There's been a lot of coverage in the media this week about the film The Woman in Black, starring Daniel Radcliffe and Ciarán Hinds.
So far anticipation of the film has been spilt equally between positive and negative, with many applauding the arrival of the first traditional ghost story in many years, and others wondering whether the age of such a film is already long past.
Before Christmas I wrote about whether it's possible for the traditional ghost story to really work in our modern times. We have never been more sceptical in our belief in the supernatural, and let's face it, I'm possibly the only person who is easily scared by a spooky dead woman in a film in this day and age. It takes increasing amounts of 3D, gore and special effects to raise the goosebumps of the average cinema-goer, and books don't even have that advantage.
And I have to say, I sincerely hope that Daniel Radcliffe is up to the job. His stiff acting skills left me utterly cold in the Harry Potter films, to the extent that I gave up in disgust after the first four. He does have plenty of experience in lurking around dark sets looking scared, but it's the protagonist's job to spread the infectious fear of the unknown to his audience - he could make or break the film.
Perhaps I'm only dubious because I've also noticed that few people have made any reference to the original form of this story - a novella by the talented Susan Hill. The Woman in Black is one of my favourite ghost stories, and for me, answers the question posed above; it did succeed in giving me the collywobbles every bit as much as other ghostly tales over a century older. This story stays with the reader long after finishing - whenever I pass a derelict and dilapidated old house it's images of her ghost I shudder to recall. Susan Hill's writing is the reason you'd never get me to enter such a property!
Susan Hill has; however, had a hand in the production of the upcoming film, something I always find reassuring, with Jane Goldman having written the screenplay. So far, I'm willing to venture into my local cinema and give this film - and Radcliffe's latest attempt at being taken seriously - the chance it deserves.
But I am a wuss at heart, and one note of a haunting underscore and I'll be hiding behind my coat! The porcelain doll's scary eyes are enough to set me off.
What do you think about the film's hype so far? Have you read the book?
Don't look behind you...
Before Christmas I wrote about whether it's possible for the traditional ghost story to really work in our modern times. We have never been more sceptical in our belief in the supernatural, and let's face it, I'm possibly the only person who is easily scared by a spooky dead woman in a film in this day and age. It takes increasing amounts of 3D, gore and special effects to raise the goosebumps of the average cinema-goer, and books don't even have that advantage.
And I have to say, I sincerely hope that Daniel Radcliffe is up to the job. His stiff acting skills left me utterly cold in the Harry Potter films, to the extent that I gave up in disgust after the first four. He does have plenty of experience in lurking around dark sets looking scared, but it's the protagonist's job to spread the infectious fear of the unknown to his audience - he could make or break the film.
Perhaps I'm only dubious because I've also noticed that few people have made any reference to the original form of this story - a novella by the talented Susan Hill. The Woman in Black is one of my favourite ghost stories, and for me, answers the question posed above; it did succeed in giving me the collywobbles every bit as much as other ghostly tales over a century older. This story stays with the reader long after finishing - whenever I pass a derelict and dilapidated old house it's images of her ghost I shudder to recall. Susan Hill's writing is the reason you'd never get me to enter such a property!
Susan Hill has; however, had a hand in the production of the upcoming film, something I always find reassuring, with Jane Goldman having written the screenplay. So far, I'm willing to venture into my local cinema and give this film - and Radcliffe's latest attempt at being taken seriously - the chance it deserves.
But I am a wuss at heart, and one note of a haunting underscore and I'll be hiding behind my coat! The porcelain doll's scary eyes are enough to set me off.
What do you think about the film's hype so far? Have you read the book?
Don't look behind you...
