The Woman in Black

In his first major post-Harry Potter film role, Daniel Radcliffe stars as Arthur Kipps, a cash-strapped, guilt-ridden widower who leaves his son Joseph (Misha Handley) with a nanny in London after he is dispatched as an estate solicitor to a remote seaside village to sort out the papers of recently deceased Alice Drabkow. Elderly recluse Alice lived in a decrepit Victorian mansion that—as Arthur soon discovers—is haunted by a solitary, revenge-seeking ghost (Liz White). Shunned by most of the terrified townsfolk, who are fearful that the wicked spirit will wreak vengeance on their children, Arthur is befriended by skeptical Sam Daily (Ciarán Hinds) and his grief-riddled wife (Janet McTeer). Adapted from Susan Hill's 1983 novella (which became a long-running West End play and a British TV movie), filmmaker James Watkins's The Woman in Black was shot near Osea Island in Northern England—a superbly creepy locale, often obscured by sea mists. But Radcliffe hardly looks old enough to be a miserable, bereaved husband whose wife died in childbirth years ago, and it's admittedly difficult to separate the diminutive, blue-eyed actor from his famous Potter image. Still, this should be considered a strong optional purchase. [Note: DVD/Blu-ray extras include audio commentary by director James Watkins and screenwriter Jane Goldman, a “making-of” featurette (10 min.), a “No Fear” segment on star Daniel Radcliffe's character (4 min.), and trailers. Exclusive to the Blu-ray release is an UltraViolet copy of the film. Bottom line: a decent extras package for an uneven film that is still likely to draw interest because of Radcliffe.] (S. Granger)