Die Frau in Schwarz

Die Verarbeitung ist sehr gut. Das Milieu, die Stimmung, die geheimnisvolle Atmosphäre, alles funktioniert. Aber was das Drehbuch betrifft – da ist es nichts Neues unter der Sonne. Auch die Schreckmomente verlassen sich mehr auf Toneffekte als auf die Bild- und Schnitt-Invention. Radcliffe sieht für die Vaterrolle jung aus, seine Leistung ist aber fehlerfrei. Ciarán Hinds verleiht dem Film eine gewisse Würde. Das junge Publikum von Harry Potter, das nicht hunderte solche Filme gesehen hat, wird zufrieden sein. (21.02.2012)

A simple horror story in the beautiful settings of an English seaside village. I didn’t mind the lack of originality and the simplicity of the plot (Hammer has never made intellectual and sophisticated films), what I did mind, though, is that in such beautiful setting, all the film can do to generate fear is to use cheap jump-scares that follow the template of “show anything” + “raise the volume”. Visually, I enjoyed it very much, both the haunted house and the village, but the fear hardly shows up at all. One look at the woman in black in the more than 20 year-old TV adaptation made me tremble in terror a lot more than all those jump-scares put together. Daniel Radcliffe delivers a decent performance. The climax was disappointing, just like a couple of very unconvincing scenes (the lady with the dogs, the bird in the boarding house). I’m giving it 7/10. I liked The Woman in Black, but unfortunately, with all the aforementioned reservations. I expected something great, but it doesn’t come close to that. (24.02.2012)

James Watkins completely flipped the script when he went from aggressive teenagers to a classic art nouveau ghost story. Yet he definitely reached the heights of his reputation set by his first film because it washes over the viewer with such vigor that I wondered where the hell the man had been all these years when everyone was crying about the genre's decline. It's quite a cool thing to scare audiences so predictably yet with the kind of cheekiness and implacability in which little children die, and the mystery unravels rapidly. Meanwhile, the film maintains deliberate British detachment and slight distance. It's only kept from perfection by the miscast Radcliffe who - nothing against his performance - just hasn't grown up enough for such a role yet. Otherwise, I give a deep bow to the director. 4 ½. (08.03.2012)

The Woman in Black is a great atmospheric horror film taking place in an absolutely amazing location, with great actors and awesome directing that made sure there was just the right creepy atmosphere that gave me chills for hours after watching it. I immediately forgot about Daniel Radcliffe as Harry Potter. In this movie I perceived him as a great actor who can play many emotions, including fear. Truth be told, if I were him, 20 minutes in that haunted house would make me go crazy, but he fought it off and pulled it off amazingly. The screenplay is great as well. These ghost horror movies usually don’t get good endings, but in this one everything is very interesting. Hats off. The movie brought me a four-star experience and memories that I just can’t get out of my head. I wish there were more films of this quality. (15.10.2012)

Ein verfilmter gruseliger Volksroman, welcher die Konventionen des gotischen Horrors sowie der viktorianische Ästhetik von Geistergeschichten perfekt zur Hilfe zieht (die Autorin der Vorlage, Susan Hill ist eine Expertin dafür). Watkins hat sich für einen recht ultimativen digitalen Look entschieden, der manchmal wunderschön ist (Farbkontraste und feine Arbeit mit Licht in gepflegten Innenräumen), manchmal sehr künstlich oder unzuverlässig wirkt (insbesondere modifizierte Außenbereiche). Die Atmosphäre ist prima, und wäre unsinnig, dem ganzen Vorhersehbarkeit vorzuwerfen, denn der Film ist De-facto eine Stilübung mit klaren Regeln. Meine Neigung zu billigen Erschreckungsszenen verhindert mich ein wenig, jedoch auch diese langen Spaziergänge mit einer Kerze durch ein dunkles Haus sind dicht. Außerdem können wir Radcliffe den verlorenen, verängstigten Welpen problemlos glauben. Angenehm altmodisch, vom Schleier bis zu den Stiefeletten. (03.02.2013)

The fog thickens, the water rises, dead faces peek out from behind bushes, and the sound of a rocking chair brings back goosebumps in memories, even in places we don't talk about. Daniel Radcliffe plays in a very captivating way, and in anticipation of all his critics, I had to smile from the beginning that he portrays Arthur in a way that doesn't even remind you of Harry. Although he doesn't keep the peace with train rides to places full of ghosts, don't expect the Nearly Headless Nick. As long as an unknown silhouette turns in the background, everything is pleasantly chilling, but when a face appears in the window or a mark is left on the glass, my stomach shrinks to unpleasantly small dimensions. The Woman in Black is most bound by a relatively cliché plot premise that faces a tough choice in the end. Whether to bring a happy ending, which could be considered cliché, or to intensify the organ music and face the risk of an overdone ending. The viewer must see for themselves how it turned out, but the film as a whole, thanks to truly unexpectedly impressive moments and the feeling of "if you go back into that house, I'll turn it off right away," convincingly stands its ground. (15.03.2012)

Der wiedergeborene Hammer hat in seinem Portfolio keinen noch gruseligeren Horrorfilm! Diesmal kümmere ich mich nicht um die Eintönigkeit der Gruselszenen und das leicht vorhersehbare Ende. Das hier ist Gothic in ihrer transparentesten Form! Ich muss zugeben, dass ich genau so etwas lange vermisst habe. Die Frau in Schwarz ist keine Neuverfilmung des gleichnamigen Fernsehfilms, sondern eine neue Bearbeitung, die sich im Grunde genommen weiter wagt als ihr älteres Brüderchen (das mich zeitweise sogar gelangweilt hat). Natürlich bleibt die grundlegende Prämisse gleich, aber Watkins zaubert geradezu, ohne dazu einen Zauberstab zu benötigen. Allein das altehrwürdige Anwesen inmitten der Sümpfe jagt bereits Angst ein, umso mehr, wenn man darin unruhige Geister antreibt. Die Kamera spielt mit der Vorstellungskraft des Zuschauers und zwingt ihn dazu, im dunklen Inneren des Hauses ungewöhnliche Schatten und Gestalten zu suchen. Im Grunde genommen ziemlich einfach, aber ausreichend funktionierend. (28.02.2012)

It had an oppressive atmosphere at times, the right tones, the breathless quality horror movies ought to create, but unfortunately it always sort of dissolved into the unknown, so you had no idea if you were really scared or just telling yourself you were scared. It really irritated me that dear Arthur didn't ask any questions – they send him home, strange things happen, but then he doesn't even think to ask why, what, how, when? It had a mystery to it, but to my infinite disappointment it remained unsolved. I haven't read the book, but the whole movie seemed like this, not completely thought out. Harry – er, I mean, Arthur – gave sort of a good performance, but it didn’t strike me as any kind of tour de force. Even so, I feel like he squeezed what he could out of it; after all, in my opinion he’s just not that great an actor... But back to the film itself, and its ending, which didn't work: first they swam in the mud, then got a pat on the back from a train; it seemed pretty self-serving, especially the diving in the mud – was that just so they could cram another screaming scene into the film? If the mystery had been unraveled more and if I had known whether I was actually scared or just fooling myself... I would have given it a higher rating. (25.07.2012)

I hadn't seen such an impressive and mysterious horror in a long time since Amenábar's film The Others, and I have to say that this one really pleased me. It's actually nothing groundbreaking, but it's pleasant to see someone successfully returning to the foundations of the genre. The film doesn't experiment and sticks to proven filmmaking techniques, Watkins' direction is reliable and precise even in the details. The director knows when to use a jump scare and when to let the camera capture impressive images of gloomy nature and interiors marked by human malice. I didn't have a problem with anything about the film and nothing got in the way or stood out or annoyed me. Even the ending, which may have disappointed some viewers, fits into the thinking of the late Victorian era and similarly toned literary stories. When you think about it, everyone ends up where they belong. Overall impression: 90%. (04.04.2017)

Very pleasantly surprised. The beginning is boring gibberish during which snappy lines referencing Potter spring to mind, but the atmosphere thickens, mud starts flying, dead children start appearing... the shocking moments are very, very effective. Danny acts well, the fact is that he isn’t old enough to play the father, but at least he has the balls to shake off that magician’s cape, I’m sure his erstwhile fans will certainly go to see his films in any case. And a superb ending, even if a little predictable. (01.03.2012)

Ein solider, altmodischer Horrorfilm, dessen Stimmung so dicht wie der Nebel ist, welcher in ihm einiges verhüllt und viele erschreckt. Keine ekeligen Dinge, nur Spannung. Mit den Schreckmomenten hat man es nicht übertrieben, beeindruckende Szenen gibt es haufenweise – die mit dem Herausziehen des Kinderwagens ist eindeutig die beste. Nur Daniel Radcliffe schien mir für die Hauptrolle zu jung zu sein. Wenn sein Sohn ein paar Jahre jünger gewesen wäre, hätte es natürlicher und glaubhafter gewirkt. (13.03.2016)

After a long time, finally a proper ghost story. The Woman in Black may be considered a safe bet that builds everything according to a long-established template and in the end brings nothing surprising, but as far as the content is concerned, the film cannot be faulted much. The chilling atmosphere of misty moors and a remote and dark manor keeps the viewer's attention throughout and James Watkins, even though he does only a routine job, should be praised for the precision and efficiency with which he doses all the tension. Daniel Radcliffe hasn't yet grown up for the role of a dad and the magic wand won't be taken away from him just like that, but otherwise he handles it very well, he was basically the cornerstone of the whole film, and this shows he has talent. If I were to compare it to the much-praised Orphanage, which I’ve seen recently, this British production left me with a much more wholesome and likeable impression. Good job. (22.08.2012)

Ein paarmal bin ich erschrocken, ein paarmal lief es mir buchstäblich eiskalt über den Rücken, doch nach gewissen Erwartungen muss ich leicht traurig feststellen, dass mir die literarische Vorlage besser gefallen hat. Der Film hält sich nur in der Grundlinie an die Vorlage, etwas setzte er hinzu, etwas nahm er weg. Vor allem dramatisiert er etwas überflüssigerweise das Leiden der Dorfbewohner und der Frau von C. Hinds. Das Buch hat, auch wenn es nicht besonders gruselig war, die richtige Atmosphäre des nebeligen Londons und der englischen Ländlichkeit ausgestrahlt, das Ende wurde absolut bravourös gemeistert. Also bleibt mir nur noch, den Dreikampf mit der Theatervorstellung im Theater Na Fidlovačce zu krönen. (12.04.2012)

As far as Daniel Radcliffe is concerned, I wasn't particularly surprised by the reaction of the majority of the audience. "So sad that he’ll never shake the shadow of Harry Potter, however otherwise excellent his acting is" (I'm paraphrasing). From my point of view, Daniel Radcliffe's performance is really outstanding, although he is understandably painfully young for the role of a father struggling to save his family. But as I've already written, this minor casting flaw is amply compensated for by his acting skills, and I'm very curious to see what future roles "Harry" ;-) will appear in. I had the opportunity to see it in the cinema, so the "audio" scares (the vast majority of the scary scenes here are based on sound work) were not bad, but when watching it in a quiet and warm home, their intensity is almost nil (verified:)) The script may not be all that original, but Eden Lake director James Watkins is adept at his craft and visually his The Woman in Black is a very accomplished affair. The intro is especially wonderful. (09.04.2012)