• Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1
  
• Video Codec: AVC/MPEG-4
• Resolution: 1080p/24 (23.976Hz)
• Audio Codec: English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 (48kHz/16-bit)
  
• Subtitles: English, Spanish
  
• Subtitles Color: White
  
• Region: A (Region-Locked)
• Rating: PG-13
  
• Run Time: 95 Mins.
• Discs: 1 (1 x Blu-ray + UltraViolet Digital Copy)
• Studio: Sony Pictures Home Entertainment
  
• Blu-ray Release Date: May 22, 2012
• List Price: $35.99

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Overall
[Rating:3.5/5]
The Film
[Rating:3.5/5]
Video Quality
[Rating:4/5]
Audio Quality
[Rating:4/5]
Supplemental Materials
[Rating:2.5/5]

Click thumbnails for high-resolution 1920X1080p screen captures

(Screen captures are lightly compressed with lossy JPEG  thus are meant as a general representation of the content and do not fully reveal the capabilities of the Blu-ray format)

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The Film

[Rating:3.5/5]

In the 1960s and 70s, the UK’s Hammer Films, as any horror film fan will attest to, was known from their gothic horror films like Dracula: Prince of Darkness starring the likes of Christopher Lee, cloaked and dressed in black. Alas, the studio ceased operations, but over the years rumours of them coming back into business with projects floated around. Well, Hammer is officially back, and this gothic horror offering, The Woman in Black, fits nicely into their previous canon of films. Starring Daniel Radcliffe, fresh from his years as Harry Potter, in the leading role, it seems a classic bit of haunted house lore.

The widower and young barrister Arthur Kipps (Radcliffe) has left London on a journey to a rural village in the English countryside to see to the sale of a house for his law firm. Upon arrival he meets with wary townsfolk, strange deaths of children, and a malevolent spirit that begins haunting him. Obsessed with the stories of the local villagers and the mysteries of the town, and still scarred by the death of his own wife, Mr. Kipps can’t keep from investigating the mystery further, if only to uncover clues to unlock the spirit world where perhaps he can reach his own wife.

The Woman in Black starts off rather slowly early on, taking a bit too long to get down to the business at hand – the scares. When it reaches its stride, however, it is classic horror in the haunted house domain, like 1961’s The Innocents or its more recent imitation The Others. Despite an overuse of jump scares, the atmospheric tension of The Woman in Black is just about flawless, strung like piano wire. The cinematography is spot-on as well, draped in shadow and candlelight, silvery moonlit rooms and dappled furniture, it evokes the gloomy, gothic aura you expect in a film of this sort.

Being that this is Radcliffe’s official post-Potter film debut, it’s not too bad at all. Getting his feet wet in something like this that, frankly, doesn’t play him too far off from type – this does still hover around the supernatural and paranormal after all – while allowing him to expand into the role of an adult and father is brilliant management. He may never be able to shake off the typecasting, unfortunately, but he has done well in this role nonetheless proving he is more that just the boy wizard.

Video Quality

[Rating:4/5]

The Super 35mm (Kodak Vision3 250D 5207, Vision3 200T 5213, Vision3 500T 5219) source of The Woman in Black is put forth quite nicely in this AVC/MPEG-4 1080p transfer from Sony. There are deep blacks with a strong sense of detail in the shadowy imagery. Textured grain layers the image, but is unobtrusive, even in the darkest areas. Although the film’s desaturated palette doesn’t lend itself to any real flare, the overall color reproduction is still strong, with a sense of vividness imparted to the blue and green hues in particular. Contrast seems good especially with the solid reproduction of darks and even, consistent brights on the other end.

Audio Quality

[Rating:4/5]

A cool and calculated DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 (48kHz/16-bit) mix is offered up for The Woman in Black. It is neither overly aggressive nor too subdued. It seems to hit the sweet spot for a film such as this with a subtle sense of atmosphere appropriate to the surroundings and deep lows that thump accordingly with every jump scare. Dialogue is clean and there is an overall sense of warmth to the sounds.

Supplemental Materials

[Rating:2.5/5]

All supplements are provided in HD, but they are slim pickin’s to be sure.

The supplements:

• Commentary with director James Watkins and screenwriter Jane Goldman
• Inside the Perfect Thriller: Making The Woman in Black
• No Fear: Daniel Radcliffe as Arthur Kipps.
• UltraViolet Digital Copy

The Definitive Word

Overall:

[Rating:3.5/5]

While hardly free from flaws, The Woman in Black is a satisfying horror film in the end that marks a solid effort from Hammer Films and strong post-Harry Potter debut for Daniel Radcliffe. Fans of haunted house films should find lots to like here, so go out, pick this one up, and don’t watch it alone in the dark – or do, for real chills.

Additional Screen Captures

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Overall
[Rating:3.5/5]
The Film
[Rating:3.5/5]
Video Quality
[Rating:4/5]
Audio Quality
[Rating:4/5]
Supplemental Materials
[Rating:2.5/5]

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