A couple of years back a friend and I were in London and decided to go to a play. Both being fans of the horror movies and the supernatural, we agreed upon seeing The Woman in Black at The Fortune Theatre, a play based upon the 1983 book of the same name by Susan Hill. I have watched a lot (and I mean a LOT!) of horror movies over the years but nothing had prepared me for such an intense and frightening experience as what we had on that evening watching this show.
Last weekend we met up again, this time for some food, a bottle of wine and a movie at my house. Knowing of this night in beforehand I managed to track down an old VHS copy on eBay of the ITV movie that aired on Christmas Eve 1989 and has only ever been shown on TV once since, back in 1994 on Channel 4.
With the lights off and it just happened to be pouring with rain outside, we started the movie.
To start with, the first half an hour or so was very slow, introducing characters that weren’t in the play and Kipps’ character spending a lot more time at the law firm before heading to the house. Then we get to the funeral where ‘she’ appears at the back of the church...now things start to get interesting!
From here on (although still slow paced) it just gets creepier and creepier. His first meeting in the cemetery outside the house. Hearing the deaths of the young children on the causeway. The knocking behind the locked door. The toy soldier. And that scene when he’s lying in bed! Not to mention the unforgettable and shocking ending.
Although this didn’t absorb me or scare me half as much as the stage play, I did thoroughly enjoy it and I am very glad that I’ve now seen it, especially now that there’s a remake starring Harry Potter’s Daniel Radcliffe in the works (although I’ve read that the story as been changed drastically) which I’ll have to check out when it’s released.
Rating: Four out of Five
Have you seen this movie? Or maybe seen the play or read the book? Share your experiences of this classic ghost story.
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