The Woman in Black (1989)

This Movie Can Only Be Described With One Word.

That was an excellent one.

Good concept, poorly executed.

All of these films share one commonality, that being a kind of emotional center that humanizes a cast of monsters.

Herbert Wise's Woman in Black is a blueprint on how a film should be made in order to scare the intelligent audience. Adapted from a book by the same name this Television film has one of the creepiest ghosts ever put on film- and she is there standing in broad daylight! The atmosphere is haunting and the pristine 16mm film stock lends itself well to the tone of the film. A remake starring Daniel Radcliffe was made in 2012 but it does away with everything that this film stands for-a minimalist approach. You should definitely see this movie- it maybe hard to procure but the entire film exists on you-tube.

Adrian Rawlins plays Arthur Kidd a solicitor who has been sent by his firm to settle the estate of Alice Drablow who has just passed away. Kidd looks at this as a chance to impress the firm with dreams of receiving a partnership. Soon thereafter he witnesses a dark and mysterious woman in black. He also hears horrible noises and voices when near the Nine Lives Causeway (aptly named) that leads to the isolated house. Kidd works on unwinding the mystery of the home.This is a TV movie, but I actually find it scarier than most over done Hollywood horror movies. They don't do it with buckets of blood, but rather with perhaps more subtlety, with sounds and a ghost story that takes time to develop, but is well worth the wait.I really do give screenwriter Nigel Kneale and director Herbert Wise credit for taking the Susan Hill novel which was a pretty darn good horror story and creating this great horror movie that does not stray that far from the novel (if my memory serves correct). I do apologize as I certainly do not remember everything from the novel as I read it a few years back, but I do remember that I really enjoyed it. Had me on the edge of my seat, which this movie does.Highly recommended to those who love a good ghost story.

Regarded by those who have seen it as one of the scariest films ever made, this subtle exercise in haunting terror is more frightening than any other '80s horror film you might care to think of. If you're a fan of the BBC Ghost Story for Christmas series which ran back in the early '70s and used M R James' stories as a basis, then you'll recognise many elements which are similar here. The period setting, the lone, isolated protagonist, and the seriously spooky black-clad figures are all present and correct. Fans of gore-filled slashers need not apply as this is an extremely slow-moving ghost story which relies on a build-up of atmosphere mixed in with the odd physical shock or two to get your pulse racing. While the low budget is apparent, the attention to period detail is great, as is the authentic acting from a mostly unknown cast. Adrian Rawlins and Clare Holman are, in particular, fantastic, Rawlins utterly convincing as the man slowly driven to the edge by the sinister ghost.The supernatural events are some of the most spine-chilling ever put on screen. The parts which affected me greatly were the bits where Kidd hears a carriage crashing into a marsh and the screams of the dying; extremely chilling moments. Also there's another jump-out-of-your-seat moment which comes out of nowhere and is guaranteed to give you nightmares. The ending is downbeat and conjures up a nice sense of impending calamity. In a way it's funny to think that over twenty-five years ago Central Television were capable of producing accurate, classic material like this. They certainly don't make stuff like this anymore. THE WOMAN IN BLACK is a modern classic, and a film which lives up to its reputation as a haunting masterpiece - it's just a shame that so few people have actually seen it!

I saw this movie for first Early this year, I saw 2 weeks before seeing the remake.This movie did start of little slow and as goes scene get a little odd and creepy.Some of scenes were really tense to watch and little odd and love connection with the Dog (Unlike remake and I felt this movie had offered more then remake did) Which thought was really sweetThe ending for this movie was one of the most the chilling endings ever as it's gave the chills for few days 8 out of 10