The Woman in Black (2012)

A Gothic love letter to the Hammer films of the past, starring Daniel Radcliff. The Woman in Black is creepy and unsettling with a few moments that will startle you. The real treat is the stylized visuals and the magnificently eerie manor with it's tidal marshlands that surround it. 

The story weaves a sombre, moody tale about an entry level solicitor named Arthur Kips. Arthur is sent to audit the paperwork of a recently deceased client and discover if she has additional wills. Daniel Radcliff pulls this character off fairly well, and to his credit gives off a great performance as a young lawyer struggling with loneliness. Arthur Kips has moments of being reminiscent of Johnathan Harker, or Ichabod Crane with a heavy dose of brooding melancholy.

Arthur has a young son, his wife died in child birth. He is the primary caregiver to his child but we see that he travels alot and the boy is raised by the nanny mostly. Arthur arranges it so his son will meet him at the town where he will be working on the friday of this week.

Arthurs journey to the town reveals that something is off there, clearly the towns folk dont want him around and it has something to do with his audit of Alice Drubows estate, the old Marsh House. To get to the old manor one must travel the "nine lives causeway" a road that floods over during high tide and is surrounded by the sinking mud of the marshlands. The imagery really captivated me and the setting felt hauntingly interesting. 

Arthur begins seeing the specter of the Woman in Black while working at Marsh house. Some of the local children suffer tragic deaths to which the citizens of the town cast blame upon the new comer, but what connection does the Woman in Black have with these deaths. Arthur is determined to find the answers before friday when his son arrives fearing his son will be harmed.

I was pleasantly surprised by this movie, sure it had some predictable plot points but it tells a scary ghost story. The Woman in Black holds true to the British horror stylings that is borrows adoringly from and is a high recomendation to watch if you enjoy a ghost story.