First televised by the BBC in December 1989 and based on the Susan Hill novel of the same name, The Woman in Black is a stunning example of terror firmly founded on solid performances, carefully-constructed atmosphere and chilling imagery.
Solicitor Arthur Kidd (Adrian Rawlins) leaves his hometown of London for the coastal town of Crythin Gifford to attend the funeral of a widow Drablow and settle up her estate, one of his firm's longstanding clients.
Arriving at Crythin, Kidd meets with a steely silence by the townspeople who are unwilling to discuss anything of the enigmatic Mrs. Drablow. But at her nearly-unattended services, Arthur sees a woman dressed entirely in black (Pauline Moran)...a solitary figure at the back of the chapel.
Managing finally to reach the secluded and misty mansion of his deceased client (accessible only by carriage and at low tide), Arthur spies the black visage again, this time in the cemetery yard adjoining the house.
Kidd carries on with his inventory of estate items. Later, as he waits on the road to for the carriage that will take him back to town, he suddenly finds himself caught in a heavy, palpable fog...without warning, unearthly wails erupt through the mists, sounds of someone in torment, someone in deadly pain. Miraculously making his way back to the Drablow house, Arthur is surprised to see the carriage arrive for him.
Back in town, the shaken but dutiful Kidd realizes he must return to the estate and complete his job. A recorder left on the premises and audio tapes of confessional snippets from Drablow lead Kidd on a journey of unlocking secrets, doors...and resurrecting ghosts.
Rawlins' exemplary performance as solicitor Kidd is the chief backbone of the strength behind The Woman in Black.
Together, with an atmosphere intentionally slow-moving and revealing itself methodically piece by piece, The Woman in Black is a ghost story of calculation as well as of spirit...several mini-climaxes lead to the real finale, for example.
The climax alone of The Woman in Black would assure its standing as a firstrate bone chiller. An utterly brave choice of depressing 'justice' (for Kidd) and one which hearkens back to the best of the downbeat drama-thrillers of the 1970s, the maw of The Woman in Black closes with a dank shudder in a perfect finalization of its entire running time.
Effective ghost stories are a fragile birth. What induces fear? The Woman in Black successfully distills the question to its absolute lowest common denominator. Eschewing multi-layered plots, meandering narratives or violent gore, Black concentrates full steam on the characterization of Kidd, the atmosphere of the misty Crythin and the insurmountable Drablow secret which pervades it all.
