The Woman in Black

This Woman in Black is frightening.

More frightening than an ex-girlfriend.

More frightening than Hillary Clinton chasing after Bill with a frying pan in her hand.

More frightening than Kathie Lee Gifford without her makeup.

Daniel Radcliffe stars as Arthur Kipps - an early 20th century barrister in London suffering since his wife passed away during child birth 4 years ago. Struggling to be a father and not performing well at work, Arthur is being given one last chance to save his job and impress the firm's leadership.

A wealthy widowed client out in the countryside has passed away, so Arthur needs to head out there, wrap up her affairs and the sell the old, creaky house in which she lived. However, the young lawyer starts to realize everyone in town is not happy to see him, strange things start to happen upon his arrival, and he keeps seeing this strange, ghastly woman in black.

What does the woman in black want?

Has Arthur gotten in over his head?

As you have heard from me time and time and time again (and pretty much every Halloween), the original, BBC version of The Woman in Black is the scariest movie I have ever seen (I had to stop the movie 3 times just to survive to tell the tale). Upon hearing it was going to be remade, and dubbed by some as Scary Potter, I was worried. Luckily, this version packs just as many frights (and I saw it on the big screen, so I couldn't stop the movie, but will admit to covering eyes once ... OK, twice).

Director James Watkins does hold (mostly) true to the original movie, but, stays true in the most important way. The Woman In Black is not a gory, gross out, blood filled horror movie (the PG-13 rating was your first indication of that). It's a movie full of subtle and not so subtle frights.

The audience must always be aware of the Woman in Black. Is she hiding in the mirror? Is she just behind the door? Is that her making the creaky noise in the attic? If you pay close attention, brief flashes of the Woman in Black will give you chills, but, if you miss those (and you might miss a few), Watkins has more obvious appearances that will scare your underpants off.

Radcliffe shows he is a developing, growing actor as he steps from boyhood into manhood. While some may think of him as a teen kid, Radcliffe more than adequately shows he is mature enough to be the leading man and fills Arthur with a sadness and determination that makes the character more than a frightened face. He doesn't chew up the scenery, and realizes we are there for the big scares, but Radcliffe adds a little something more to make the character more real for the audience.

The Woman In Black doesn't have the greatest dialogue, or character development, but the purpose is to scare you. Mission accomplished.

The Woman in Black is rated PG-13 for thematic material and violence/disturbing images.