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The Woman in Black (2012 film)

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This article is about the 2012 film. For the 1989 film, see The Woman in Black (1989 film).
The Woman in Black
British theatrical release poster
Directed byJames Watkins
Screenplay byJane Goldman
Produced byRichard Jackson
Simon Oakes
Brian Oliver
StarringDaniel Radcliffe
Ciarán Hinds
Janet McTeer
Liz White
CinematographyTim Maurice-Jones
Edited byJon Harris
Music byMarco Beltrami
Production
companies
Distributed byMomentum Pictures (United Kingdom)
CBS Films
(United States)
Alliance Films (Canada)
Release dates
  • 3 February 2012 (2012-02-03) (United States)
  • 10 February 2012 (2012-02-10) (United Kingdom)
Running time
95 minutes[2]
CountriesUnited Kingdom
United States
Canada
Sweden[1]
LanguageEnglish
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]

Plot

In an Edwardian era English village, Colchester, three little girls walk trance-like to a window and jump to their death.

Some years later, 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) allow him stay at their home. Though most of the townsfolk treat him coldly, he finds companionship in the local tavern hand, Mrs. Fischer, who still grieves the loss of her three daughters, the girls from the opening scene.

During his initial visit to the Eel Marsh House, Arthur is distracted by odd noises, and subsequently, the appearance of a spectral entity in funerary garb. He hears sounds on the marshes of a carriage in distress and a screaming child, but sees nobody on the causeway. Upon his return to the village, Arthur attempts to alert the village constable. Though he remains adamant about what he saw, the constable assures him that no one has used the causeway in years before retreating to his study. Before he can react further, two children enter the station with their sister Victoria, who has just ingested lye. Despite his pleas for assistance, the girl collapses and dies in Arthur's arms. Though ruled as a suicide by the town physician, the locals blame the death on Arthur because he saw the alleged "Woman in Black".

That night, Sam reveals he and wife Elisabeth lost their young son to drowning. Elisabeth suffers from fits of hysteria, which she attributes to her boy speaking through her. Onto the table, she carves a figure hanging from a beam, before Sam sedates her.

The next night at the Eel Marsh 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, whom the Drablows formally adopted. A photo of the Drablows is defaced while Arthur's back is turned. A death certificate reveals that Nathaniel drowned in a carriage accident on the marsh. Jennet blames Alice for saving only herself and for leaving Nathaniel's body in the marsh, without a proper burial. Jennet hangs herself in the nursery, vowing never to forgive Alice. Arthur also sees visions of dead children in the marshes, with the Fisher's daughters and Victoria Hardy among their number.

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 has seemingly caught fire with Jerome's daughter (who'd been barricaded in the basement at the time) still inside. When Arthur attempts to save her, he sees the Woman goading the girl into immolating with a flood lantern. After witnessing her suicide, Arthur flees the building as it collapses. Upon his return, he sees the entire village looking on the scene. As they did with Victoria Hardy, the townspeople blame Arthur for the death and solidify their resentment of him.

Elisabeth says the Woman is Jennet, who appears before she takes a child away by having them commit suicide. Arthur's young son, who is coming to Crythin Gifford the next day with his nanny, is Jennet's next intended victim. To lift the curse, Arthur and Sam find Nathaniel 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 Nathaniel 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 children's 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 McMullan 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,[6] with Jane Goldman as screenwriter[6] and later James Watkins as director.[7] Daniel Radcliffe was announced as the actor playing the part of Arthur Kipps on 19 July 2010.[8] 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.[9] Before filming, Radcliffe saw a psychologist so he could better understand his character.[10] The part of Joseph Kipps was played by Misha Handley, who is Radcliffe's real life godson.[11]

Filming

The film was planned to be shot in 3D,[6] but the idea was later scrapped.[12] Principal photography officially started on 26 September 2010.[13] The next day, Radcliffe was pictured in costume just outside Peterborough, England.[14] In early October the crew was filming in Layer Marney Tower.[15] Filming officially ended on 4 December 2010.[16]

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.[17] 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.[18] 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

Untitled

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.[19][20]

All music is composed by Marco Beltrami

No.TitleLength
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

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

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,[23] putting it at second place in the box office, behind Chronicle, which earned about $1 million more.[24] This is significantly more than the $11–$16.5 million industry analysts predicted it would bring in.[25][26] 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.[27]

Home media

The film was released on DVD and Blu-ray Disc on 18 June 2012 in the United Kingdom,[28] and was released in the United States on 22 May 2012.[29]

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."[30]

The original novel's author Susan Hill will help with the story, with the screenplay written by Jon Croker.[27][31][32] In October 2012, Tom Harper was announced as the film's director.[33] 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.[34] It has also been announced that Phoebe Fox and Helen McCrory have been cast in the film as well. The film will begin the shooting process in early 2014.[35]

References

  1. ^ Felperin, Leslie (25 January 2012). "Film Front Reviews". Variety. Retrieved 7 February 2012.
  2. ^ "The Woman in Black (12A)". British Board of Film Classification. Retrieved 20 January 2012.
  3. ^ Dawtrey, Adam (2 March 2012). "Hammer nails coin from next gen". Variety. Retrieved 24 March 2012.
  4. ^ a b black.htm "The Woman in Black". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 3 May 2012. {{cite web}}: Check |url= value (help)
  5. ^ http://www.deadline.com/2011/07/release-date-moves-searchlights-the-descendants-cbs-films-the-woman-in-black/
  6. ^ a b c "3D Version of the Woman in Black Coming from Hammer". DreadCentral.com. 4 November 2009. Retrieved 27 September 2010. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  7. ^ "Hammer Options Rights to Famous Horror Novel "The Woman in Black"". HammerFilms.com. 1 February 2010. Retrieved 2 October 2010. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  8. ^ "Daniel Radcliffe to star in The Woman in Black". BBC News. 19 July 2010. Retrieved 27 September 2010. {{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  9. ^ Martyn Conterio (8 September 2010). "Two More Actors Set To Join 'The Woman in Black'". FilmShaft.com. Retrieved 27 September 2010. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  10. ^ Kristy Kelly (20 September 2010). "Daniel Radcliffe 'prepares for Black role'". Daily Spy. Retrieved 27 September 2010. {{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  11. ^ "Chris Evan's Breakfast Show". 10 February 2012. BBC Radio 2. {{cite episode}}: Missing or empty |series= (help)
  12. ^ Russ Fischer (27 September 2010). "First Look: Daniel Radcliffe in 'Woman in Black'". /Film. Retrieved 27 September 2010. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  13. ^ "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!! {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  14. ^ "Daniel Radcliffe pictured in The Woman in Black". Telegraph. 27 September 2010. Retrieved 27 September 2010. {{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  15. ^ "Layer Marney News: The Woman in Black". LayerMarneyTower.co.UK. Retrieved 22 October 2010. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  16. ^ "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.
  17. ^ "Kapow! Adrian reports in on Hammer's The Woman In Black and more genre goodies!". AintItCool.com. 10 April 2011. Retrieved 2011-10-10.
  18. ^ "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.
  19. ^ Southall, James (6 April 2012). "The Woman in Black". MovieWave.net. Retrieved 24 May 2012.
  20. ^ Paton, Atila (13 March 2012). "The Woman in Black". SoundTrack.Net. Retrieved 24 May 2012.
  21. ^ "The Woman in Black (2012)". Rotten Tomatoes. Flixster. Retrieved 24 May 2012.
  22. ^ "The Woman in Black". Metacritic. Retrieved 24 May 2012.
  23. ^ Barry, Vic (6 February 2012). "The Woman In Black has highest ever opening for Hammer". The Movie Bit. Retrieved 24 May 2012.
  24. ^ 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.
  25. ^ Subers, Ray (2 February 2012). "Forecast: 'Chronicle' To Crush Super Bowl Weekend". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 24 May 2012.
  26. ^ "Weekend Predictions: 'Chronicle,' 'The Woman in Black' and 'Big Miracle'". BoxOffice.com. 1 February 2012. Retrieved 31 May 2012.
  27. ^ a b "'The Woman in Black' Sequel Moving Forward". Fused Film. Retrieved 24 May 2012.
  28. ^ "The Woman in Black [DVD]". Amazon.co.UK. Retrieved 24 May 2012.
  29. ^ "The Woman in Black (+ UltraViolet Digital Copy) [Blu-ray] (2012)". Amazon.com. Retrieved 24 May 2012.
  30. ^ Schwartz, Terri (13 June 2012). "'Woman In Black' Sequel Story Details Revealed". MTV. Retrieved 13 June 2012.
  31. ^ Newman, Nick (2 April 2012). "'The Woman in Black' Gets Sequel Treatment, 'Angels of Death'". The Film Stage. Retrieved 24 May 2012.
  32. ^ Miller, Jenni (2 April 2012). "'The Woman in Black' Becomes a Frightening Franchise with 'The Angels of Death'". Next Movie. Retrieved 24 May 2012.
  33. ^ Trumbore, Dave (13 October 2012). "Tom Harper Set to Direct The Woman in Black: Angels of Death". Collider. Retrieved 13 October 2012.
  34. ^ "Woman in Black sequel casts Jeremy Irvine as lead". BBC News Online. 29 April 2013. Retrieved 4 May 2013.
  35. ^ http://www.westendtheatre.com/tag/helen-mccrory/. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)

Further reading

  • 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

Template:Hammer Film Productions films

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