In his first big screen, post-“Harry Potter” role, Daniel Radcliffe trades wizard robes for Victorian coattails in director James Watkins’ “The Woman in Black.” Adapted from Susan Hill’s gothic novel of the same name, the lackluster thriller thrives on cheap scares, but never quite manages to tap into the pathos of the story about a family’s dark secret.
Arthur Kipps (Radcliffe) is a young, widowed lawyer forced to leave his son behind in London on a weekend visit to the countryside in order to settle the estate of a recently deceased client. Plagued by memories of his wife, who died during childbirth, Arthur’s inner demons are no match for what he soon discovers in the dreary town of Crythin Gifford, where the reticent locals make no effort to conceal their displeasure at his arrival.
At the aptly named Eel Marsh House, a secluded estate accessible only during low tide, Arthur begins sifting through the late Drabslow family’s personal effects. He gradually pieces together their tragic story, beginning with the untimely death of little Nathaniel Drabslow, who drowned in the marsh surrounding the house and was never found. Predictably, strange things begin to appear around the abandoned house, yet they are not enough to deter Arthur from doing his job.
With the help of Sam (Ciarán Hinds), the only person in town who doesn’t seem to mind his presence, Arthur gets closer to solving the mystery connecting both the Drabslow family’s fate and the mysterious deaths that plague the town’s children. The only question is whether he can remedy the situation in time to save his own son.
While Radcliffe is arguably a much better actor when not portraying a boy wizard carrying the weight of the magical world on his shoulders, even with a suit and five o’clock shadow he does not quite make a plausible father. But fortunately, scenes with Arthur and his son are sparse, and instead Radcliffe grapples for most of the film with balancing the pesky combination of terror and compassion that the genre demands.
On that note, “The Woman in Black” is filled with well-timed little scares sure to keep audiences on the edge of their seats, but in general relies too much on gimmicky shots (the cinematographer seems to have a penchant for close-ups of creepy dolls) to make much of a lasting impression. Watkins is clearly adept at building suspense, but the overall effect is often sabotaged by silly-seeming dissonant elements, such as a grieving mother who spoon-feeds her two small dogs at the table in lieu of babies. At other times, the mood is disrupted by unintentionally humorous moments.
Most viewers probably won’t see the shocking conclusion coming, but unfortunately, by that point it’s moot. The identity of the titular woman in black is the story’s trump card, and once it’s out on the table, little else is offered to keep the viewer engaged.