Mike Flanagan is Right: This 1989 Made-for-TV Movie is Terrifying
Remember when Harry Potter (Daniel Radcliffe) shed his child-star origins and incredulously starred as Arthur Kipp in James Watkins’ The Woman in Black? Radcliffe was just 22 at the time The Woman in Black was filmed. Beyond the odd bit of casting, Watkins’ feature was as timeless and terrifying as Susan Hill’s 1983 novel of the same name. So terrifying, in fact, that a sequel was greenlit and released several years later. While I’m alone in thinking as much, I do think The Woman in Black: Angel of Death is even scarier than the first.
The damned Woman in Black is a pretty classic horror image. It’s the default ghost, an iconic piece of horror iconography despite being a relatively new arrival on the genre scene. And an enduring specter, too, since Hill’s ghost has featured regularly in film, television, and even on stage. The first adaptation was Herbert Wise’s 1989 made-for-television movie, which interestingly enough, is a favorite of horror filmmaker Mike Flanagan. Now you can catch the film streaming online.
Per Prime Video: When a friendless old widow dies in the seaside town of Crythin, a young solicitor is sent by his firm to settle the estate. The lawyer finds the townspeople reluctant to talk about or go near the woman’s dreary home and no one will explain or even acknowledge the menacing woman in black he keeps seeing.
The Woman in Black is available for rent on Prime Video and available to watch for free on YouTube. While it’s not quite as propulsive as Watkins’ adaptation, the traditional haunts are more in line with Hill’s source material. It’s quietly chilling, distinctly British, and absolutely worth seeking out. It’s an underrated gem among the mountain of made-for-television horror movies.
In a Letterboxd review of the film, Mike Flanagan of The Haunting of Hill House and Doctor Sleep fame shared, “Gave me literal chills, and more than once. A wonderful adaptation of this excellent ghost story. Don’t let the ‘made for television’ vibe put you off, or you’ll miss out on a truly frightening and very well-made tale of terror.”
I couldn’t have said it better myself. It’s traditional in the best sense, and if you want to be classically scared, The Woman in Black is for you.
Any plans to check the film out? Just make sure to keep the lights on, and definitely let me know what you think over on Twitter @Chadiscollins.
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