted by various ghosts and some terrifically intense sound effects.
If you're prone to screeching when startled, this may not be the movie for you. Or maybe it is.
Anyway, Arthur eventually comes around and determines to lay The Woman in Black to rest. Unfortunately, this unhinged ghost doesn't play by the normal rules.
Which, of course, makes for one hell of a spooky story.
