THE WOMAN IN BLACK is a TV-movie adaptation of the novel of the same name by Susan Hill.
Although I had already bought the novel prior to purchasing the DVD of this movie, I have never read it. I merely bought the novel because the story sounded compelling and I read positive reviews about both the novel and the movie. The novel was easy to purchase whereas the movie seemed not to be.
By the time this movie was made, the heyday of British horror (1960s and 1970s) had passed. Hammer, Amicus and Tigon had all ceased movie production by 1980. Also, the equally great although more exploitative efforts of Pete Walker and Norman J. Warren had also completed their cycle. The last true British horror movie was probably the Gothic masterpiece HOUSE OF THE LONG SHADOWS in 1983. Having said that, Hammer did produce an excellent TV series called HAMMER HOUSE OF MYSTERY AND SUSPENSE in 1983-1984. Believe it or not, the TV series, whilst not as exciting as the movies, took a far more serious approach to suspense and tension than the Hammer movies themselves!
The plot of THE WOMAN IN BLACK sees a young solicitor visiting a remote location to settle the estate of an old widow. The locals are reminiscent of those found in traditional Gothic horror - a tight knit community with people afraid to speak about or go to the house where the old woman died. It soon becomes apparent that the village is haunted and a curse has been placed on the residents.
So far so good. But does the movie live up to the promise of a "spine chilling ghost story"? Unfortunately not.
However, the movie is much better than some reviewers on this site make it out to be. It most certainly does not deserve a rating of 1 out of 10.
From the opening scenes, the movie in terms of tone, atmosphere and style comes across as an episode of the Sherlock Holmes 1980s TV series starring Jeremy Brett. I very much feared this would be the case but I decided to enter with an open mind.
The good news is that once action moves to the remote village and the creepy house of the old widow, the movie begins to shed the feeling of boring 1980s British drama and present the story in a manner more akin to a horror movie.
The tone progressively becomes darker. However, it is not until one-third of the way in that the story really starts to get going.
The main flaw of this movie is the inconsistency of the direction. Most scenes seem very dull - executed in a very lightweight manner that is a far cry from the heyday of British horror. Compare the dialogue exchanges between Adrian Rawlins and Bernard Hepton with those of Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee in previous movies from the British horror heyday and you soon recognise the inferiority of this later work.
I do not mean to criticise the acting in this movie. I clearly acknowledge that Adrian Rawlins does well with the material he is given to work with. I also recognise that Bernard Hepton is a highly regarded actor with a long TV career. However, Mr. Hepton is far more suited to drama, particularly historical works. Both actors seem out of place here. And the same can be said of the rest of the cast.
Returning to the direction, the director proceeds with style and the movie show signs of elegance with sets and costumes.
Without revealing spoilers, I can confirm that some scenes of "horror" are present. However, execution of the said scenes is somewhat variable.
In one scene, the main character is surrounded by fog and hears sounds of a horse and cart as well as screaming. This scene is a good example of haphazard direction. The whole scene appears to be a single continuous shot. The director does nothing to create the feeling that the character is in danger and as such the whole thing comes across as contrived.
Other scenes failed because camera angles revealed too much and failed to create an illusion of claustrophobia that was needed for scenes shot in open areas.
And the horrific moment referred to by users on this site simply as "the scene" almost had me laughing.
In contrast, other scenes show great promise with the tension levels suitably ratcheted up.
Without revealing spoilers, I can say that the final scene was a surprise and almost perfect in execution. However, the movie should have ended without music over the end credits. See the movie and you'll understand what I'm getting at.
Overall, THE WOMAN IN BLACK is a somewhat sub-par movie but outshines similar disappointing efforts such as THE HAUNTING, THE ORPHANAGE, THE ENTITY and SESSION 9.
However, it cannot be overlooked that Britain produced better works during the 1980s. One particular recommendation I offer is the episode IN POSSESSION of the HAMMER HOUSE OF MYSTERY AND SUSPENSE TV series. Now that truly is a scary work even for adults. Read my review about that one and see the difference.
THE WOMAN IN BLACK is perhaps a key influence of the J-Horror genre with similarities instantly recognisable. However, as one reviewer on this site has already pointed out, Japanese directors successfully blur the line between reality and fantasy. In contrast, I agree with this reviewer that one seeing THE WOMAN IN BLACK always feels as though everything is either "real-world" or an expression of paranoia. The viewer is left with a consistent set of thoughts and emotions. RINGU, THE GRUDGE and ONE MISSED CALL are excellent examples of J-Horror and I highly recommend them for fans of supernatural horror.
The bottom line - THE WOMAN IN BLACK is worth at least one viewing for horror fans. However, most adults will not be scared.
Although I had already bought the novel prior to purchasing the DVD of this movie, I have never read it. I merely bought the novel because the story sounded compelling and I read positive reviews about both the novel and the movie. The novel was easy to purchase whereas the movie seemed not to be.
By the time this movie was made, the heyday of British horror (1960s and 1970s) had passed. Hammer, Amicus and Tigon had all ceased movie production by 1980. Also, the equally great although more exploitative efforts of Pete Walker and Norman J. Warren had also completed their cycle. The last true British horror movie was probably the Gothic masterpiece HOUSE OF THE LONG SHADOWS in 1983. Having said that, Hammer did produce an excellent TV series called HAMMER HOUSE OF MYSTERY AND SUSPENSE in 1983-1984. Believe it or not, the TV series, whilst not as exciting as the movies, took a far more serious approach to suspense and tension than the Hammer movies themselves!
The plot of THE WOMAN IN BLACK sees a young solicitor visiting a remote location to settle the estate of an old widow. The locals are reminiscent of those found in traditional Gothic horror - a tight knit community with people afraid to speak about or go to the house where the old woman died. It soon becomes apparent that the village is haunted and a curse has been placed on the residents.
So far so good. But does the movie live up to the promise of a "spine chilling ghost story"? Unfortunately not.
However, the movie is much better than some reviewers on this site make it out to be. It most certainly does not deserve a rating of 1 out of 10.
From the opening scenes, the movie in terms of tone, atmosphere and style comes across as an episode of the Sherlock Holmes 1980s TV series starring Jeremy Brett. I very much feared this would be the case but I decided to enter with an open mind.
The good news is that once action moves to the remote village and the creepy house of the old widow, the movie begins to shed the feeling of boring 1980s British drama and present the story in a manner more akin to a horror movie.
The tone progressively becomes darker. However, it is not until one-third of the way in that the story really starts to get going.
The main flaw of this movie is the inconsistency of the direction. Most scenes seem very dull - executed in a very lightweight manner that is a far cry from the heyday of British horror. Compare the dialogue exchanges between Adrian Rawlins and Bernard Hepton with those of Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee in previous movies from the British horror heyday and you soon recognise the inferiority of this later work.
I do not mean to criticise the acting in this movie. I clearly acknowledge that Adrian Rawlins does well with the material he is given to work with. I also recognise that Bernard Hepton is a highly regarded actor with a long TV career. However, Mr. Hepton is far more suited to drama, particularly historical works. Both actors seem out of place here. And the same can be said of the rest of the cast.
Returning to the direction, the director proceeds with style and the movie show signs of elegance with sets and costumes.
Without revealing spoilers, I can confirm that some scenes of "horror" are present. However, execution of the said scenes is somewhat variable.
In one scene, the main character is surrounded by fog and hears sounds of a horse and cart as well as screaming. This scene is a good example of haphazard direction. The whole scene appears to be a single continuous shot. The director does nothing to create the feeling that the character is in danger and as such the whole thing comes across as contrived.
Other scenes failed because camera angles revealed too much and failed to create an illusion of claustrophobia that was needed for scenes shot in open areas.
And the horrific moment referred to by users on this site simply as "the scene" almost had me laughing.
In contrast, other scenes show great promise with the tension levels suitably ratcheted up.
Without revealing spoilers, I can say that the final scene was a surprise and almost perfect in execution. However, the movie should have ended without music over the end credits. See the movie and you'll understand what I'm getting at.
Overall, THE WOMAN IN BLACK is a somewhat sub-par movie but outshines similar disappointing efforts such as THE HAUNTING, THE ORPHANAGE, THE ENTITY and SESSION 9.
However, it cannot be overlooked that Britain produced better works during the 1980s. One particular recommendation I offer is the episode IN POSSESSION of the HAMMER HOUSE OF MYSTERY AND SUSPENSE TV series. Now that truly is a scary work even for adults. Read my review about that one and see the difference.
THE WOMAN IN BLACK is perhaps a key influence of the J-Horror genre with similarities instantly recognisable. However, as one reviewer on this site has already pointed out, Japanese directors successfully blur the line between reality and fantasy. In contrast, I agree with this reviewer that one seeing THE WOMAN IN BLACK always feels as though everything is either "real-world" or an expression of paranoia. The viewer is left with a consistent set of thoughts and emotions. RINGU, THE GRUDGE and ONE MISSED CALL are excellent examples of J-Horror and I highly recommend them for fans of supernatural horror.
The bottom line - THE WOMAN IN BLACK is worth at least one viewing for horror fans. However, most adults will not be scared.