The Woman in Black

The book is sinister. The stage play is scary.

The film is devastating.

Pauline Moran's brief appearances as The Woman fill the whole film with a sense of doom and terror. She's seen in the background, almost out-of-focus, a few times. The leering, grimacing expression, white face and red eyes, on the rare occasions they fill the screen, will make your heart stop with terror.

No gore and splatter. No blood, swearing and screaming. This is an old-fashioned ghost story. It has a perfect, atmospheric representation of an isolated community, haunted by something so awful that the locals cannot bear to mention it. The innocent newcomer landed in the middle of this terrorised community quickly gains the audience's sympathy but ... wait ... is that the ghost? No. It's only a shadow. ... Hush ... is that the ghost? No. It's only a creaking floorboard. Here she comes. She's coming to get you. You have no escape.

She is the very image of evil, and she wants to make others as unhappy as she herself was. She can pick her moment. She can pick her place. One you are in her sights, you will not get away. The Woman In Black does not rush to tell you the whole story. It doesn't spoil the shocks by revealing everything at once. Little hints to The Woman's origins sneak out one by one, and taint the entire film with dread.

Several other reviews mention The Woman's biggest appearance, and I can only repeat the other comments. One of the most frightening, shocking, unexpected, sudden moments that telly has ever produced. I found myself pushing further and further back into my chair, trying to get away from the television screen.

Simple, old fashioned story telling, with a great story and great performances. Unforgettable.

I made a silly mistake. I was out the night they showed this on TV, so I taped it. When I came back afterwards, I went to bed and ensured the right atmosphere, darkness, quiet... then played the film.

Oh boy...

It starts averagely, a good solid British ghost story in the best sense, with tension building as the blocks all slide into place. But when we cross the causeway and arrive at Eel-Marsh House, everything changes. Not for one second on that estate are we comfortable. We are damp, cold, apprehensive and in suspense. The Woman In Black is a horror creation of the greatest effect... silent and hostile.

Without giving too much away, the appearance after the tin soldier is found in his hand will haunt me to the grave. I found myself out of my bed and by the door!

It has echoes of "The Haunting" (1960), and full marks to the sound designer and the composer for creating the right mood.

On occasion, I play this film to unsuspecting jaded horror flick fans who, like me, fail to sleep comfortably after the first watching..... and I giggle, quietly..... and with the door locked.

"The Woman in Black" has Adrian Rawlins as London solicitor Arthur Kidd, who is sent to a remote seaside village to sort the estate of a recently deceased recluse. While staying at the woman's mansion on the rural marshlands, he is tormented by the sounds of a phantom carriage crash, and the apparition of a mysterious woman in black who roams the property— but that's the least of his worries.

Based on Susan Hill's novel of the same name, "The Woman in Black" has been hailed and beloved by fans, and rightfully so in many ways. It's not a perfect film, but it's an almighty well-done ghost story. In the vein of other Gothic chillers such as "The Innocents" or "The Haunting", the film is indebted to a classical style— heavy on plot and mood, though punctuated by a series of legitimately scary moments that are strung along a sombre and downbeat narrative.

A very handsome (if I may so so myself) Adrian Rawlins leads the film as our protagonist and does a fine job here, while Pauline Moran plays counterpoint as the mysterious and perhaps malevolent Woman in Black. Originally broadcast on Christmas Eve 1989, the film definitely has a "made-for-TV" feel to it, but the cinematography is slick and classy, and the visual elements of the film are on par with the unusually sophisticated supernatural narrative arc. The downbeat ending here is just the icing on a very ghastly cake.

Overall, "The Woman in Black" is essentially the made-for-TV equivalent of classic Gothic chillers such as Jack Clayton's aforementioned "The Innocents"— that's not to say it's a bad film by any means, but rather that it runs in a similar vein, albeit with the budget quirks of a television production. Despite this, there are several remarkably startling moments that have frightened audiences for decades now, and these moments have earned their notoriety, as they are still well-crafted and effective to this day. As a television production, "The Woman in Black" is a sophisticated and nicely crafted ghost story that holds its ground against its more innovated, big-budget peers. 8/10.

Genuinely original in that it denies us the closure we expect to be delivered like the tide; a Tales of the Unexpected meets Hammer House but with the makeup budget spent on a mistery generator.

A young solicitor from London, Arthur Kidd is sent to a small coastal town of Crythin Gifford to oversee the estate of a recently passed away widow Mrs Drablow. While attending her funeral, a mysterious lady dressed in black catches his attention. Supposedly Drablow lived a reclusive life, and locals kept pretty quiet about her. After this he heads to Mrs Drablow mansion that can only be reached on a causeway through the swamp during low tide. There he encounters the woman in black again in cemetery out back of the house, and things begin to get creepy as terrifying noises start coming from the marshes. Now can Mrs Drablow's belongings and listening to her recorded dairy entries help Kidd figure out this gloomy mystery that the locals fear to talk about.

Often highly regarded amongst horror fans as being one of the most chilling ghost stories ever and I can see their point. But only in doses does it draw upon tag. Yes, from what you can gather I was left a 'little' under-whelmed, despite really liking it. I was expecting goose bumps throughout the whole feature, but that's probably it… expecting. Mainly I had a similar reaction with the 1980 haunted house thriller 'The Changeling'. When you hear so many good things, it's sometimes hard not get caught up with it.

Anyhow what the British TV presentation of "The Woman in Black" effectively does is bring out a truly old-fashion, slow burn spine-tingling premise driven by its moody locations, disquieting atmosphere and first-rate performances. Subtly blankets the psychologically gripping story (adapted off Susan Hill's novel of the same name), as the simple mystery authentically opens up with a depressingly tragic tone and successfully characterises its protagonist. Little seems to happen, and can feel drawn out, but the fragile randomness of it catch you off guard. Whenever the camera focuses on the lady in black. Who mostly appears as a background figure, it's ultimately creepy. She might not appear all that much, but when she does…. Talk about unnerving! That also goes for that downbeat conclusion. Pauline Moran, who plays the woman in black, competently gets us nervous by just her gaunt appearance and sudden positioning. A pale look and those minor mannerisms just seem to haunt you. She's a spirit you don't want to cross paths with, yet alone let her see you. An accomplished performance by a marvelously moody Adrian Rawlins as the solicitor Arthur Kidd does hold it all together. In support are solid turns by Bernard Hepton, David Daker, Clare Holman and David Ryall.

Drawing heavy on its lushly sombre rural town and foggy coastal locations adds more to the realistically eerie plight and the centre piece were everything unfolds in the forlorn, time-worn Victorian house that comprehensively suffocates the air with constant fear. Director Herbert Wise carefully fabricates alarming imagery that slowly covers one secretive piece at a time in a smoothly paved out rhythm of well-judged contriving. Instead of going out to shock us, some scenes contain a distressing intensity that won't let go. The sound effects are masterfully used, by surrounding and disorienting the air. Rachel Portman's harrowing musical score knows how to get under your skin during those eerie moments and then stay with you.

This rarity made-for-television feat is a stimulating rich and unsettling supernatural spook-fest. It might not share much new to the sub-genre, but it competently sticks to it strengths to deliver what counts in this curse.