There's a shift in the air,
A bone trembling chill
That tells you she's there.
There are those who believe
The whole town is cursed,
But the house in the marsh
Is by far the worst.
What she wants is unknown,
But she always comes back.
The specter of darkness,
The woman in black.
Now I am not one for scary movies. When I watched The Grudge, I had a hard time going to sleep for a few nights (especially when I knew hiding under the blankets would not protect me). There was one movie, I cannot remember the name of it (and prefer never to see it again) that ruined a Grimm Fairy Tale for me and had scared me so badly that my mother had to baptized me and said the Lord's Prayer over me in order for me to calm down. You might think that strange, but I was raised in a family and town full of superstition and old legends. So I am very wary when it comes to scary things. But I have to say, though spooky, The Woman in Black was a good movie, full of suspense, mystery, and hope for the better.
The story follows a young lawyer (played by Harry Potter's Daniel Radcliffe) who has grieved the death of his wife for four years, and in that time raised their toddler son. He travels to the town of Crythin Gifford to tend the papers of a late client, Mrs. Alice Drablow, and prepare her estate to be sold. Though warned not to by the locals, Arthur goes to the estate of Eel Marsh House. There, he learns the truth of how the woman in black came to be and why she haunts the town. Can he find a way to bring her peace and save his son from a fate only she can cause?
I was on the edge of my seat the whole time I was watching this movie. Though spooky and good, I did my best to not be out in the dark after watching the movie. It kind of reminded me of one of the versions of a Hispanic story called La Llorona (The Crybaby). I know of at least four versions of the story, but the one this movie reminded me of was the one where a woman had gone mad and killed her children by drowning them in the river near her home. Once she realized what she had done, she became worse and dug her nails into her face before she committed suicide. Legend says if she comes upon you at night, she will dig at your face and scream like a mad woman. But you know when she is coming; you can hear her wailing everywhere near you.
Though not exactly like this, the woman in black did go mad when her child was taken from her. And also like La Llorona, though she scares me, I feel pity for the woman in black. The saddest thing I can think of is losing your child. In a way, you can somewhat understand why she wanted revenge for her child's death (spoiler alert, sorry).
So if you have not seen this movie yet and enjoy spooky thrillers (or this story seems intriguing to you as it did to me), I'd advise you to watch it. I give this movie four stars (I liked it, but it still scared me, that's why I give four stars instead of five).
