The Woman in Black

Usually I am not one to watch scary films, but I thought, as I am trying to produce one for my coursework that I should look into a few.  So I decided to watch the current feature The Woman In Black  (James Watkins, 2012) knowing from previously watching the 1989 T.V movie version, that the story is compiled of suspense rather than gore to create the horror, which is what I am trying to create in my film. I wasn’t sure if I would be able to take Watkins remake seriously as he cast Harry Potter as the main character, Arthur Kidd, yet as Watkins (2011, p.30.) said to Radcliffe ‘well, if that’s what the audience is thinking about, then we’re buggered anyway.’ So I went into the film with my eyes wide open, big mistake, as they spent the rest of the time squinting out from behind closed fingers. I even thought that Radcliffe’s performance was a pretty convincing portrayal of a young widowed father, much to my surprise, he does a good job of reacting against nothing, as Empire journalist Olly Richards (2012, p.40.) said ‘He’s got good eyes for looking terrified: huge and always a little bit aghast, even in repose.’ However, more importantly, the chilling cinematography took my attention away from Harry Potter completely, yet it wasn’t over exaggerated as many horror films are. The simplicity in the way Watkins built his tension and suspense made it all the more terrifying for me. Even just the tone of colour and eerie fog ridden house completely matched how I imagined the setting when I previously read the novel by Susan Hill.  I feel like I have gained some helpful tips on how to edit and light a horror, or more fittingly a psychological horror, just from watching this film, and will now put on a brave face and watch (the originals of) films like The Wicker Man (Robin Hardy, 1973) and The Innocents (Jack Clayton, 1961), to try and find even more inspiration, as they also focus on suspense to create terror over gore.

References:

'First Look - The Woman in Black.' (2011.)  Review of The Woman in Black, Directed by James Watkins. Empire, October 2011, pp. 28-31.    (Author unknown.)

The Innocents (1961.) Directed by Jack Clayton [Film.] USA: Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation.

Richards, O. (2012) 'The Woman In Black - Harry Potter and even more chambers of secrets.' Review of The Woman in Black, Directed by James Watkins. Empire, March 2012, pp. 39-40.

The Wicker Man (1973.) Directed by Robin Hardy [Film.] UK: British Lion Film Corporation.

The Woman in Black (2012.) Directed by James Watkins [Film.] UK: Hammer Film Productions.