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The Woman in Black

The Woman in Black

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Rating: 5 stars
Summary: I normally dislike horror flicks
Review: This one though scared me totally. I look around expecting to see her. This is the first horror movie I have seen recently since What Lies beneath. Both ghosts are mysteries and have scary complexions. Be wary of the "mourner"

Rating: 2 stars
Summary: Are you kidding me?
Review: Only once have I been tempted to write a review here, and this is that time. After reading the other reviews, I actually spent the excessive amount of money to purchase this DVD thinking it would be worth it since I love nothing more than a good horror movie. How wrong I was. What is everyone thinking here? This was a low budget campy movie with B-C rated acting at best. The only redeeming quality of this movie is the fact that the so-called "woman in black" is in fact creepy to look at. Other than that, it was barely worth my time much less my money.

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: Uhhhh...no?
Review: The other week I was searching for some good horror movies here on amazon. I read the reviews for this movie (which I had never heard of)and was sold on the reviews and the overwhelming amount of 5 stars it was given. The cover of "The Woman in Black" was even enough for me. I mean, just look at it. Its out of print so I scoured ebay for a while. A couple of dvds were being sold for $100. And people were bidding too! I *knew* in my heart of hearts that this was going to mess me up. So i bought a VHS copy and it arrived in the mail today. I wanted to watch it late at night when I would be alone and with all the lights out so I could get the full effect. Well I had every intention to give this 5 stars, however...I cant. The overall feeling of the movie was spooky and dark so I'll give it credit for that. And there definitely were parts that had my heart racing (due to anticipation and suspense) The ending was just so abrupt. I kept thinking to myself "no, this cant be it..there must be more..much more" But I was wrong. Why were people so afraid of her face?? I dont understand. This was GREAT for a television movie but I just expected something so much more that was going to leave me shaking in fear. Maybe if I hadn't read all these reviews, my expectations would have been lowered and I would have enjoyed it more. It really wasn't a bad movie. It was quite good. I was just hoping to be way more scared than I was. It definitely is worth watching. Its a shame that it isnt available for renting though. I'm glad I got to see it and it was worth my $13. But I'm just feeling slightly disappointed right now.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Hear no Banshees, See no Banshees
Review: As the Irish legend goes if you hear a Banshee someone will die. Here, in this cult little offering, if you see the "Woman in Black" then a child will die, or so goes the tale in the small British seaside village of Crythin were young London solicitor Arthur Kidd has been sent by his peer to tidy up the loose ends after a client who owned the revered Eel Marsh House estate passed away.

The town itself has a secret that slowly unravels as Kidd finds himself trying to get his work done so that he can return home to his wife and family. In the town he begins to hear stories and learn things about the house he is about visit. The house itself is situated on a small island that can only be reached by a seaside path called the "Nine lives" path, because that is how many lives you will need to cross it, as the tide comes quickly in and out covering the path and cutting the house off from the rest of the mainland. As Kidd takes his inventory of the house he starts to find obscure artifacts and hears ghastly sounds that slowly peel away at his confidence. Back in the town he learns more about this strange woman that he sees dressed in black popping up around the place, but the locals want nothing to do with her. In fact most of them go out of their way to avoid her completely. Kidd decides to grab the bull by the horns and spend a night in the house to see if he can unravel the mystery.

This film is wonderfully cryptic and captures the spirit of Poe and the feel of Hitchcock all mixed together in a total threatening atmosphere of mortal dread. Do you see the cover of this DVD and that woman pictured on it? Well she will have your wits on hairs-end before the final credits role. There are several scenes where she appears and each of them is hellraising stuff, literally. Just by standing there she will have you taken aback and when she starts moving, well that is a whole different sport altogether. The filmmakers have managed to actually create great scary scenes in the same vein as "The Changeling" or "Salem's Lot".

Horror fans tout this as the scariest film of all time. Is it the scariest film of all time? Well it is certainly not the best looking horror film of all time because of its restrictive television look and feel, however some of the scenes in this screamer are outstandingly well done and it transcends what you would expect from such a production. This is not a horror, but more of a ghost story, yet there are psychologically horrific scenes. One involves a toy soldier and little girls voice and then... well once you see that scene alone you will be hard pressed to find anything that will make you jump as much. Truth be told there are many scenes in other films that you will make you jump (Sloth in Se7en comes to mind) but it ranks up there with the best of them. However where this film does work, and it does this in aces, is with the appearance of the Woman in Black just standing there, doing nothing, just staring with those dark eyes - the blackest eyes - the devils eyes... that is why this film gets the #1 spot hands down. Nowhere has a film come as close to having you dive under the covers by using such simple cinematic presentations as this Woman dressed in Black. It doesn't have to jump out at you and go "Waaaa!!!" to make your hands fly up towards your eyes. If it did that then you would really be elevated to complete hysterics.... but maybe it does do that... maybe it does... you will just have to see it find out... go on... the Woman in Black dares you to take a look at her.

Once was enough for me.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: A nice creepy movie but...
Review: I just watched this for the first time and loved the overall creepy feeling. The reason for the 4-star rating is that there wasn't a clear reason given as to why the woman is so hostile. Other than that the film captures what I consider to be true "ghost" atmosphere - sea mist, creeping-up-on-you nervousness, a sense of confusion and a person you hope will walk away at the end.

This is not a blood-and-guts type of thriller but a ghost story in the best tradition. If you like this try "The Legend of Hell House" and/or "The Others".

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Brrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!
Review: A problem I am increasingly encountering when watching horror movies is that I am often completely unafraid of the images passing by onscreen. In some respects that is understandable considering most of the films I watch really are not attempting to scare the viewer. Gallons of blood and yet another knife wielding psycho has been done so many times that a body popping out of a closet or the old "stalk and slash" routine rarely raise a hair on my neck. Fortunately, I occasionally run across something that does rise above the mass to deliver profoundly scary thrills. Moreover, these movies, and there are not many of them, usually accomplish this feat without significant bloodshed. "The Woman in Black" is one of these rarities, an obscure, made for television British picture that plays like an old time ghost story replete with scary sound effects, malevolent apparitions, and a chilling back story. This is grim stuff, and you are a lost cause if the ending doesn't make you sit up and take note. Some American cable channel really ought to start showing this one every Halloween.

Young attorney Arthur Kidd is a quite likeable fellow; he is a bright young man dedicated to his job, has an attractive young wife, two lovely children, and enjoys the company of his fellow man. Unlike most of the stodgy fogies at his law firm, he will take a few minutes out of his day to talk to lowly law clerks even though his boss constantly upbraids him for such unprofessional behavior. In what feels like a punishment for Kidd's continued insubordination in this regard, the senior partner in the firm orders Arthur to go to the village of Crythin Gifford where an important client recently died. It is the young lawyer's job to secure the recently deceased's papers at a place called Eel-Marsh House, however long that takes, and report back to the home office. The entire job shouldn't take more than a week, but the assignment bothers Arthur nonetheless because it means a lengthy separation from his family. He goes, though, because he hopes to secure a rapid advance within the firm. Initially, few indications exist that this mission to a misty little village in the middle of nowhere contains a horror beyond time and space.

The first indication something is very wrong with this new situation occurs when Arthur sees an ominous figure, a woman clad entirely in black, during a visit to a cemetery in the village. Seeing a person standing around in mourning attire in a burial ground certainly shouldn't raise too many red flags, but there is something about this woman that gives Kidd a bad feeling. Further signs of trouble arise when the attorney encounters several locals, including one of the village elders, who express reservations about Arthur's mission in town. It seems that nearly everyone avoids the Eel-Marsh house on the outskirts of the town, but good old Kidd knows that is exactly where he must go to do his job. He secures transportation to the house, learns the floor plan and how to turn on the lights, and sets about his work. Eerie events happen almost immediately upon his arrival. Kidd hears the most horrible screams and sounds of a buggy splashing into the water out on the road heading to the house, and he even sees that enigmatic woman in black again on the grounds. A room within the house, unreachable because of a door impervious to all attempts to gain entry, provides further creepy situations. As Arthur slowly unearths the terrors of the abandoned estate, he learns more than any human should about the paranormal and its potentialities in the world of the living. The last twenty minutes or so of "The Woman in Black" slap you in the face with shock after shock, and just when you think it is finally over the last nightmare unfolds with devastating effectiveness.

There really isn't any way to prepare yourself for this film. My girlfriend, who walked in about twenty minutes into the film and watched it to the end, claimed that it wasn't all that scary. But I hold a different view, especially concerning a scene where Arthur lies in bed recovering from his stay at the house and finally sees the woman in black up close and personal followed by the last minute of the movie. I can still see that quiet little lake and what Arthur sees standing some distance from the boat containing himself and his wife. If the woman in black and all of her attendant menace do little for you, there is still the oppressive atmosphere that hangs heavy over nearly every scene in the film. The Eel-House is your typical mist shrouded house on the coast: dank, dark, and burdened with horrible secrets. I consider myself a brave, do anything type of person, but there is no way I would spend any time in that house alone. It is simply too creepy for words.

The only significant failing of this film is its noticeable television feel. Some of the production values don't come off as well as they could and the editing founders in a few places, but these are minor problems considering the picture as a whole. It is light years better than most of the pap passed off as entertainment these days. Regrettably, the transfer quality on the DVD is mediocre, with its often jiggling and color soft picture. Despite these small difficulties, "The Woman in Black" succeeds in presenting the viewer with a classic ghost story that is frequently the equivalent of pouring a bucket of icy water on your head.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: One of the two scariest movies I've ever seen
Review: This movie was terrifying. The only other movie I've ever seen that really scared me was "Sixth Sense". The sounds of the pony coming over the moors and getting stuck, the interior scenes of the bedroom, all so real and terrifying. Don't watch this movie when you are home alone!!

Absolutely the best horror movie I've ever watched.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: will always be my favorite ghost story
Review: I watched this on DVD last year around Halloween time. After reading some of the previous reviews, I chose to watch it alone in the middle of a "cloudy" day. Wow! I not only loved it, but it caused me to literally jump off the sofa a few times. This is a great ghost story,and it will always remain as one of my favorites for years! It is so "spooky" and "creepy" that I find myself thinking about it from time to time. Be forewarned, this does NOT have a happy ending and it will get under your skin about what finally happens to the family. I was so shocked but shouldn't have really been surprised, considering how "The Woman In Black" seeks to carry out her revenge! Enjoy!

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Can't think of a better ghost film
Review: I just can't think of a better ghost film (though 1946 'Dead of Night' comes close - different though). After 14 years I still don't like to watch 'Woman in Black' alone. In fact, sometimes even the video cover scares me and I don't want to touch it.
Melodramatic? Perhaps... just watch it yourself... (but not alone).

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: A thinking man's horror film.
Review: After a lonely widow dies, a young lawyer is assigned to look after her estate. When he arrives in the small town of Crythin, he finds that few of the townspeople will have anything to do with him or his work, and keeps seeing a mysterious woman in black. Eventually he begins to investigate the strange history of the town and becomes ensnared in its horror. A genuinely frightening tale with lots of creepy scares. You do have to use your imagination in the film, but believe me it's worth the effort. I love ghost stories like The Ring, The Others, The Innocents, The Haunting, and The Changeling, so I knew I couldn't pass this up. This is definately a thinking man's movie. One of the scariest flicks you'll ever see. If you're the type of horror movie buff who likes that creepy type of atmosphere where your imagination can jut run wild without a whole lot of fake blood and gore then this movie is for you. Okay I'll admit I love blood and guts movies as well, but I have a soft spot for psycholical horror flicks such as this and The Blair Witch as well. Watch this one alone in the dark, and remember to let your imagination run wild.


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