The Woman in Black (2012)
"A young solicitor travels to a remote village where he discovers that the vengeful ghost of a scorned woman is terrorizing the locals."
- IMDB
Flashback to 2012, the Potter fandom was still dealing with the end of Harry Potter. Woman in Black came along as Daniel Radcliffe's next big movie. So as many other Potter fans, I just had to support him. I was still sensitive to the horror genre as I have become seriously desensitized since, so this new scary movie was exciting for me. And it did, indeed, scare me big time - scared of the dark, running to and from the bathroom if I had to go when I watched the move after 10 pm, the whole shebang. After over 10 years, does it still hold up?
Actually, yes. The visual aesthetic of the film is pleasing between the lighting and colors. The set design and the costume design add to this as well. I could actually compare it to the setting of Sleepy Hallow, just in a country-side-of-Coastal-England version. The story itself could also be comparable to Sleepy Hallow as both tales have that local folk lore ghost story vibe that I love so much. The story of the Woman in Black herself is well written.
And while I'm a bit stronger against silly jump scares and what not, I still think people can find this movie scary. Jump scares are effective and even the subtle creepy moments spook me still. None of those climactic scare sequences did much for me. but all the scenes taking place in the Marsh House were mostly well executed. The music is excellent and Daniel Radcliffe as the main protagonist gives an emotional performance that I very much enjoyed to watch. Over all, I would say Woman in Black is a bit under rated and can actually fit well into any Halloween marathon.
My Rating: ★★★★★★★☆☆☆