The Woman in Black Information

The Woman in Black is a 2012 British horror film directed by James Watkins and written by Jane Goldman, and is based on Susan Hill's novel of the same name. It was produced by Hammer Film Productions. The film stars Daniel Radcliffe, Ciarán Hinds, Janet McTeer, Sophie Stuckey, and Liz White. It was released in the United States and Canada on 3 February 2012 to generally positive reviews, and was released in the United Kingdom on 10 February 2012.

Plot

In an Edwardian era British village, three little girls walk trance-like to a window and jump to their deaths, watched by a veiled "Woman in Black".

In London, widowed lawyer Arthur Kipps (Daniel Radcliffe), must arrange the sale of Eel Marsh House and visit to examine the papers left by deceased owner Alice Drablow. His legal contact Mr Jerome sends him away, but Samuel Daily (Ciarán Hinds) and his wife Elisabeth (Janet McTeer) let him stay at their home.

In the House, Arthur is distracted by odd noises, and the appearance of the "Woman in Black". He hears sounds on the marshes of a carriage in distress and a screaming child, but sees nobody. As he reports the accident to police, three children enter the station. Two boys carry their ill sister Victoria, who dies in Arthur's arms. The locals blame the death on Arthur seeing "The Woman" in black.

That night, Sam reveals he and wife Elisabeth lost their young son to drowning. Elisabeth believes the boy speaks through her. Onto the table, she carves a figure hanging from a beam, before Sam sedates her.

Next night at the House, Arthur finds correspondence between Alice and her sister Jennet Humfrye (Liz White). Jennet denies Alice's verdict of "mentally unfit" and demands to see her son Nathaniel, who the Drablows formally adopted. A photo of the Drablows is defaced while Arthur's back is turned. A death certificate reveals that Nate drowned in a carriage accident on the marsh. Jennet blames Alice for saving only herself. Jennet hung herself in the nursery, vowing never to forgive Alice. Arthur also sees visions of dead children in the woods outside the House.

The locked nursery door swings open, and the knocking sound of an empty rocker lures Arthur inside. The Woman in Black appears hanging from a roof beam. He runs outside to find Sam. Back in town, Mr Jerome's house is burning, his daughter Lucy having set fire to herself under the influence of the Woman.

Elisabeth says the Woman is Jennet, who appears before she takes a child away by having them commit suicide. Arthur's son Joseph, 4, coming next day with his nanny, may be next. To lift the curse, Arthur and Sam find Nate still in the carriage on the marsh, and place the boy's body in his room. Arthur lures Jennet to the body. Arthur and Sam then bury Nate with Jennet.

The next night, waiting for the train to London, Arthur sees the Woman on the other side of the platform while Joseph walks entranced on the tracks towards an oncoming train. Arthur leaps onto the tracks to save Joseph, while Sam sees the Woman and dead childrens' faces in the train windows.

After the train passes, Arthur opens his eyes to darkness. He looks around as Joseph asks "Who's that lady?" Arthur's late wife waits farther down the tracks. The family vanishes into the fog together while the Woman looks on.

Cast

• Daniel Radcliffe as Arthur Kipps, a young lawyer
• Ciarán Hinds as Sam Daily, a local landowner
• Janet McTeer as Elisabeth Daily, Daily's wife
• Liz White as Jennet Humfrye, The Woman in Black
• Roger Allam as Mr. Bentley, senior partner of Arthur's firm
• Tim McMullen as Jerome, the local solicitor
• Jessica Raine as Joseph's Nanny
• Daniel Cerqueira as Keckwick, the carriage driver
• Shaun Dooley as Fisher, village innkeeper
• Mary Stockley as Mrs Fisher
• David Burke as PC Collins, village constable
• Sophie Stuckey as Stella Kipps, Arthur's wife
• Misha Handley as Joseph Kipps, Arthur's son
• Aoife Doherty as Lucy Jerome, Jerome's daughter
• Victor McGuire as Gerald Hardy, a villager
• Alexia Osborne as Victoria Hardy, Hardy's daughter
• Alisa Khazanova as Alice Drablow
• Ashley Foster as Nathaniel Drablow, The Woman in Black's son
• Sidney Johnston as Nicholas Daily, Daily's son
• Molly Harmon, Emma Shorey, and Ellisa Walker-Reid as the Fisher Daughters

Production

Development

The film was announced in 2009, with Jane Goldman as screenwriter and later James Watkins as director. Daniel Radcliffe was announced as the actor playing the part of Arthur Kipps on 19 July 2010. Two months later, it was announced that Harry Potter co-star Ciarán Hinds would join Radcliffe along with Janet McTeer as Mr and Mrs Daily respectively. Before filming, Radcliffe saw a psychologist so he could better understand his character. The part of Joseph Kipps was played by Misha Handley, who is Radcliffe's real life godson.

Filming

The film was planned to be shot in 3D, but the idea was later scrapped. Principal photography officially started on 26 September 2010. The next day, Radcliffe was pictured in costume just outside Peterborough, England. In early October the crew was filming in Layer Marney Tower. Filming officially ended on 4 December 2010.

Post-production

At the Kapow! Comic Con in London during April 2011, director James Watkins confirmed filming had been completed in December 2010 and post production would go on until June 2011. For its British release, several changes were made in order to qualify for a 12A certificate: Momentum Theatrical, the distributor, arranged to have six seconds cut and for changes to other shots, with some scenes darkened and the sound level reduced on some others. The cuts were never revealed to audiences formally, but comparing the US and UK cuts of the film reveals that the scenes where the woman hangs from the nursery ceiling and when Lucy Jerome sets herself on fire were just two scenes that were cut short in the UK version.

Music

The soundtrack for the film was composed by American film composer Marco Beltrami. It received positive reviews and was released as a soundtrack album on 12 March 2012 by Silva Screen Records.

Release

Critical reception

As of 24 May 2012, the film has a 65% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes based on 171 reviews, with an average rating of 6/10, and a consensus that says: "Traditional to a fault, The Woman in Black forwent gore for chills"?although it may not provide enough of them for viewers attuned to modern, high-stakes horror." The film has received a rating of 62/100 on Metacritic based on 39 reviews, indicating "generally favourable reviews".

It was also the film to gross the largest number of complaints for 2012 with many parents finding the '12A' rating too relaxed for younger post Harry Potter fans.

Box office

During opening weekend, The Woman in Black earned $20 million, the biggest US opening for a Hammer film in all of Hammer history, putting it at second place in the box office, behind Chronicle, which earned about $1 million more. This is significantly more than the $11"$16.5 million industry analysts predicted it would bring in. , The Woman in Black has made $127,730,736 worldwide. The film also became the highest-grossing British horror film in 20 years.

Home media

The film was released on DVD and Blu-ray Disc on 18 June 2012 in the United Kingdom, and was released in the United States on 22 May 2012.

Sequel

In April 2012, Hammer Films announced that there would be a sequel to The Woman in Black, which is titled The Woman in Black: Angels of Death. The official plot synopsis is: "Seized by the government and converted into a military mental hospital during World War II, the sudden arrival of disturbed soldiers to Eel Marsh House has awoken its darkest inhabitant. Eve, a beautiful young nurse, is sent to the house to care for the patients but soon realizes she must save them from more than their own demons. Despite Eve's efforts to stop her, one by one they fall victim to the Woman in Black."

The original novel's author Susan Hill will help with the story, with the screenplay written by Jon Croker. In October 2012, Tom Harper was announced as the film's director. In April 2013 it was announced that Jeremy Irvine will play the lead role with rumors of Daniel Radcliffe briefly reprising his role from the first film.