The Woman in Black 2000 Horror Movie Review

...for ghost stories on video is this 1989 film made for British TV which was released on VHS in 1997 and on DVD in 2000. I am writing a review of the VHS edition because it is more readily available, less expensive, and the DVD’s picture quality is exactly the same. I just recently watched it again and enjoyed it even more.


There are only a handful of quality ghost stories on video such as THE CHANGELING, THE OTHERS, and THE UNINVITED (1944 version). They are not for everyone and never have been. I find it amusing to read reviews that criticize this film and others like it for not being scary. It all depends on what you’re looking for. If you want blood and guts then go elsewhere and please, read the description of something before you watch it.


The story is taken from a novel of the same name by Susan Hill. It concerns a young lawyer who becomes haunted by a vengeful spirit while trying to close out an estate. The house used in the film plus the marsh setting are as much characters as are any of the principal humans. The acting, photography, and the screenplay by Nigel Kneale (creator of QUATERMASS) are all first rate. Only the music which occasionally borrows from PSYCHO is less than stellar.


As I said at the beginning, THE WOMAN IN BLACK is one of my litmus tests. Not only for ghost stories on video, but also as a somewhat arbitrary judge of character. Not liking this movie or being affected by it doesn’t make you a bad person in any way but if you do like it then it means that you and I are of a similar mind and that we would get along famously.