It was the first film for Daniel Radcliffe after the end of the eight-part “Harry Potter” saga: “The Woman in Black”. You can now find this effective shocker in the streaming subscription of Amazon Prime Video.
Young franchise stars who have been chained to their screen roles for years often try with all their might to break away from their previous cinematic identity after the end of the series that brought them fame and fortune. The best example of this is Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart, who sought out the most niche indie productions possible after the end of the “Twilight” saga.
Daniel Radcliffe also tried to take a similar path – although he allowed himself to be even closer to mainstream cinema – and sometimes even flirted with his image as an ex-sorcerer’s apprentice (best example: “Now You See Me 2”). Nevertheless, after the end of the “Harry Potter” series, Radcliffe turned to genre cinema and delivered “The Woman in Black”, a small, effective horror film that serves the wonderful horror genre of haunted house cinema.
Even if the result is not perfect and the film relies too heavily on jump scares, the horror film has the potential for a scary and entertaining evening of television. If you would like to catch up on the film, you can now find “The Woman in Black” with an Amazon Prime Video subscription:
“The Woman in Black” on Amazon Prime Video*
And that’s what “The Woman in Black” is about
England, early 20th century: After his wife dies, Arthur Kipps (Daniel Radcliffe) has to face the challenges of parenthood alone. Not easy, especially when you’re trying to balance your job with your new fatherly duties. His boss (Roger Allam) also notices that Arthur is barely meeting his obligations as a lawyer – but he gives his employee one last chance. In a remote corner of the British countryside, Arthur is supposed to settle the estate of a deceased widow.
How difficult can that be? But when he arrives, he realizes that this is not going to be a routine job. The villagers claim to have seen a ghost in the deceased’s property – a woman dressed in black. Worse still: every time someone sees the sinister figure, a child in the village takes their own life in a cruel way. But Arthur doesn’t want to believe the gossip and wants to form his own opinion about what happened…
Spooky atmosphere in rainy England
“The Woman in Black” may not be the most subtle horror film, but the atmosphere of the haunted house shocker is still a lot of fun. In the best tradition of the classic films from the Hammer film studio, England is shown as a gloomy, rainy and foggy piece of earth in which any optimism is forbidden from the outset. It is a room full of myths and legends, in which dead ladies undoubtedly haunt dark walls. FILMSTARTS editor-in-chief Christoph Petersen was also convinced by “The Woman in Black” at the time – and awarded the film 3.5 out of 5 possible stars in his review. In his conclusion he says:
“With ‘The Woman in Black’, director James Watkins resurrects the spirit of Hammer Studios for a new generation of cinema – even if he doesn’t come close to the great classics of the legendary horror studio.”
If you are looking for more spooky streaming tips, you will find them here:
Horror milestone now available uncut on Netflix – even though it was banned for a long time
*The link to the Amazon offer is a so-called affiliate link. If you make a purchase via this link, we receive a commission.
