Look, some of us like Daniel Radcliffe. Irrespective of the famous Harry Potter franchise. Yes, enough to consistently watch the stream of bizarre movies he's starred in as an adult. And if you're unfamiliar with his career after Harry Potter, do yourself a favor and check out a few of his outings. They're often strange in ways you wouldn't expect.
Fortunately (or not), The Woman In Black (2012) is not one of the strange outings. In fact, it's a rather by-the-books horror film. It's creepy, atmospheric, has some beautiful shots of equally nice sets, and the actors are all doing their jobs well.
Problem is, it's a bit on the boring side. There's nothing wrong with the premise, and the plot is functional if unsurprising. Somehow most of the movie has no tangible danger. That's not to say that the world the movie presents isn't dangerous or frightening. Much to the contrary; a ghostly presence in a secluded township results in the serial deaths of children. If nothing else, the viewer wants to see this stop. And that's what will keep you invested.
But scene-to-scene, the danger feels disjunct from the ongoing action. The movie is split into segments where the hero explores a decrepit old mansion and spends time in a local township. We spend the bulk of the time with Radcliffe's character, during his encounters with the various apparitions and between supernatural events when he is finding out the tragic history which led to the current ectoplasmic state of affairs. The mansion exploration scenes contain plenty of jump scares. Too many, in fact. After a while it becomes clear that that's all they will contain. The viewer quickly loses the worry that a direct confrontation with the ghosts will lead to the main character's harm. And so, as shocking as it may be when something leaps out in an unexpected way, it ceases to provide tension.
On the other hand, the scenes in which the children are killed are usually short and the protagonist appears merely to be a witness. The acts are entirely out of his control by the time they happen. So the interplay between the hero's actions and the ghost's attacks have enough degrees of separation that they don't supply much tension to any one scene. That's not to say there is no cause and effect: certainly the filmmakers see the premise through to its logical conclusion. It's just that, as I said before, each individual scene is either boring or slightly shocking, and the movie doesn't quite come together because of that.
Favorite highlights: my wife remarked that whoever worked props did a fantastic job getting lots of creepy-ass toys. I concur.
Plot: 5 Characters: 5 Themes: 3 Spectacle: 6 Overall score: too many jump scares to fall asleep. See better reviews at: https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/the_woman_in_black_2011
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