Daniel Radcliffe (Mr Kipps) a family man, goes to the village to do some paper work for the woman who passed away. People try to help him by telling him to go home and not to go to the house, but he refuse to listen. As he simply did not know what was going on within the village. Until one moment where he stayed within that empty isolated house, during the night. A serious of event happen, following on with a chain of event. One by one, a child dies, it created mystery for Mr kipps as it leaves suspicions to the woman who once lived in that house. At first Mr Kipps did not think much about it until the fact that he saw the woman in black in a house fire, making a little girl kill herself. When Mr Kipps was told about the story of the woman who lived in that house he was in, it shocked him and made him remember that his little boy was going to the village to visit him the next day. From the serious of event happening to children's death, it put Mr Kipps child at high risk. Since during his time back in the house Mr Kipps saw the woman in black face to face. It makes him a target and a great danger to people all around him. To prevent his child from dying he had to help the woman in black to reunite with her child, as the child body was never found. Though a cross was put where the child died, so it gave out a clue on where child is.
With help of the person who took him in, Mr Kipps recovered the child body and put it within the house. Putting the child in the kids room and playing all the toys, to attract the woman. To come and see her child once again and reunite, hoping they would rest in peace and leave the villagers alone.
Mr Kipps succeeded, so when he came to pick up his child from the train station....he thought it all ended. Until... the woman in black appeared once again when he reunited with his little boy. His little boy went on the train tracks, Mr Kipps runs for his son. The train goes by, the audience does not know Mr Kipps dies as the train went pass, the previous dead children appeared. From the fact that his nanny and his friend was shocked and in tears it is obvious to say that Mr Kipps and his little boy died. However the bright side is that he and his son is with his wife once again, a complete family at the end.
This film is quite good in its own way, however it is not scary like people say. It simply just have few jumpy moments but they were kinda of expected. Such as when Mr Kipps put his hand by the hand print on the window.... it was obvious that something "scary" may happen. Though I personally believe that the director James Watkins, did a very good job in building up the suspense to make the audience fear and jump. As that scene certainly made everyone jump, as it also had a scream that was piercing. Since within the build up, James Watkins has caught the audience full attention and deep within focus as they wonder what will happen next. It makes them unaware of what is going around them in reality, such if someone is stealing their stuff, they would not be paying much attention to it, as they are too into the film. Which made the scream more effected as it was unexpected, so it made the audience wide awake and surprised.
James Watkins played with the audience mind as he kept the audience wondering on how the next victim is going to die or who. Along why the woman is doing it.
Good use of theatre of the mind. As it keep the audience guessing during the whole film, since it gave out quite few clues. For example the woman child. Mr Kipps looks through the window and saw the child coming out from the mud and walking towards the house. Then later on the bed was starting to fill up with mud and the child appeared. These two example gave out the clue that, that child is the woman child. Along how it died and where the child body is.
However within the film you could say the children's was the Muguffin, as the whole film was based on them and if they would live or not. However the rocking chair back in the house also played a heavy part within the film. As it was in the child room, it was where the woman killed herself and the chair rocked when the woman appeared. The way the chair rocked was important, such as how fast it was rocking and how loud. As it builded up the suspense, such as when Mr Kipps was in the house at first. He heard a noise coming from the child room (He did not know it was the child room at first), the room was locked and he had no key to open it. Until one night the chair rocking sound got dramatically loud and fast, it made Mr Kipps anxiety. Since he did not know what was in that room and he needed to find out, but when he went back downstairs to get a hammer to break the door, the room was unlocked and open. Which at that moment the rocking chair was rocking slowly and quiet. It created a mystery for the audience, but personally to me...i can not look at rocking chair the same way anymore...
Though the ending of the film disappointed me. Mr Kipps and his child died because of the woman in black. But by killing him was she repaying him? To reunite with his wife again? Or simply just killed him? Since before this scene it was a close up shot of the letters she written saying she would never forgive and at that moment the voice over said eleventh child, repeatedly. Even though at the end the audience see the woman n black, with her face perfectly fine now, the audience would of expected her to scream but she did not.
So in my eyes it leaves the audience guessing and the story abit pointless, along that shot abit pointless.
Along this film is abit overrated on how scary it is or how non scary it is, and the debate about how it should or not not be a 12A. At the end, we're all entitle to our own opinion so it does not matter what other says, as long as you enjoy the film.
Overall im not saying anymore about this film as it would simply give out EVERY THING and ruin the film for you even more. Sooo....go watch it! Its worth it! Alongg...ENJOY!
Here the IMDB link, if you want to see who the actors and actress are,or to find out other information about it-
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1596365/
