The Woman in Black: Old tricks for some chills!

'An abandoned mansion, a young man, vengeance that lies unabated for years and many dead children........'

There is something that new-age cinema lacks: old-school horror. It has been quite a while since we have seen something that banks on the good old ways of sending some chills up your spine. Weird forms, apparitions, wails, dark rooms, sinister corridors, haunted castles etc.. The new and intelligent cinema cares a whole lot about reasoning and plausibility to unleash such middle-age tricks on screen. But, guess what? It still works; as it is proved by The Woman in Black.

Set in what presumably must be the late 19^th or early 20^th century England, The Woman in Black takes us into the journey of a lawyer who is sent on an assignment to a county that is not yet urban. He is there to finish off the legalities of a mansion left behind by woman; a simple job, it must seem. But, he doesn’t seem too welcome there. Someone is uneasy knowing what he has come for; obviously, they do not want him to get on with his work. What is it that makes them apprehensive about a lawyer settling matters of a mansion? We do not know, nor does Arthur Kipps, the lawyer. He finds out, but not before it has caused the deaths of two young children in the county. What lurks in the mansion and why does it have to bring about the pretty gruesome deaths of children? Well, you have to find that for yourself.

The thing about The Woman in Black is that it hinges not so much on its story than on its imagery and placement of thrills. There is not a bright or sunny moment in the entire film. Arthur Kipps is despondent right from the start, for personal reasons, and this sets the mood for the movie too, which is almost morbid with an almost upsetting silence about it all the time. It does take the film quite a while to get firmly set on its course. Almost the entire first hour is a series of scenes where Arthur Kipps keeps sighting strange figures here and there in a mansion that was reportedly abandoned. For most part, these figures fail to give you any chills because you are half expecting them to jump out any time. Deep into the first hour you might also begin to wonder whether the movie has any intention of getting on with it or whether it is going to be just a series of strange figures popping up here and there followed by a gruesome climax. Thankfully, the first real thrill arrives right then and the plot begins to unravel itself. From then on to the climax, which is short of an hour, you will find yourself engaged in the story behind the mansion, why the people fear it so and why children in the county keep dying. And, one must say, its good while it lasts, especially the attempt by Arthur Kipps to find an appeasement for the wandering soul.

As said earlier, as a movie, The Woman in Black is more about the images than about the plot. What surprises us most is that even in this era of 3D and rich colors, a film that seems to be just black and white for almost its entire duration can still hold our attention. The director deserves a round of applause for pulling this off, for reminding us that cinema still hinges firmly on its ability to engage with the audience at the content level ahead of any technical wizardry. The marshland, the mansion, the dark corridors, eerie windows all are just right for the kind of movie that this is. The minimal use of sounds is also one good aspect, those loud wails and screams have an effect of us mainly because of the otherwise eerily silent proceedings. The director has strode the thin line of using cheesy thrills just in the adequate proportion; a little more and the audience could have taken it more as a spoof rather than a serious horror movie. Finally, after all the arduous efforts at appeasements, the closing minute is the one that will wrench at your heart. Of course, horror movies are supposed to have such endings!

Daniel Radcliffe proves that he doesn’t need a magic wand for company on screen all the time. He is present in almost every frame of the movie, and for most parts, he is alone. His screen presence is one of the most important factors of the movie and he carries it off well. And, one must say that the constantly morose look does suit him. All other characters are etched well and build towards the unravelling of the history behind the mansion.

The Woman in Black is horror in the good-old way: darkness, shadows, ajar doors and a mystery around a grave. The style of imagery suits the mood of the movie and never once does it deviate from the set course. Of course, it does take a lengthy prelude full off shadowy occurrences before the movie embarks on its actual course. You can watch it once; it may not be a spine chilling horror flick, but it definitely is a good deviation from the loud and bright kind of cinema we get these days. The Woman in Black is an occasionally chilling movie which can be watched mainly for its imagery and minimal use of sounds; it’s a rare occurrence these days!