The Woman In Black

My father is not the type of guy who is easily scared. So you can imagine my excitement when he told me about a movie he had watched late at night one Christmas that sent chills down his spine. It became my mission to seek out this film and to watch it for myself to see if I could handle its spine-tingling terror.

I was already familiar with the movie as a regular visitor to my local VHS rental store (where I was affectionately known by my video membership number 131). I had seen the VHS box sit proudly in the horror section, but because the film was only given a 15 certificate (suitable for persons fifteen and over) it wasn’t of major interest to this young man who was looking for movies slightly more…extreme? Something about the artwork on the VHS box, though, was enough to hold my curiosity. So when I found out this was the same title that had so terrified my father, I decided it was time to give it a go.

As an anticlimax to this story, a friend and I rented the film watched it, kind of enjoyed it but ending up mocking a key sequence, which we clearly did because of our uneasiness. In retrospect, maybe my first viewing of this story would have been more effective had I watched it all alone as my father had on that cold Christmas evening years before.

In 1983 British Author Susan Hill released her small ghost story The Woman In Black to the world. The tale of a young London lawyer Arthur Kipps who is sent to a small town in the British countryside to handle the affairs of a deceased, eccentric old woman named Mrs. Drablow, has all the elements that you would expect from your average gothic ghost story. Hill, though weaves a tale so brilliantly gripping that at times a reader will feel completely engulfed in the foreboding terror that comes with each page. It’s little wonder then that so many different interpretations of it exist. To this day, The Woman in Black can put the fear into even the bravest of the brave.

In 1987 a theatrical adaptation of the story played as a low budget Christmas show before it eventually moved to the West End, where it remains to this day as the fourth longest-running show to play in London. An ingenious low budget staging with just three actors, it may be my favorite version of the story with the book coming a close second. I have seen the show five times now, and it never fails to entertain. A small bar in NYC recently hosted a successful limited run, and the show continues to find new audiences.

In 1989, the now infamous TV version that so apparently traumatized my father and introduced the story to me. Directed by Herbert Wise (who also directed the fun, Tales of The Unexpected episode The Landlady based on a short story by Rolad Dahl).

The original film version of The Woman In Black is pretty decent for a low budget TV Movie. It has good performances and manages to capture the gloomy spirit of the story. One key sequence will never fail to give even the most steadfast amongst us a good old-fashioned jump out of your skin fright. This version is actually available on YouTube to view for free in parts; it is worth a watch if you enjoy a good ghost yarn.

The Woman in Black has benefitted from continuous exposure with radio retellings as well as a big-budget movie from Hammer studios starring Daniel Radcliffe, which even earned itself a sequel, Angel of Death that Susan Hill helped to write.

What is it about The Woman In Black that still manages to capture audiences? Well, perhaps you should have a look for yourself. There are plenty of choices to start your journey to Eel Marsh House. So turn off the lights and any distractions. Make yourself an appointment on a horse-drawn carriage out onto the marshes.