The Woman in Black (2012)
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A recently widowed lawyer must confront a vengeful spirit while retrieving documents from a remote, haunted estate.
The story
Set in early-20th-century England, the story follows Arthur Kipps, a recently widowed lawyer who travels to the remote village of Crythin Gifford. His task is to retrieve documents from the desolate Eel Marsh House, an estate owned by the deceased Alice Drablow. Upon arrival, Arthur finds the local atmosphere unsettling and the residents unwelcoming. As he explores the decaying house, he begins to experience disturbing occurrences, including strange noises and the presence of a spectral entity in black funerary garb. He soon discovers that the local community is haunted by the vengeful ghost of a scorned woman, and his presence in the house may draw her malevolent attention.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
In 1906, Arthur Kipps travels to the isolated Eel Marsh House in the village of Crythin Gifford to retrieve documents from the deceased Alice Drablow. The house is plagued by a spectral entity in black funerary garb. Arthur encounters a local man, Samuel Daily, and a local solicitor, Jerome. While at the house, Arthur experiences terrifying occurrences, including the sound of a screaming child and a spectral woman. He learns that the house's haunting stems from Jennet Humfrye, who was deemed mentally unfit and blamed Alice for the death of her son, Nathaniel. Jennet took her own life in the nursery, and her spirit now seeks revenge by luring children to their deaths. After a local girl dies in his care, Arthur realizes the danger. He eventually discovers the truth of the Drablows' children and the tragedy of Jennet's life. To break the curse, Arthur and Samuel recover Nathaniel's body and place it in the nursery to pacify Jennet. However, as Arthur's own son, Joseph, arrives, the Woman in Black appears. In a final confrontation, Arthur and Joseph are killed by a train while attempting to save the boy. In the afterlife, Arthur and his son are reunited with his deceased wife, Stella, in a peaceful realm.
- First release year
- 2012
- Runtime (minutes)
- 95
- Production countries
- United Kingdom; United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- James Watkins
- Writers
- Jane Goldman · screenplay
- Cast and characters
- Daniel Radcliffe · Arthur Kipps; Ciarán Hinds; Janet McTeer; Sophie Stuckey; Liz White · Jennet
- Genres
- gothic horror; supernatural horror
- Themes
- Grief; Haunting; Legacy; Sacrifice
- Tone and mood
- Atmospheric; Eerie; Gothic
- Premise and plot tags
- Ghost Story; Haunted House; Period Piece
- Source material / true-story basis
- Susan Hill's 1983 novel of the same name
- Franchise connections
- The Woman in Black
- Reception
- The film received generally positive reviews from critics, who praised the lead performance, cinematography, and its homage to Hammer's gothic horror style. It was also a commercial success, becoming the highest-grossing British horror film in 20 years.
- Reported review scores
- Rotten Tomatoes · score: 66% · review count: 195; Metacritic · score: 62 · scale: 100 · review count: 40
- Production trivia
- The film was originally intended to be shot in 3D.; The character of Jennet was played by Liz White.; The film received 134 complaints from the public regarding its 12A classification.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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