The Woman in Black (2012 film)

The Woman in Black
A young, dark haired man in Edwardian clothing stands in a misty graveyard, with a cloaked figure behind him. Above them is the title "The Woman in Black".
Theatrical release poster
Directed byJames Watkins
Screenplay byJane Goldman
Based onThe Woman in Black
by Susan Hill
Produced by
Starring
CinematographyTim Maurice-Jones
Edited byJon Harris
Music byMarco Beltrami
Production
companies
Distributed by
Release dates
  • 24 January 2012 (2012-01-24) (Royal Festival Hall)
  • 3 February 2012 (2012-02-03) (North America)
  • 10 February 2012 (2012-02-10) (United Kingdom)
  • 27 April 2012 (2012-04-27) (Sweden)
Running time
95 minutes[2]
Countries
  • United Kingdom
  • United States[3]
  • Sweden[1]
  • Canada[3]
LanguageEnglish
Budget$15-17 million[4][5]
Box office$129 million[6]

The Woman in Black is a 2012 gothic supernatural horror film directed by James Watkins from a screenplay by Jane Goldman. It is the second adaptation of Susan Hill's 1983 novel of the same name, which was previously filmed in 1989. The film stars Daniel Radcliffe, Ciarán Hinds, Janet McTeer, Sophie Stuckey, and Liz White. The plot, set in early 20th-century England, follows a young recently widowed lawyer who travels to a remote village where he discovers that the vengeful ghost of a scorned woman is terrorising the locals.

The film was produced by Hammer Film Productions, Alliance Films, Cross Creek Pictures and the UK Film Council. A film adaptation of Hill's novel was announced in 2009, with Goldman and Watkins attached to the project. During July 2010, Radcliffe was cast in the lead role of Arthur Kipps. The film was meant to be shot in 3D before those plans were scrapped. Principal photography took place from September to December 2010 across England. Post-production lasted until June 2011. It attracted controversy after receiving a 12A certificate from the British Board of Film Classification, despite several cuts being made.

The Woman in Black premiered at the Royal Festival Hall in London before being theatrically released in North America on 3 February 2012 by CBS Films and Alliance Films and in the United Kingdom on 10 February 2012 by Momentum Pictures.[7] The film received generally positive reviews with critics praising Radcliffe's performance, cinematography, direction, atmosphere and homages to Hammer's gothic horror films, calling it a "solid ghost story".[8] It was also commercially successful, grossing $130 million worldwide.

A sequel, The Woman in Black: Angel of Death, was released on 2 January 2015, without the involvement of Radcliffe, Watkins or Goldman.

  1. ^ a b c d Felperin, Leslie (25 January 2012). "The Woman in Black". Variety. Retrieved 26 March 2018.
  2. ^ "The Woman in Black (12A)". British Board of Film Classification. Retrieved 20 January 2012.
  3. ^ a b "The Woman in Black (2011)". BFI. Archived from the original on 4 August 2012. Retrieved 18 June 2018.
  4. ^ Dawtrey, Adam (2 March 2012). "Hammer nails coin from next gen". Variety. Retrieved 26 March 2018. The $15 million pic
  5. ^ "Video: Daniel Radcliffe sheds Harry Potter image at The Woman In Black premiere". The Daily Telegraph. 25 January 2012. Archived from the original on 25 January 2012. Retrieved 26 March 2022. cost an estimated $17 million to make.
  6. ^ Cite error: The named reference BOM was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  7. ^ The Deadline Team (28 July 2011). "Release Date Moves: Searchlight's 'The Descendants', CBS Films' 'The Woman In Black'". Deadline.
  8. ^ Ryan, Tim. "Critics Consensus: The Woman in Black is a Solid Ghost Story". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 18 June 2018.