I saw the stage version of ‘The Woman In Black’ a couple years ago but, even if I hadn’t, I could probably still predict where this story would go.

There’s a decent sense of paranoia and dread throughout the movie (which Radcliffe conveys well), but most of the actual scares don't live up to all the build-up. A few scenes are genuinely unsettling, but the film is just riddled with jump-scares. And, though some of them are effective, it seems like they’re just using them as a crutch.

I did love the design of the house, and all the creepy old toys it was filled with. There’s one really cool scene where the main character is exploring a kid’s room while holding a candle, and the way the flame reflects off the toy’s eyes makes it look like they’re all watching him.

As a Harry Potter fan, Daniel Radcliffe as the lead was kind of distracting at first, but his actual performance was good. He’s a great actor, and I hope he has a long and successful career after Harry.

Though there won’t be any surprises even for casual horror fans, ‘The Woman In Black,’ despite my criticisms, was still a pretty fun haunted house movie.

Spill Rating: Matinee