Movie of the Week: Woman in Black

No MOTW last week because H was away but this week, half term notwithstanding, we took ourselves off to Wakefield to see Harry Potter Daniel Radcliffe in Woman in Black. This may end up being a review of the movie via a review of the audience. We seemed to be surrounded by twelve year old girls who started off giggly and then screamed at every shock-horror flash of the eponymous ghost. By the time we reached the fright night section when Arthur Kipps is alone (except for the dog)  in the gloomy old house, the girlies had reached frenzy stage. Two had to suddenly rush off to the loo because, presumably, all the shocks were endangering their underwear or else they were too scared to stay and watch.

Truly, it wasn't knicker-wettingly scary (at least not unless you're twelve) but the tension was well done, going for creepiness instead of gore with the required near-subliminal flashes of a face at a window or reflected in a mirror and some nicely shuddery Victorian mechanical toys..

Audience apart, the film was actually very good. Radcliffe made a sympathetic protagonist who didn't actually look too young to be a widower with a four year old son. Hammer (House of Horror) has gone upmarket - and the cinematography was nice. I'd like to know where it was filmed.  It was supposed to be set on the North east coast but it was a bit unspecific. The countryside could have been Yorkshire Dales, but I wonder if the house cut off when the causeway flooded at high tide was inspired by Lindisfarne.

Kudos to the music, too. It wasn't overpowering and didn't flag up the fright-to-come. It was used (and not-usef)  sensitively.

I haven't read the book or seen the stage play (though I'd like to now) but I gather that there was also a TV dramatisation some years ago, but the ending was changed. I liked this ending. I thought it worked and it was nice to hear the twelve year olds discussing it on their way out of the cinema.

Thumbs up. Go see it.

Movie of the Week: Woman in Black

No MOTW last week because H was away but this week, half term notwithstanding, we took ourselves off to Wakefield to see Harry Potter Daniel Radcliffe in Woman in Black. This may end up being a review of the movie via a review of the audience. We seemed to be surrounded by twelve year old girls who started off giggly and then screamed at every shock-horror flash of the eponymous ghost. By the time we reached the fright night section when Arthur Kipps is alone (except for the dog)  in the gloomy old house, the girlies had reached frenzy stage. Two had to suddenly rush off to the loo because, presumably, all the shocks were endangering their underwear or else they were too scared to stay and watch.

Truly, it wasn't knicker-wettingly scary (at least not unless you're twelve) but the tension was well done, going for creepiness instead of gore with the required near-subliminal flashes of a face at a window or reflected in a mirror and some nicely shuddery Victorian mechanical toys..

Audience apart, the film was actually very good. Radcliffe made a sympathetic protagonist who didn't actually look too young to be a widower with a four year old son. Hammer (House of Horror) has gone upmarket - and the cinematography was nice. I'd like to know where it was filmed.  It was supposed to be set on the North east coast but it was a bit unspecific. The countryside could have been Yorkshire Dales, but I wonder if the house cut off when the causeway flooded at high tide was inspired by Lindisfarne.

Kudos to the music, too. It wasn't overpowering and didn't flag up the fright-to-come. It was used (and not-usef)  sensitively.

I haven't read the book or seen the stage play (though I'd like to now) but I gather that there was also a TV dramatisation some years ago, but the ending was changed. I liked this ending. I thought it worked and it was nice to hear the twelve year olds discussing it on their way out of the cinema.

Thumbs up. Go see it.