The Woman in Black (2012 film)

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The Woman in Black
Woman in black ver4.jpg
British theatrical release poster
Directed by James Watkins
Produced by Richard Jackson
Simon Oakes
Brian Oliver
Screenplay by Jane Goldman
Based on The Woman in Black 
by Susan Hill
Starring Daniel Radcliffe
Ciarán Hinds
Janet McTeer
Liz White
Music by Marco Beltrami
Cinematography Tim Maurice-Jones
Editing by Jon Harris
Studio Cross Creek Pictures
Hammer Film Productions
Alliance Films
UK Film Council
Talisman Productions
Exclusive Media Group
Film i Väst
Filmgate Films
Distributed by Momentum Pictures (United Kingdom)
CBS Films
(United States)
Alliance Films (Canada)
Release date(s)
  • 3 February 2012 (2012-02-03) (United States)
  • 10 February 2012 (2012-02-10) (United Kingdom)
Running time 95 minutes[1]
Country United Kingdom[2]
Language English
Budget $15 million[3]
Box office $127,730,736[4]

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.[5][6]

Contents

Plot [edit]

In the Edwardian era, in a small British village town, three little girls are playing inside together. Suddenly they look up and walk in a trance-like state to the window, jumping out to their deaths. It is revealed that a veiled figure in black was in the room with them.

In London Arthur Kipps (Daniel Radcliffe), a lawyer, and the widowed father of four-year-old Joseph, is charged by his office to obtain the paperwork with which to sell a large manor – the isolated and desolate Eel Marsh House, whose owner Alice Drablow has recently died. Though he is hesitant to leave his son, Arthur's boss warns him that if he fails to complete his duty, he will lose his job. Arthur is treated coldly upon his arrival, barely able to get a room for the night, but he meets a kindly local landowner named Samuel Daily (Ciarán Hinds) and his wife Elisabeth (Janet McTeer), who allow him to stay at their home. Arthur visits his legal contact, Mr. Jerome, who tries to fob him off, telling him to return to London. Instead, Arthur travels to Eel Marsh House, where he feels he will be able to thoroughly complete his work. While there, he is distracted by odd noises, and the appearance of a woman dressed in black. He hears sounds on the marshes of a carriage in distress and a child screaming but there is no sign of anyone. Believing there was an accident, Arthur reports the incident to the police. Three children come into the police station; two boys carrying their sickly pale sister, Victoria, who has just drunk lye. She collapses in Arthur's arms and dies. The locals angrily state Victoria died because Arthur saw "the woman" at Eel Marsh House. After Victoria's funeral, Sam Daily leads Arthur away from the scene.

That night, Sam reveals he and his wife lost their young son in a drowning accident. Elisabeth, who believes her son speaks through her, carves a figure into the table of someone being hanged from a beam, before Sam sedates her. The next day, Arthur stays overnight at Eel Marsh House to finish his work, and discovers letters between Alice Drablow and her apparently mentally-disturbed sister Jennet Humfrye (Liz White).

In the letters, Jennet claims Alice stole her son Nathaniel away from her by deeming her mentally unfit to raise the child and demands to let her see him. An adoption certificate confirms that the child was adopted by the Drablows and an old photograph of the couple is suddenly and mysteriously defaced while Arthur's back is turned. A death certificate reveals that the boy drowned in a carriage accident on the marsh and that Jennet blamed Alice because she only saved herself instead of Nathaniel. Jennet then committed suicide by hanging herself in the nursery after stating she would never forgive Alice. Arthur also sees visions of dozens of dead children in the woods outside the house.

The nursery door, which had remained locked until now, opens and Arthur is drawn in by a knocking sound to find an empty rocking chair still moving. Clockwork toys begin making noises in the room, and Arthur sees a terrifying vision of the Woman in Black again, this time hanging from a roof beam. He is scared by a vision of her mud-covered child and rushes downstairs to the door to discover Sam Daily waiting to take him back to town.

When Arther returns to town, he sees Mr. Jerome's house on fire and rushes in to save Lucy, Mr. Jerome's daughter. Under the influence of the Woman in Black, Lucy sets fire to herself, making it impossible for Arthur to save her.

Through the spirit of Sam and Elisabeth's son, speaking through Elisabeth, Arthur learns that the children's deaths are the work of Jennet, who is the Woman in Black; since her own child was taken from her, she takes away every child from the townspeople by causing the children to commit suicide. Whenever Jennet is seen, a child dies. Elisabeth indicates that Joseph, who is coming to the village with his nanny the following day, is a target for the Woman in Black. In an attempt to lift the curse, Arthur hopes to reunite Nathaniel and Jennet and finds the boy's body in the marsh, still in the horse carriage. They place Nathaniel's corpse in his room in Eel Marsh House. Arthur lures Jennet to the body whilst Sam sees visions of the children that had died, including his own child. The house becomes peaceful once Jennet reaches Nathaniel. Arthur and Sam then place Jennet's son in her grave with her.

The next night, Joseph and Arthur are reunited at the train station and intend to return to London. Arthur sees the Woman in Black on the other side of the platform; too late he realizes Joseph is walking along the train tracks towards an oncoming train under her influence. Arthur leaps onto the tracks to save Joseph from the train. As Sam looks on, horrified, he sees the Woman in Black and the faces of all the children she has taken in the past in the train windows, including his own lost son.

Once the train passes, Arthur opens his eyes, but the whole station is dark. As Arthur looks around in surprise, Joseph asks, "Who's that lady?" When Arthur turns to look, he sees his late wife waiting for them further down the tracks.

The family vanishes into the fog together while the Woman in Black looks on. Slowly, she turns her head to face the audience, and the screen abruptly cuts to black.

Cast [edit]

  • 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 [edit]

Development [edit]

The film was announced in 2009,[7] with Jane Goldman as screenwriter[7] and later James Watkins as director.[8] Daniel Radcliffe was announced as the actor playing the part of Arthur Kipps on 19 July 2010.[9] 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.[10] Before filming, Radcliffe saw a psychologist so he could better understand his character.[11] The part of Joseph Kipps was played by Misha Handley, who is Radcliffe's real life godson.[12]

Filming [edit]

The film was planned to be shot in 3D,[7] but that plan was later scrapped.[13] Principal photography officially started on 26 September 2010.[14] The next day, Radcliffe was pictured in costume just outside Peterborough, England.[15] In early October the crew was filming in Layer Marney Tower.[16] Filming officially ended on 4 December 2010.[17]

Post-production [edit]

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.[18] 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.[19] 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 [edit]

The Woman in Black Original Motion Picture Soundtrack
Soundtrack album by Marco Beltrami
Released 12 March 2012
Genre Score
Length 55:24
Label Silva Screen Records
Producer Marco Beltrami
Marco Beltrami film soundtrack chronology
The Thing
(2011)		 The Woman in Black
(2012)		 Trouble with the Curve
(2012)

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.[20][21]

All music composed by Marco Beltrami.

No. Title Length
1. "Tea for Three Plus One"   1:40
2. "The Woman in Black"   1:56
3. "Crossing the Causeway"   2:24
4. "Bills Past Due"   1:22
5. "Voices in the Mist"   2:00
6. "Journey North"   2:56
7. "Cellar Eye"   2:49
8. "First Death"   2:00
9. "The Attic Room"   1:56
10. "The Door Opens"   1:46
11. "Fireside"   2:30
12. "You Could Have Saved Him"   2:58
13. "Crazy Writing"   2:16
14. "In the Graveyard"   2:56
15. "Elisabeth's Vision"   3:40
16. "Into the Fire"   3:57
17. "Jennet's Letters"   2:12
18. "Race to the Marsh"   2:11
19. "Rising From the Mud"   3:13
20. "Summoning the Woman in Black"   4:27
21. "Reunion"   1:42
22. "Arthur's Theme"   2:46
Total length:
 55:24

Release [edit]

Critical reception [edit]

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."[22] The film has received a rating of 62/100 on Metacritic based on 39 reviews, indicating "generally favourable reviews".[23]

Box office [edit]

During opening weekend, The Woman in Black earned $20 million, the biggest US opening for a Hammer film in all of Hammer history,[24] putting it at second place in the box office, behind Chronicle, which earned about $1 million more.[25] This is significantly more than the $11–$16.5 million industry analysts predicted it would bring in.[26][27] As of June 2012, The Woman in Black has made $127,730,736 worldwide.[4] The film also became the highest-grossing British horror film in 20 years.[28]

Home media [edit]

The film was released on DVD and Blu-ray Disc on 18 June 2012 in the United Kingdom,[29] and was released in the United States on 22 May 2012.[30]

Sequel [edit]

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."[31]

The original novel's author Susan Hill will help with the story, with the screenplay written by Jon Croker.[28][32][33] In October 2012, Tom Harper was announced as the film's director.[34] 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.[35]

References [edit]

  1. ^ "The Woman in Black (12A)". British Board of Film Classification. Retrieved 20 January 2012. 
  2. ^ Felperin, Leslie (25 January 2012). "Film Front Reviews". Variety. Retrieved 7 February 2012. 
  3. ^ Dawtrey, Adam (2 March 2012). "Hammer nails coin from next gen". Variety. Retrieved 24 March 2012. 
  4. ^ a b "The Woman in Black". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 3 May 2012. 
  5. ^ "Release Date Moves: Searchlight's 'The Descendants', CBS Films' 'The Woman In Black'". Deadline.com (Mail.com Media). 28 July 2011. Retrieved 28 July 2011. 
  6. ^ "The Woman in Black Teaser Trailer". Good Film Guide. 10 April 2011. Retrieved 10 April 2011. 
  7. ^ a b c "3D Version of the Woman in Black Coming from Hammer". DreadCentral.com. 4 November 2009. Retrieved 27 September 2010. 
  8. ^ "Hammer Options Rights to Famous Horror Novel "The Woman in Black"". HammerFilms.com. 1 February 2010. Retrieved 2 October 2010. 
  9. ^ "Daniel Radcliffe to star in The Woman in Black". BBC News. 19 July 2010. Retrieved 27 September 2010. 
  10. ^ Martyn Conterio (8 September 2010). "Two More Actors Set To Join 'The Woman in Black'". FilmShaft.com. Retrieved 27 September 2010. 
  11. ^ Kristy Kelly (20 September 2010). "Daniel Radcliffe 'prepares for Black role'". Daily Spy. Retrieved 27 September 2010. 
  12. ^ "Chris Evan's Breakfast Show". 10 February 2012. BBC Radio 2. http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b01bmllv.
  13. ^ Russ Fischer (27 September 2010). "First Look: Daniel Radcliffe in 'Woman in Black'". /Film. Retrieved 27 September 2010. 
  14. ^ "Hammer's official Twitter account". Twitter. 7 September 2010. Retrieved 27 September 2010. "via @RoomofRadcliffe @hammerfilms Have heard that The Woman in Black starts filming on Sept.26! Can't wait to see this!!" 
  15. ^ "Daniel Radcliffe pictured in The Woman in Black". Telegraph. 27 September 2010. Retrieved 27 September 2010. 
  16. ^ "Layer Marney News: The Woman in Black". LayerMarneyTower.co.UK. Retrieved 22 October 2010. 
  17. ^ "Hammer's official Twitter account". Twitter. 4 December 2010. Retrieved 4 April 2011. "On this day in 2010, production wraps on THE WOMAN IN BLACK." 
  18. ^ "Kapow! Adrian reports in on Hammer's The Woman In Black and more genre goodies!". AintItCool.com. 10 April 2011. Retrieved 2011-10-10. 
  19. ^ "The Woman in Black". British Board of Film Classification. Retrieved 2012-02-11. "In addition to the 6 seconds of visual cuts, substitutions were also made by darkening some shots and by reducing the sound levels on others." 
  20. ^ Southall, James (6 April 2012). "The Woman in Black". MovieWave.net. Retrieved 24 May 2012. 
  21. ^ Paton, Atila (13 March 2012). "The Woman in Black". SoundTrack.Net. Retrieved 24 May 2012. 
  22. ^ "The Woman in Black (2012)". Rotten Tomatoes. Flixster. Retrieved 24 May 2012. 
  23. ^ "The Woman in Black". Metacritic. Retrieved 24 May 2012. 
  24. ^ Barry, Vic (6 February 2012). "The Woman In Black has highest ever opening for Hammer". The Movie Bit. Retrieved 24 May 2012. 
  25. ^ Smith, Grady (6 February 2012). "Box office report: 'Chronicle' earns a super powerful $22 million on Super Bowl weekend". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved 24 May 2012. 
  26. ^ Subers, Ray (2 February 2012). "Forecast: 'Chronicle' To Crush Super Bowl Weekend". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 24 May 2012. 
  27. ^ "Weekend Predictions: 'Chronicle,' 'The Woman in Black' and 'Big Miracle'". BoxOffice.com. 1 February 2012. Retrieved 31 May 2012. 
  28. ^ a b "'The Woman in Black' Sequel Moving Forward". Fused Film. Retrieved 24 May 2012. 
  29. ^ "The Woman in Black [DVD]". Amazon.co.UK. Retrieved 24 May 2012. 
  30. ^ "The Woman in Black (+ UltraViolet Digital Copy) [Blu-ray] (2012)". Amazon.com. Retrieved 24 May 2012. 
  31. ^ Schwartz, Terri (13 June 2012). "'Woman In Black' Sequel Story Details Revealed". MTV. Retrieved 13 June 2012. 
  32. ^ Newman, Nick (2 April 2012). "'The Woman in Black' Gets Sequel Treatment, 'Angels of Death'". The Film Stage. Retrieved 24 May 2012. 
  33. ^ Miller, Jenni (2 April 2012). "'The Woman in Black' Becomes a Frightening Franchise with 'The Angels of Death'". Next Movie. Retrieved 24 May 2012. 
  34. ^ Trumbore, Dave (13 October 2012). "Tom Harper Set to Direct The Woman in Black: Angles of Death". Collider. Retrieved 13 October 2012. 
  35. ^ "Woman in Black sequel casts Jeremy Irvine as lead". BBC News Online. 29 April 2013. Retrieved 4 May 2013. 

Further reading [edit]

  • Grunert, Andrea. "The Woman in Black". Enzyklopädie des Phantastischen Films. Issue 97, Meitingen: Corian Verlag. March 2012. p. 1–19. ISBN 978-3-89048-497-6.

External links [edit]

 
Hammer Film Productions film series
Dracula films
Frankenstein films
Mummy films
The Karnstein Trilogy
Dick Barton
See also
Hammer Film Productions films by genre
Gothic horror films
Horror films
Psychological horror films
Thriller films
Science fiction films
Mystery films
Crime films
Action films
Adventure films
Drama films
Comedy films
War films
See also
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