“The Woman in Black” chills audiences

Tossing away his glasses and removing his scar, Daniel Radcliffe ("Harry Potter") shows a different side of himself in his latest film, "The Woman in Black." Filled with classic cheap scares and haunting silhouettes, this thriller comes across ascliché, but suspense levels rise, giving audiences white knuckles throughout the second half of the film.

In the early 1900s, Radcliffe plays ArthurKipps, a young solicitor called to a rural part of England to gather the paperwork for a recently-deceased woman's estate. As Kipps settles in to deal with the stacks of paperwork in this empty home, he starts to hear and see strange occurrences throughout the house. He quickly makes friends with local Sam Daily, played by CiaránHinds ("Road to Perdition") but this does not save Kipps from being frightened, tormented and endangered by the woman in black.

It takes a while for the movie to get going, but once it creeps in, the suspense stays for the long haul. Silhouettes are seen in doorways, mirrors and windows, causing movie-goers to hide behind loved ones awaiting a big scare.  Creepy dolls, eerie marsh lands and ominous settings help make it feel as if Kipps is alone and deserted in this mansion with nowhere to run and no one to hear his pleas.

Aside from the haunting woman and strange shadows, what really makes the film work is that its slow pace helps build the suspense almost perfectly. The scares happen a second before or after expected and send the audience leaping out of their chairs or cringing in fear. "Woman in Black" delivers all the same clichés expected from the genre, but provides enough surprises to catch viewers off guard. It does not reach the epitome of horror films, but certainly makes a leap for it.

Another key factor in this film is the period and location. Since this movie is set in the1900s, it eliminates many resources a character could use to communicate or escape. In recent films, a character can simply pick up a phone and dial the police, text a friend a warning or throw a rock at the neighbors' window to get their attention. Kipps is stranded in a mansion surrounded by marshlands and a lake. There are no telephones in the town, and it would take another 73 years for cell phones to be invented.  These two factors drill in the sense of being alone and trapped in a haunted house.

Radcliffe tries hard to shake off his wizarding ways in this movie and actually achieves it. His portrayal of a man who is somewhat lost without his wife and is seen as miserable even by his own son is spot-on. The fact that he is playing a father forces the viewer to see him as a young man instead of a boy. Although his acting abilities are still in their early stages of development, he shows that he can definitely act outside of the "Harry Potter" films, whether it is on Broadway or the silver screen.

Although "The Woman in Black" does not reach perfection, it takes the leap. Giving audiences a break from the gore-filled and demon-possessed films flooding theaters over the past five years, this film is a breath of fresh air. Even if those breaths soon turn to screams.

"The Woman in Black" receives 2 ½ out of 5 stars.

Originally posted HERE