It’s been six months since the last Harry Potter, a relatively short space of time given our long acquaintance with the boy-who-lived. Daniel Radcliffe’s decision to return to the silver screen so soon is thus fraught with danger. Can he shake off the wizard, or will he being wearing circular spectacles to his grave? As if this were not enough pressure, The Woman In Black is also an adaptation and a Hammer Horror production, meaning that there are just as many book and horror fans to appease as there are Potter groupies to shake off. The stakes, frankly, couldn’t be higher.
It is with great pleasure, therefore, that I announce the film’s almost flawless success. There’s barely a flicker of Harry in Radcliffe’s performance. It is an excellent portrayal of grief as a subtle, lingering sorrow etched into every movement of his face. Clearly all those behind-the-scenes tips from stars like Michael Gambon have paid off. Radcliffe grows in stature by the minute, so that even the appearance of Ciarán Hinds as Mr Daily can only compliment rather than overshadow his performance.
The film is equally successful in creating that vital scare-factor. It’s hard to believe that this is just a 12A. Admittedly, there’s very littlegore but The Woman In Black more than makes up for this in creepiness. The cinematography was beautifully crafted for the purpose. Everything is awash with a melancholy blue with a plethora of haunting shots of the deserted marshland surrounding the house. Overgrown with ivy and dressed with as many broken dolls and crumbling portraits as could be crammed into its dark corridors. Indeed, I think the Adams Family would be proud to call it home. It was impossible to view this eerie backdrop with indifference, since the music and camera movement were both perfect at stretching the tension to breaking-point. Having at least a basic grasp of the conventions of haunted house horror, I did find myself predicting almost every scare before it happened, but I still jumped regardless. If you’re looking for something to see this Valentine’s Day, this would be a fantastic choice. No, honestly, there are so many excuses for hiding in someone’s shoulder you’ll find yourselves closer than ever before!
If I were to criticise anything in this film (aside from the mysterious disappearance of Ciarán Hinds’ Yorkshire accent, and the unexpected tarmac road in Victorian England), it would be the lack of originality. Whether this is really grounds for complaint however is questionable. The anticipation of events was half the thrill and I did enjoy it immensely. Hard-core Horror fans might complain, but for the rest of us I will merely say, make sure you don’t watch this alone.