Very atmospheric. What I love about the Woman in Black (the book and this film) is that a lot of the scary parts happen during the daylight, which is so under utilised in horror

Very atmospheric. What I love about the Woman in Black (the book and this film) is that a lot of the scary parts happen during the daylight, which is so under utilised in horror

A more faithful adaptation that’s does still change things around that’s perfect for a Christmas ghost story marathon it’s a slow burn just like the book and has some deeply chilling moments that will satisfy your need for a good scare.

A more faithful adaptation that’s does still change things around that’s perfect for a Christmas ghost story marathon it’s a slow burn just like the book and has some deeply chilling moments that will satisfy your need for a good scare.

adrian rawlins smashed this role and the woman in black was genuinely terrifying

adrian rawlins smashed this role and the woman in black was genuinely terrifying

There’s something to be said about the quality of the source material when two slightly shoddy films still have the power to unnerve. In this, you notice it when Toovey arrives at the house and you realise how the tension dissipates. You breathe a sigh of relief. The same goes for the remake. This is better though, even if it lulls and sags in the middle.

There’s something to be said about the quality of the source material when two slightly shoddy films still have the power to unnerve. In this, you notice it when Toovey arrives at the house and you realise how the tension dissipates. You breathe a sigh of relief. The same goes for the remake. This is better though, even if it lulls and sags in the middle.

2024 Movie Gauntlet - 56: Watch a film that was later remade

Extreme Made-For-British-Television vibes radiating out of this, for better (effortlessly gorgeous locations) and for worse (it was terribly boring). 

To its credit, this film constructed a wonderfully creepy atmosphere, and some of the effects were quite clever for the time, but the pace was simply too slow to keep me invested. If nothing else, watching this early attempt at adapting The Woman In Black gave me an even deeper appreciation for the 2012 remake starring Daniel Radcliffe. That later version took all of the most promising elements from this one and dialed them up several measures higher with great success. 

A fun fact I realized while watching: Adrian Rawlins, who played Arthur Kidd in this 1989 version of The Woman In Black, later played James Potter in the Harry Potter films. The role of his son Harry, of course, was played by Daniel Radcliffe. Eat your heart out, Kevin Bacon.

2024 Movie Gauntlet - 56: Watch a film that was later remade

Extreme Made-For-British-Television vibes radiating out of this, for better (effortlessly gorgeous locations) and for worse (it was terribly boring). 

To its credit, this film constructed a wonderfully creepy atmosphere, and some of the effects were quite clever for the time, but the pace was simply too slow to keep me invested. If nothing else, watching this early attempt at adapting The Woman In Black gave me an even deeper appreciation for the 2012 remake starring Daniel Radcliffe. That later version took all of the most promising elements from this one and dialed them up several measures higher with great success. 

A fun fact I realized while watching: Adrian Rawlins, who played Arthur Kidd in this 1989 version of The Woman In Black, later played James Potter in the Harry Potter films. The role of his son Harry, of course, was played by Daniel Radcliffe. Eat your heart out, Kevin Bacon.