The Woman in Black (1989)

 Day 1 of Sobriety.

This TV movie had been on my radar for a long time. Largely because I am a bit of a fan of Nigel Kneale, who wrote the screenplay (adapted from a novel by Susan Hill).  Kneale is probably best know to horror fans as the man who created Prof. Bernard Quatermass, for writing the screenplays for several excellent Hammer films, and also for writing the screenplay for Halloween III. Those who have taken a deeper dive may also be familiar with his very strange short-lived "animal-horror"-themed TV series Beasts and his witchy folk horror TV Play for Today Murrain.

I was prompted to shell out for the blu-ray of The Woman in Black after hearing it discussed on the excellent Discover the Horror podcast. The film was originally broadcast on British TV on Christmas Eve 1989, and, as one of the Discover the Horror

presenters rightly pointed out, it can, to a large extent, be positioned as part of a UK tradition of showing ghost stories on TV around Christmas. That tradition began at least as early as 1971, with the launch of the BBC’s A Ghost Story for Christmas series, many of which were adaptations of M.R. James stories.

The Woman in Black, though, is a bit of an oddity, however, as it was not part of that series, and it was broadcast on the independent ITV channels (not the BBC) during a long hiatus in the Ghost Story for Christmas broadcasts (they were broadcast annually from 1971-1978, and not revived again until 2005).

I have, of course, seen the 2012 Hammer adaptation of the same story, starring Daniel Radcliffe (Harry Potter). I don’t have a particularly clear memory of it (I was doubtless drinking as I watched it), but I remember thinking it was not too bad, but not close to classic Hammer quality. I remember having a far lower opinion of its sequel, The Woman in Black: Angel of Death (2014).

Although filmed over a decade after the end of the original run of A Ghost Story for Christmas, 1989’s A Woman in Black stylistically reminded me a lot of the films in that series. It looks very much like a TV play of its time, or possibly even earlier. It has the somewhat stiff “literary” quality that is characteristic of much British TV drama of the 70s and 80s. Very talky—almost like a radio drama that happens to be accompanied by images. I don’t even think there was even any incidental music at all for the entire first half hour of the film! But I am not intending to be negative when I say point out those aspects—they serve to give those films and programs a very distinctive feel and atmosphere, which I personally greatly appreciate.

The Woman in Black is clearly not a theatrically released movie, but many aspects of the production are excellent. Lots of nice period sets and vehicles. The foggy gothic atmosphere of the small insular coastal town setting is very successfully conveyed. The story is slow to develop, preferring a feeling of gradually creeping dread rather that jolting shocks, but I must say. When the jolt came it certainly jolted me! I’ll say no more to avoid spoilers, but I’d advise having a clean set of underwear to hand.

As I soberly watched I was slightly envious to see the protagonist, Arthur Kidd, knock back a hefty glass of whisky to steel himself against the creepy goings on, but I was glad to have watched this sober, as its complex and subtle script certainly required my full attention.