Radcliffe Isn’t in Hogwarts Anymore

Daniel Radcliffe plays a single parent who settles in for several nights of terror in The Woman in Black.

It’s hard for me to see Radcliffe as anyone other than Harry Potter, but he is committed to the character and he does a good job in his first post-Potter role. It is pretty scary.

Radcliffe is Victorian solicitor Arthur Kipps, a widower whose wife died during the birth of their son four years earlier. Despite warnings from the terrified locals, he takes up residence in a creepy old house to handle the affairs of the dead owner. When night falls, the supernatural world comes out, complete with wind-up toys, total darkness and spooky images of a ghost.

Radcliffe is suited for this kind of film. After eight Harry Potter films, he’s an expert in the art of looking frightened, and this is one scary house.

The Woman in Black is a creepy movie, leaving you wondering what is just beyond the camera frame. The pale makeup and creepy, old-fashioned clothing add to the suspense and the horror.

The only problem I had was Radcliffe. When he is not looking frightened, he seems too puppyish to be a parent.

So the flick-o-meter gives The Woman in Black three out of five. 

For dinner, head to You need American food for scary movies. Anything international like Chinese, Mexican, Thai, will make you drink more and pose a threat for suspenseful moments.

In Canton, the movie runs at 1:40‎, ‎4, ‎7, and ‎9:30 p.m‎.