This haunted house only looks the same on the outside.
Released: 2012
Genre(s): Horror
It's true that haunted house movies are a dime a dozen within the horror genre. While a timeless idea, most modern representations are stale, flavorless, and recycled. Ghosts are not a new addition to this formula. Old, dead women wearing black are not either, for that matter. Somehow, despite utilizing these same, overly-familiar elements, "The Woman in Black" pulls off a very refreshing - and incredibly creepy - presentation of all the things that made us sleep with nightlights on as children. Unfortunately, I have never had the pleasure of seeing the original, made-for-TV movie from 1989 that this film is supposedly a remake of. However, it's my most sincere of hopes that it sets up an atmosphere as bleak and hopeless as the 2012 version does right from the start. This gray negativity only gets heavier as the film progresses - there are some genuinely dark and twisted plot developments here that push the film well into the realm of disturbing. While "The Woman in Black" relies a little too heavily on some cheap jump-scares in the beginning, the true genius of this film lies in its continued mounting tension - half the time I found myself so anxious from the anticipation of a potential scare that I ended up psyching myself out. However, as more and more of the story unfolded, the terror became more cerebral, bringing with it the familiar spine-chilling, yet equally exciting, feeling only a really good horror movie generates. The acting is solid by the entire cast; in fact, I completely dismissed Daniel Radcliffe's association with Harry Potter for the duration of the film. Good acting, a story that's not overdone or over-explained (which would otherwise eliminate any fear of the unknown), and some truly nail-biting scares: yes, it may not be completely original, but as far as haunted house titles go, this is one you can't miss.
Rating (out of 5): 4
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