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"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.

The Woman in Black, which is about a solicitor who was sent to a supposedly haunted house to settle a woman's estate after she died, is a good example of a classic bone-chilling ghost story. Although it is evident the movie was shot on a limited budget, the minimal special effects actually add to its merit. The Woman in Black centres its atmospheric horror factor on subtlety and feelings of suspense and dread, rather than CGI or gore.

Shot in England, the setting couldn't have been more perfect. The house that is the core of the movie is fittingly eerie and inspires feelings of fear and anxiety, as a good haunted house should. The music creates a heart-pounding mood that magnetically draws you to the edge of your seat and causes you to watch the rest of the film through the cracks between your fingers. It is the perfect accompaniment to the terrifying events both on screen and in your imagination. The acting is as understated as the rest of the movie, yet the talented actors make it very easy for viewers to be transported into the world of the supernatural and never doubt it once.

This movie definitely deserves the cult following it has acquired, which is made complicated due to the fact that there are no new legitimate copies being sold. Although this could have been just another low budget made-for-TV movie, The Woman in Black is a new, refreshing take on the old "things going bump in the night" idea.

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.

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.

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.

I first watched the 2012 Remake and gave that a 4/10. It was competently-made but had no real atmosphere, no standout moments, forgettable plot...and Daniel Radcliffe was miscast.

Now got round to the ITV original. Got it on Bluray. Despite claims of "high-definition" it doesn't look much different to standard DVD-quality. But this wasn't a high-end cinema production, it was a budget TV movie. I gather the previous official media release was a very poor VHS-transfer to DVD. According to other reviews the Bluray represents a significant improvement over what was available before.

I recommend the original 4:3 Format as with Widescreen you get quite a bit chopped off the top & bottom of the image. This isn't what the makers intended. Widescreen for a second viewing, certainly. But first-timers should go for the original format. You'll have to accept title-cards every 25min but that's no biggie.

On to the film itself: it's good! The most praise I have is for the faithful reproduction of 1920's England, including fascinating devices like a vintage audio recorder, and manually winding up the electricity. Very well done in that regard, the producers did their homework!

Acting is also of high quality: the sense of fear Arthur goes through is palpable. The plot develops nicely, and isn't predictable. There is one outstanding spine-tingling scene...and because of that scene I can't recommend this to kids. Otherwise the film is relatively tame, tho' the sense of creeping dread is done well. I'm not a fan of the ending, your mileage may vary.

Overall tho' it does what many modern horror movies don't: it builds up tension, has intelligent dialogue and gives us memorable scenes.

Recommended if you appreciate older ghost movies like The Changeling, The Innocents, The Haunting....not-recommended if you prefer more blockbuster horror-movie techniques like CGI, jump scares and shakeycam action.

Although an old fashioned horror film, The Woman in Black is still considered to be one of the scariest movies of all time. Based on the thriller fiction novel with the same title by Susan Hill, it is a tale of a young lawyer named Arthur (Adrian Rawlins), who sets out to the small town of Crythin to seek the estate of a widow who just passed away. He journeys along to the widow's remote house despite the talk of the town, and to his discovery, he learns about its frightening history through strange encounters of the woman in black.

Without explicit use of violence and blood like modern horror movies, this film is cleverly composed to give the audience a frightening experience. The film's simplicity and subtle effects adds to its unique storyline, thus redefining the genre of horror films.

Particularly, the woman in black, played by Pauline Moran, leaves such a strong impression that's haunting, even after the movie's conclusion. Although she is not frequently shown throughout the movie, her character is able to instil fear with just her daunting appearance alone. The woman in black brings a hint of mystery as the movie makes us question her true motives.

This is not a typical ghost story, but yet even better. With a shocking twist and a brilliant combination of terror, mystery and suspense, it will surely be one for the thrill.

I've only seen this movie once in my life and have never forgotten it. I was thirteen years old and a teacher showed it in class on Halloween. I had to leave the classroom and have never, ever, forgotten the Woman in Black's face.

The big climax scene is beyond frightening, as can be expected, but I found the earlier scenes to be just as terrifying. The general tone of the film leaves you unsettled, even when nothing particularly scary is occurring. It is very, very subtle, but no other film has ever had quite such an effect on me.

If you think ghosts are scarier than slasher movies, I would definitely recommend this movie. Unless you hate being scared. In that case, don't ever watch this.

This adaptation of Susan Hill's book made for television is not a big budget CGI fest and is all the better for it. Nigel Kneale's screen play has a delicate touch and allows us to be gently taken along as if ourselves are traveling like Mr Kidd in the train carriage and are placed in an otherwise sleepy little East coast village that has hardly acknowledged any change in a hundred years. Rather than a hammed-up Gothic caricature, this is presented in true Gothic style. We are aware of the absence of city noise, the sound of cars and trains replaced by silence broken by the cry gulls that can sound like the cry of a baby. Dark, fog shrouded days and chill, remote coastal nights. Rachel Portman's score weaves calmly but unnervingly through the sea mists accompanied by the desolate caw of raven and crow that hover over the tilted old headstones and low stone walls. The story is told at the pace of the world that was disappearing every where else at the beginning of the 20th century like a tale recounted by the fire late at night. It is a story of a young middle class man who, at ease with life and the developing new technology around him is suddenly taken out of this familiar environment and made to face the world where the curse of an evil woman still holds sway and kept watch for like sea frets and the danger of the marshes if traveling to the house that lays beyond them. This film begins by showing us an early twentieth century world that now,along with the railway has the motorcar and electric light. There is even featured an early recording device. However, out here in the house beyond the marsh, Mr Kidd knows that the rail tracks can only reach so far and the motor car is no good on the causeway, electric lights can fail. Then, like the eldritch façade of Eel Marsh House, like the devil standing upright in the day,an apparition of a woman dressed in black makes her claim and there is nothing to stand between him and the spectre that has haunted and terrified a generation. Then the darkness begins to fall. Adrian Rawlins is fine as the besieged and tormented Aurther Kidd but it is Bernard Hepton who steals this show as Mr Sam Toovey the rich businessman who befriends Arthur and becomes the steady rock amid the chaos. I believe this film is far superior to the new Daniel Radcliffe film adaption because of all the above. For me there are moments of genuine tension and one scene in particular that in-spite of my being a grown man, had my hair standing on end. We are treated here to a story being told like a tale by the campfire where, at the end of its telling, we perhaps hear something else amid the cry of the gulls and we are dared to peer through the windows of an old house in the marshes and maybe glimpse The Woman in Black. RH.

Film quote:'You're a brave lad and no mistake, but your not brave enough….no one could be.

While certainly of its age, Nigel Kneale's adaptation of The Woman in Black brings director Herbert Wise's use of atmosphere to a great-looking period drama. What makes this film so unnerving is its fearlessness in showing the antagonist in daylight and the lack of reasoning or definitions regarding the ghost's capabilities. Making excellent use of misty tidal islands and a consistently disturbing tone even in moments of calm, The Woman in Black has moments that will freeze your bones rigid amidst a spine-tingling slow pace. Unavailable for decades due to a rights depute, it further cemented its appeal to me as a lost classic with that ending which had my blood run cold.

I'd heard about this movie a while ago from a friend and she recently got it on DVD. There was a lot of anticipation and excitement as we'd both heard that this was a terrifying film, really scary. How disappointed was I?? VERY!!!! Apart from that one scene (we all know which bit) NOTHING happened!!! I was expecting to see the woman in black a few times and for her to do a few more jumpy scenes, like appear at the window or walk across the hall or something.

Nearly all the reviews here say what a scary, gripping, atmospheric movie this is. I just didn't see it I'm afraid. Maybe there's a difference in what people find scary in the US to here in Britain.

A big let down after all the hyped reviews :(

I first saw The Woman in Black when I was ten years old. It was broadcast on Xmas eve 1989. It frightened me senseless and it has never really left me.

It is a really wonderful film and a delight to know that there are some really good ghost stories out there. The whole atmosphere is made tense by the fact that you never know when something truly awful is either going to appear or going to happen and your are treated to the same amount of terror that the main character, Arthur Kidd, is experiencing which is very rare for any film to get the audience involved in that way.

You must see this film, track it down and view something that is so terrifying that you won't sleep for nights on end.

It is a shame that the film is no longer available on video in Britain and is hardly ever shown on television now so come on somebody get this out on video or even better on DVD as it is a classic and defines how all ghost stories should be made.

I prefer the 2012 remake, I thought this film was too colourful, not dreary and gothic enough, not scary enough, had too much filler and I disliked the ending. Additionally the actual woman in black only turns up a handful of times.

That being said I heavily enjoyed the scenery in places, Edwardian London being portrayed well and the acting held up especially well for a made for television film. I'm not going to pretend its a masterpiece and whilst the story plods along it still works and is fine. Actual shots of the woman in black are minimalistic but work, they work and look just how they should. I think it's a great film just not as good as the 2012 Hammer remake. Perhaps it goes down to the budget but everything from the house, the marshes and the town is just too colourful and is designed better in the remake.

7/10: I don't feel like my time watching this was wasted watching this at all and I can't fault the acting or cinematography, it just didn't go as strong and diving fully into the gothic department as it should have.

Several horror fanatics active on this website, as well as more acclaimed film critics all over the world, are often referring to "The Woman in Black" as the best and most atmospheric made-for-TV horror/thriller ever accomplished. Well, guess what, they are quite right! Herbert Wise's film, based on the stunning novel by Susan Hill and turned into a screenplay by the phenomenal Nigel Kneale (who also created the original "The Quatermass Experiment"), is an incredibly slow-brooding but hyper-unsettling tale that crawls underneath your skin and haunts your memories forever. The strongest assets of "Woman in Black", apart from the flawless script, are undoubtedly the tour-de-force performance of lead actor Adrian Rawlins, the carefully elected filming locations & set-pieces and the continuously ominous ambiance with only a few (but highly effective) fright-moments. Herbert Wise particularly differentiates his film from the rest with two specific qualities that aren't frequently featuring in the horror genre, namely patience and eye for detail. The patience that Wise demonstrates in building up the tension is praiseworthy, to say the least, and the details can be illustrated via a few examples, like the spooky mansion only being accessible during low tide or the poetic beauty of mysterious woman meandering amidst tombstones. What the film doesn't feature, however, is graphic violence or gory make-up effects, but like only the case in the very best horror movies, you're not missing these. More recently, in 2012, James Watkins ("Eden Lake") directed a cinematic version starring Daniel Radcliffe ("Harry Potter" all grown up) as the tormented solicitor. The large-budgeted interpretation of Hill's novel is also adequate, but for experiencing the most authentic ghost-vibes, I advise to seek out this version as well.

After reading the many reviews about this film, I didn't hesitate to order a copy, even though the price in Australian dollars was pretty steep. It was certainly a rare event to find a film that I hadn't seen, and which engendered such eager anticipation. And so it was that along with my two brothers, we sat in a pitch black room to watch, and hopefully be terrified by, "The Woman In Black". Rather than go into detail about this film, let me simply say that I was quite disappointed. Yes, this film has some good elements about it. The settings are wonderful, the historical detail is impressive, and the acting is also above par. So what went wrong? Perhaps after reading all the reviews about how truly terrifying this film is meant to be, my expectations were far too high. While there are a few decent scares, overall I didn't come away all that impressed. I must also add that the DVD image quality was less than stellar, which also detracted from the overall experience. "The Woman In Black" is worth a watch, as long as you don't expect too much. I would recommend as alternates, the truly scary 1980 film "The Changeling" or even the more recent "Stir of Echoes (1999)". Score 6/10

I remember watching this when i was around 15 and it really did scare me, obviously if you watch it in broad daylight with other people talking it will not scare you much, but watch it in the right way and it will.

If your a fan of horror films that don't contain lots of blood and guts (which I like, but they don't scare me in the slightest) then this is for you.

It is the scariest film I've ever seen, the only thing that has come close to it is the stage adaptation of the book which is great.

Now its not perfect, but with th money they had and when it was made its as good as it could have been.

Actually looking forward to the 2012 adaptation, don't think it will be as well done but still looking forward to it.

I don't know; it just didn't do much for me. I felt it lingered *far* too long on stuff that neither advanced the plot nor truly built the characters or atmosphere. It's not that I can't handle slower, more suggestive movies. I liked "The Innocents", "The Others", "Ringu"... But this was too slow even for me. I will admit that the ending was pretty chilling, though.

Also, the sequence of ghostly sounds was frightening at first, but was repeated so often -in it's entirety- that it lost much of it's impact.

A lot of people seem to love this movie, so you might as well check it out, but my opinion of it falls on the "mediocre" end of the scale.

"The Woman in Black" is easily one of the creepiest British ghost stories ever made.A young solicitor,after arriving in a small town to handle a dead client's estate,is haunted by a mysterious woman dressed all in black.The film is loaded with extremely eerie atmosphere and the frights are calculated for and deliver the maximum effect possible.The action keeps the viewer deeply involved and the finale is quite disturbing.The acting is excellent and the tension is almost unbearable at times.So if you want to see a truly creepy horror film give this one a look.I dare anyone to watch "The Woman in Black" alone at night with the lights off.Highly recommended.10 out of 10.

Creepy and mysterious terror movie dealing with a young solicitor is assigned by his chief to go to a remote location, at Eel Marsh Island, to deal with an inheritance issue . There he discovers a vengeful ghost , known as The Woman in black. Shortly after, he becomes ensnared into bizarre happenings. Then the lawyer turns the next target for the nasty ghost , as he has to fend off the damned spirit . She never forgives . She never left.

Scary and ghastly film about a haunted mansion located at a mashland , where bizarre and weird events happen. This spine-chiller ghost story packs a dark developing that runs in slow-moving , but it doesn't results to be dull , but entertaining and mysterious. An old-fashioned quiet terror flick with interesting and twisted script by prestigious Nigel Kneale, based on the successful novel by Susan Hill. Main and support cast are pretty well, such as Adam Rawlins , Bernard Hepton, Clare Holman and special appearance by Pauline Moran as creepy and eerie Woman in Black . It had a reboot produced by Hammer Films : "Woman in Black" 2012 by James Watkins with Daniel Radcliffe, Ciaran Hinds, James McTeer, Shawn Dooley. And a sequel "Woman in Black : Angel of Death" 2014 by Tom Harper with Helen McGlory, Phoebe Fox, Jeremy Irvin.

It packs a frightening and sinister musical score by Rachel Portman. As well as evocative conematohraphy by Michael Davis. This motion picture Woman in Black 1989 was professionally directed by Herbert Wise. He was a good TV director making several episodes of known series , such as : The 10th kingdom, Where the heart is , Class act , Ruth Rendell mysteries , American playhouse , Tales of unexpected, Masquerade , Man of straw , Upstairs , downstairs and I Claudius . Rating : 6/10. Acceptable and passable.

A recent "best of" from a sadly neglected genre. The movie is a slow, simmering creep-fest with only one "jumpscare" - but since the hair on the back of your neck was upright already, it might fall out from that scene.

Only reason it's not a full "10" is that presumably being a 'made for TV' movie they had a few corners cut for production - some sloppy framing, clumsy cuts, that sort of thing.

FAR FAR FFAAAARRR superior to the recent remake. Don't bother seeing that one in the theatre; rent this **IF YOU CAN FIND IT** and prepare for bad dreams.

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.

Two things I'd like to know from those folks who find this movie terrifying: What were you on when you watched it, and where can I get some? Honestly, this is one of the lamest "horror" films I've ever suffered through. The film is lacking in anything resembling atmosphere, and I'm not saying that because of its low budget or lack of special effects; I'm no fan of overblown special effects myself. But this movie is simply pedestrian film-making. There's about as much atmosphere here as in your average episode of ALL CREATURES GREAT AND SMALL, which is what this movie most closely resembles on a visual level. It just feels like an overlong TV show, the kind in which you'd expect Nancy Drew and a bunch of her girlfriends to show up and solve the juvenile mystery.

As for the title spirit, I'm sorry, but a woman with pasty makeup and lots of eye shadow glaring at me from a distance isn't exactly the stuff of nightmares for me. And as for that big shock scene that everyone mentions, I laughed aloud. She looked and sounded like Carol Kane doing Grandmama in ADDAMS FAMILY VALUES. I watched the movie with someone who usually jumps out of her seat at anything the least bit spooky, and her reaction throughout the film was, "You heard THIS was scary"?

In short, very young kids who want to experience a harmlessly "scary" movie might get a few giggly shudders from this, but I really can't imagine a grownup being scared unless they have such a pathological fear of ghosts that the mere mention of one sends them into a fit. If you're the average adult reading all these rave reviews, and thinking, "Hmmm... I wonder if it really IS as scary as everyone says"?, trust me: DON'T WASTE YOUR TIME; IT'S NOT.