3 out of 5

Director: James Watkins

Patiently awaiting James Watkins followup to Eden Lake, I’m happy to say that Woman in Black shows range in his approach, tailoring his horror style to match the slower, haunted house vibe of this Hammer Horror flick. Switching out the earthy palette of Eden Lake for deathly blues and grays, WiB won’t surprise most viewers familiar with the genre – a man comes to an isolated town for one reason or another – in this case Daniel Radcliffe is there to settle an estate – and this man gets wrapped up in local folklore, which goes down various paths of skepticism before culminating in some good ol’ hauntin’ scares. The folklore this time around deals with something that preys on the children of the town. Unraveling the specifics takes up part of the runtime, and it isn’t a brand new twist either, but Radcliffe and the patient pacing mixed with some excellent settings and lighting help to keep you in a mood long enough for things to actually start happening. That being said, Watkins perhaps goes a little too generic with the extra jump scares and music stings in the first half of the flick. It’s possible these were studio suggestions to liven things up (because it does move through its paces slowly), but it’s annoying and pointless. Especially when the real scares start to happen – because they deliver. Just some great, truly creepy moments. The ending is a mixed bag of good and bad, like you’re hoping for something a little more, or maybe little less, and that’s a good summation of the film. It’s totally average haunted house stuff, but cleans up nice in the right spots.