The Tragic Horror of THE WOMAN IN BLACK
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- Опубліковано 18 жов 2024
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ABOUT THE SHOW:
This show celebrates Ryan's love for film, games, art and entertainment through personal retrospective analysis that aims to explore what made them so good.
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*I thought some of the stuff I said in my Bloodborne video would be relevant here, hence the gothic/Lovecraftian thematic similarities. If you want early access to what I'm working on in future weeks or just want to vote and have your name in the credits, head on over here: **www.patreon.com/ryanhollinger*
thank you for doing this I have been hoping you would do this every since i found your channel last year thank you for making me see horror movies in another light
I've been waiting for this movie to be covered
Not Lovecraftian in the slightest, pretty Kafkaesque though.
Love your video's. Would love you to do a review about 'The Ring'. I did freak out when then girl came out the telly on that one & I still find it creepy. Jeepers Creepers is another one I'd love you to review!
I was hoping you can do the recent film "The Little Strangers" or "The Haunting of Hill House".
Radcliff really shook off the Harry Potter role and stopped himself being typecast by choosing a lot of really great movies to be in.
I mean, after being a neo nazi, it’s fair to say he’s not innocent anymore.
He's great, but he still suffers from 'Harry Potter voice' in this one ha.
After being a farting corpse with a compass boner, Daniel Radcliffe can do anything he wants.
Ikr, super proud! Even as a big Hp fan I'm still glad he's branching out, making a name other than "Potter". He's a good actor and deserves more good roles like this one
Too bad Harrison Ford is unable to do that
Why i watch Ryan Hollinger.
1. Insightful and interesting
2. How he says "however"
Alex Volz-Price
I like how he says clown, Drown, any “own” word, with consonants before it. 😀
And he’s insightful and interesting.
"hai-ever"
Ah shit, i never noticed thay, and now i do
Moist rap
Alex Volz-Price That Northern Irish accent 🔥
The stageplay is some of the best live theatre I've EVER seen. Absolutely brilliant and so tense it's insane. The fact that there's only 2 actors on stage, 3 if you count the Woman. They even go as far as not listing the actress for the Woman in the program to keep the mystery. It's soooo good!
Jonathan Björck That ending scare is terrifying! It’s so minimalist, too, the entire play.
My school went to see it live and a few of the younger girls had to leave due to the anticipation of a scare
But there was no woman in black...
That show was the best horror theatre I've ever seen! It was also my awakening as a spooky kid. When the back of the school trip bus is full of crying popular kids and you're feeling actually pretty chill? *Chef kiss* for an awkward kid.
... why wouldn’t you count the woman as an actor on stage? You fucking sexist 😒
The way I liike to interpret the ending is that her killing him and his child wasn't an act of mercy on her part; she was still bitter and angry and trying to hurt him, hence why the "never forgive, never forget" line was reiterated
However, her act of malice backfired because he wasn't a bitter person. Radcliffe's character was a forgiver. He may not forget, but he was a forgiver and he had compassion which he showed by trying to help her. He tried to end her suffering by demonstrating a lack of bitterness in his actions, even though she deserved it for all the horrible things she had done, but he still had that compassion and in the end, her bitterness could not take that away from him. She killed him bcause she couldn't forgive, but he found happiness in the end because he COULD. Both of their families were reunited in the end, but only he found happiness in his.
You saw that even before the Woman in Black lost her child, she wasn't exactly a nice woman, and after she lost her child, she let the grief consume her with anger. Radcliffe's character too experienced great loss with his wife and mother of his child dying, and on top of that, he suffered financial difficulties, struggling to support his child as a single father. That's what brought him to the house in the first place, and he did not need to help the Woman In Black, he only needed to finish the job he came for and leave. But he risked his safety even so to do it, even in his own grief and his own struggles, he chose to help someone who was consumed by anger and trying to hurt him and others that didn't deserve it.
He did help her, but it wasn't enough to allow her to let go of her rage and move on peacefully. That bitterness and anger was what was causing her suffering and keeping her trapped in that house, terrorising that village. Radcliffe showed himself to be the complete opposite, being kind, caring of others despite his grief. So when she killed him, she failed to stop him from finding peace in the end and moving on, hence why he was reunited with his late-wife and could pass to the afterlife after death, but she could not even with her son.
I feel this becomes even more apparent when you analyse how exactly the two characters were separated from their loved ones; the Woman in Black and her son were BOTH dead. His corpse was only out of the house in the bog. She demonstrated quite clearly that she could travel from the house, and quite far in fact, going all the way up to the village. Her being unable to reunite with her son was not a product of physical difference as they were both dead. Where he died wasn't further than where she could spiritually travel, and Radcliffe bringing his corpse physically to where her spirit mostly remained wasn't enough to connect the two together.
We know this physical difference doesn't matter because when Radcliffe and his son died, they immediatelely were united with the dead mother. The mother who died likely on the other side of the country in London. Yet here she was spiritually, together with them and they moved on as a family. Even before his death, it was shown that she was still with him. They were separated physically and spiritually on different realms, yet she was still with him throughout the entire movie. The Woman in Black's son was also dead, yet she couldn't find him at all.
The Woman in Black's true tragedy was that she was keeping herself there and apart from her son with her own rage. Her child had likely already moved on, too young to internalise that kind of anger and fear to keep him trapped where he died. The biggest theme of the movie of course is loss, and it's that her loss she wants others to experience, tha'ts why she kills the children of the townsfolk, that's why she killd Radcliffe's son. She wants people to suffer and hurt the way that she does, but simply losing a loved one and dealing with grief doesn't mean that you have to develop that kind of bitterness and anger. You can move on, like with Mr Daily, the man who lost his own son to the Woman in Black, and his wife who also couldn't move on as a result of it, who needed to be sedated due to her hysterics and treated her pets like children to cope
How the different characters react to loss and cope with it is present throughout the entire film and causes almost all the conflcit. The distrusting grieving villagers, the hysterical and mentally scarred Mr's Daily and the murdering Woman in Black
It's the inabiity to deal with the grief and the culmination of that anger and bitterness which causes the tragedy you see in the movie. As Radcliffe demonstrated how little bitterness he had, and his ability to want to forgive and help even someone like the Woman in Black, he was able to move on in death and be reunited with his loved ones
Ultimately, the one thing that keeps the Woman in Black trapped there in her grief is herself.
Gonna sound weird but I studied this when I was 12 and we were made too watch the movie in class, long story short in traumatised me. Reading this actually helps a bunch almost 7 years later, thanks a bunch Alex
Well written good analysis 👏
Good read, but I feel like you repeated one point too many times
@@-beastie-2847 really?? I saw this movie when i was 12 too and it leftme traumatized. Why would any teacher do that to children
Excellent analysis, I completely agree
The movie version's ending of Woman in Black, is something that I have not been able to forget. It was one of the most bittersweet and equally heart-wrenching endings I have witnessed in a horror film. I feel it is a very good film overall.
just the look of sadness and the sparkle of tears on her face, knowing that though she got her vengeance, only to see her victims live the afterlife she yearns for, is pretty heart wrenching
I can’t remember the ending of this tbh
@@mcbrodz1663 spoiler:
His child is about to kill himself thanks to her and he tries to save his child but both of them die so they can see the wife and mother again. This is a gift from the woman in black. They can be together again and be happy.
@@csajegyember6179 gift? How is it a gift? She does what shes best at. Lure children to death
@@csajegyember6179 nah that ain't a gift.
Parents actually took their kids to see this? Sheesh, and here I though 80's PG rated films were hardcore.
Howard the duck was PG. Scariest movie ever
Aaah, the 80's, when PG actually meant something.
Lol parents is bad enough but our teachers let us watch this in high school when we were like year 7/8 ....... i was used to horror films and the internet by then... but i can see how bad it couldve been to others who weren't lol
I saw Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (fincher version) when I was 15. My dad thought it would be just a run of the mill crime procedural. It got intense.
I saw a lot of young teens leave crying halfway through the movie. It was bad.
Harry Potter and the Haunting of Overdue Bills
Harry Potter and the dead children
Featuring snape as the woman in black
Harry pothead and the stoned sorcerer.
Harry Potter and the Why the Fuck Hasn't Ryan Loved This Comment Yet Because This Is Fucking Funny
Harry Potter and the Solicitor's Fucking Dead
I recommend everyone see the play version if you can. It definitely out scares and spooks the movie, the story is much clearer and delivered shockingly well by just a pair of actors. In it the protagonist is old and unsure how to deal with his past trauma writes an autobiographical play. He arrives at the theatre for a first rehearsal early and convinces a young actor to go through it with him. So you get the story in retrospect and the lines between the what's in the play script and what's happening to the actors in stage gets blurry. It's really impressive
I went to go and see it in the West End, and was blown away. It’s fckn incredible. Simple but effective
It is brilliant
That sounds amazing!
I'll never have the money to get overseas for that though... :(
I saw it myself this past year, it was SO GOOD. It freaked out my friends, but I didn't think it was too spooky, but I still LOVED it! And this is coming from somebody who never even HEARD of it before!
Do you have a link for it?
Just found out that in the 1989 version, Arthur was played by Adrian Rawlins, the actor who played James Potter.
edit: 1k likes is crazy yall. thanks
Oh dude, coolest fun fact ever. Thanks for sharing!!
according to wikipedia, his first movie was "Mountains of the moon" in 1990.
@@dracu9833 wikipedia needs to be updated
@Sam I was just saying what I read. I don't believe it a 100% either, otherwise I would've gone full "smug egghead" here :D
*plays X-Files theme*
I forgot how much I genuinely loved this movie. Such a highly underrated film featuring Daniel Radcliffe's finest performance. Whoever directed this could make an incredible film adaptation of Silent Hill.
They could have. Instead we got a sexist french guy who thinks Men can't love their daughters enough to search for them in a nightmarescape. I hated those films so much. As a fan of the early games, i pretend they don't exist.
Funny you should say that because the part where he tries to open the locked door, heads down the stairs and returns only to find the door has been opened on its own, felt exactly like P.T. to me.
This movie will always have a special place in my heart because it was the first horror film I saw in the theatre and it was honestly the first film that made me see that horror films are more than just a bunch of scares. What a film.
Me too! It's also the movie that made me decide to never watch horror films in the theatre again haha
Words cannot describe your beauty.
*But numbers can. 4/10*
Dr Bright that’s just unnecessary and rude
@@yhyh8990 I'm an asshole.
Dr Bright not something to be proud of you child
I honestly think you're one of the best youtubers on the platform right now - great content as always!
I did find The Woman In Black to be a pretty typical Supernatural Horror with a darker turn with the children, but once the ending encapsulates that catharsis of uniting with his wife and child I felt it hit a much deeper note in the consolation of loss and the worth of life once one has lost everything. It completely changed my outlook on the film on a second watch. While I still saw a jump scare ridden gothic horror, the underlying theme of loss puts the entire movie in a different light. Great video.
Wait, I always took the ending as meaning, since he reunited her with her child, she reunited him with his family. I took it as her helping him, not her hurting him.
Yes, that is exactly what I thought too.
That is still terribly cruel.
Me too.
I suppose it's a matter of interpretation, either version works as a melancholic yet bitter sweet ending
No she didnt help him. She did what she does best. Kill childs.
It’s very much like the grudge and the ring now that I know and understand the story. Kayako and Samara were never meant to put to rest or be at peace because they both experienced such pain in life they could find no peace in death and wanted everyone to feel their suffering. And there’s no one way to break the cycle (or curse). You destroy the tape and another appears. You perform the ritual to put Kayako to rest and another is born. It’s a never ending cycle of hatred suffering and death.its a very bleak reality that even in the end there really is no happy ending to make it better.
Thank you so much for doing a video on this movie! I’ve thought this film has been very underrated for years and I’m glad someone really took the time to fully dissect and understand the story. Keep up the amazing content Ryan can’t wait for your next video! 💯💯
I was surprised how good this film was. I can see this being a lot more appreciated as a great haunted house horror the longer time goes by.
Agree. I think a lot of people overlooked it because it seems generic, but it's really quite good.
I watched this in cinemas when I was 11 with my friends and I was shit scared hahaha.
You should watch the original TV series... It's a much closer adaption and has a few good scares..
Very underrated considering the reputation newer horror movies have left us with
Lord Cthulhu I’ve been dying to see that for a while. It’s pretty hard to find, at least in the US.
As to the OP, I agree with your thesis. I have no clue why people complained about this movie so much coming out, other than people hate jump scares for some reason. This movie had some truly creepy jump scares with phenomenally scary imagery. Why is that a bad thing in a horror movie? I’ll never understand that.
Legit one of my favourite and heart breaking horror movies of all time. I don't know why but this film really resonated with me, and I watch a lot of horror. This film to me is nearly flawless and again I'm not sure why, but the subtly as well as the small nuances make this a fantastic gothic piece
Your videos are so well done and so entertaining that I basically watch anything you release regardless of if I've seen the film or not. Can't wait for more.
Movies like these make me realize how much I love haunted house films. The Shining, The Innkeepers, The Changeling, the Haunting, Haunting at Hell House, all have this looming aesthetic of dread that doesn’t really jumpscare you as much as dread to seeing what’s behind that door or what the ghost(s) looks like up close.
Before I subbed your channel I hated seeing newer movies because I felt like innovation was dead but you’ve changed my tune. I’ve played Manhunt, seen Hereditary, Midsommar and Troll Hunter and currently reading I Have No Mouth and I Must Scream. All because of your videos. So, thank you, I appreciate you.
I remember reading a comment that went along the lines of "I went to see the movie in theatres and when the Woman in Black was scaring Arthur in this one scene some dude shouted out: 'Harry use your wand!' and the entire cinema laughed." in another video about this movie. :)
I love the Gothic - it's my favourite literary movement. This was the first horror film I ever watched and jeez I was terrified. So good tho!
I suppose it's the most familiar setting, with the most modern people, that also lacks electric lights. I think that the presence of electricity in homes changes the elements of horror significantly.
I'm trying to publish my latest horror game, have deadlines with my dayjob, the house needs cleaning, there's a man-eating clam in the backyard, but when I see one of your videos I drop EVERYTHING and tune in. Keep doing what you're doing. Your analyses are insightful and your style is easy to watch.
Super excited for Chapter II! Good luck with the clam problem.
Well, that escalated quickly.
*Bloodborne aesthetic intensifies*
You're a national hero Justin, never stop
Who are u???
@@saturn_qwertydawn5429
Justin is a youtube legend. You can even find videos about him, though he doesn't upload himself.
He's a legend.
You are doing God's work, fam.
Wow, considering the replies you got the last time you commented on one of these videos, it's actually amazing how everyone seemingly did a 180.
I felt it shared a lot of tonal similarities to Crimson Peak--which you should totally cover next!!
Both are gorgeous visually. Woman in Black went a lot more for the scares, which is what I was expecting from Crimson Peak, but that replicated the Gothic romance part of Gothic, instead of the Gothic horror part.
Saw Crimson Peak in IMAX in the big Chinese Theatre in LA. Was gorgeous to see it in that format.
I was one of those kids that walked out of the cinema traumatised. Thanks mum
Such an underrated movie, I know it has a pg rating but it is one of the darkest horrors out there. There is such a sense of dread in literally every scene, the one where he's having dinner with the guy and his wife and the dogs are dressed as her dead son is one of the most disturbing things I've seen in a movie. No ammount of gore or jumpscares can come close to that. And it doesn't shoe it to you, you kinda have to notice it, it's a very subtle movie, like, all the dead children are referenced back to at some point in the movie
Saw it as a teenager in a cinema (w/o parents though). I remember myself being too scared to look at the Woman's face in the ending.
As a fan of Gothic fiction I thank you for your thoughts. I too think this film is underrated. I loved the film and plan to read (or listen to) the book. I prefer gothic horror over outright in your face gory slasher films. Probably because I'm a bit of a romantic.
I probably won't watch this film more than twice mainly because I'm a mom and the children's deaths were too heart wrenching.
I as well.... I haven't seen this movie yet, but I have a feeling 2 times will be all my heart will be able to take as well... Just remember IT'S NOT REAL! 😅
I’d deffo recommend seeing the play at some point, it was one of the best pieces of live theatre I’ve ever seen
I really liked this movie when I saw it in theater. With the ending, I always looked at it as Arthur sort of unintentionally thwarting the Woman in Black in a way. Her goal was to make parents feel the same loss of a child that she did, so by dying with his son, he saved himself from having to experience that loss.
In the made for TV film 1989 version, the lead then named Arthur Kidd, is played by Adrian Rawlins. Adrian Rawlins also plays James Potter. The cinematic 2012 release features Daniel Radcliffe playing the lead Arthur Kipp. I dont need to tell you what else Radcliffe is known for. I'll just let that sink in.
Like father like son
Ryan, I know you talk about artistic horror, but could you by chance make a video essay on the new Halloween film? How it matches up to the original?
It was terrible
In your opinion
Maybe so but dude it was really corny. It tried way too hard. I wasnt scared once.
@@VividFilmProductions In your opinion, all film is subjective. Your opinion alone doesn't state it as fact.
@@Hopper89 is it better than the original? No. It was disjointed with 0 suspense or mystery. And the teenage love side story? Give me a break. It was corny and anyone who truly loves horror films knows the new Halloween was just trash. It was borderline an action movie. I was rooting for Michael to kill everyone and you're supposed to hate him.
In the film when the ghost of Jennet hovers over the body of Nathaniel you hear Nathaniel's ghost cry "No! No! You are not my mother!" And Jennet screams and disappears. Nathaniel never knew Jennet was his mother. Nathaniel was born because of an affair between his Charles Drablow and Jennet (who was his wife's sister). She was mentally unwell and that is why Charles and Alice took the baby.
I'm a huge fan of the Woman in Black so thanks for giving it a bit more attention. I never really liked this version of the tale, but you bring up some great points about it. Might have to give it a rewatch with this in mind. My favorite film version easily goes to the 1989 one, you could tell it was made kinda cheaply, but it uses that. The woman in black is hardly on screen in it, but her presence is felt throughout. She's this force around every street corner that doesn't let go no matter what. The town feels normal for the most part in it until any mention of her is made, they've all lost someone to her and no matter how much they try they can never move past it. Arthur is actually already a father of 2 makes the events even more tragic and gives him more to lose.
One of the best things about this movie is definitely the way they portrayed eel marsh and the property. It's so isolating, the marsh seemingly goes on forever, and there's such an oppressive feeling of being unwelcome within the house. The jump scares feel a little bit cheap to me, but I forgive them because it's such a beautifully classic gothic horror.
I saw this movie when I was 10 years old, and it’s what honestly made me get into horror more. Idk what others think of it but it’ll always have a place in my heart. Like idk what made me get into horror from this movie, but I’m happy it did.
Why is it so difficult to spell "I don't know"?
@@purplehaze2358 Idk
This adaption of The Woman In Black is one of the best examples of a good, classic ghost story, and in my opinion, probably the best of it's kind since 1963's The Haunting.
If there is one thing this film has in spades, it is atmosphere. Even if it didn't leave me with nightmares or make me have to leave the room, I remember the all pervasive, oppressive sense of tension all too well. It's something many modern horror films lack. 'Tis something that is simultaneously subtle, yet so blatant it hits one as if it were a heavy bludgeon. It may not have had the most inventive story line, but much like many great works, it took something that had been done many times before and handled it with a rare and excellent sense of finesse.
There's a 1989 made for TV movie that was the one film above all others that terrified me as a kid, in a big big way. Watching the 2012 one was like a modernised updated version of childhood nightmares. Will always be one of my absolute favourite ghost stories for the impact it had on me.
I can't really place WHY, but the 1989 version was just way better to me. It's been a while since I've seen either, but I felt like the original captured the oppressive creepiness without leaning on the gore and excessive lore/overexplaining that's rampant in modern horror.
I'm actually a little shocked Ryan didn't speak about it, really.
I think your right. When he sees the woman at the funeral and she stands there looking at him and when he heard the screaming out on the marsh was done really well in the 89 version. In this it seemed more to be just another haunted house movie (IMHO)
Yay I'm early, just gotta say Ryan I love your stuff and cant wait for the next upload this one was amazing as usual!
Have you seen the 1989 version? It's surprisingly creepy.
I didn’t know this was a remake!
This movie was such a gem, the atmosphere of the haunting and the scares really was something else and i love it
Have you seen her the women in black? She once lost her boy now she comes back. Your parents worry they make should a fuss. If she doesn't find him she'll take one of us.
well done, fella. i know this has been out for a while but i've revisited it quite often, not only from my perspective as a filmmaker but also from a super-personal link since my own father was involved creatively in the bill kenwright production in the west end. this is a really strong set of insights on the story and i really appreciate what you do.
I loved the aesthetics of this movie. Wish there was more like it
I love that this movie really plays into placing subtle images in the background of scenes, the sort of thing you do a double take before you realise it's there. The effect is strong enough that in any of the shots where Ryan is on-camera, my eyes kept going to the window behind him, expecting to see a face looking in...
I actually love the original novel. I return to it once a year (usually around the holidays), to indulge in some genuinely creepy storytelling. It's a slow-burn, for sure, but it has a way of heightening your senses and unease that feels earned. The film on the other hand... the jump scares killed it for me. I found them to be extremely predictable, and while I agree that seeing the effects of Arthur's investigation on the town is interesting, I just didn't feel the same sense of true unease with it. The ending was also extremely disappointing. I love that the book's resolution for Arthur and his family takes place long after he leaves Crythin Gifford. The idea that you can't just leave an experience behind and move on, that it could come back to get you at any time was so much more horrifying than the sad/happy ending of the film.
ryan, for real, no other youtuber has me so excited for their content like you man. amazing as usual
I actually really like the film for the most part. It's a modest, moody ghost story not unlike 1980's The Changeling and (though distracting) I think Daniel Radcliffe gives a good performance, so do the rest of the cast. But I cannot, cannot ignore plot faults and I feel like this one's grinds it to a halt. Why does NO ONE flat out warn him about the Woman in Black?! Lives are on the line! Tell him the story, show him the death certificates, or better yet, go to the island and burn the house down. Better to risk one dead child than allow many more to be caught in the crossfire.
If we had one scene early on where someone warns him clearly, but he ignores them out of ignorance, pride, or arrogance, I'd be satisfied. His "I've got work to do and bills to pay" motivation never seems fully committed and kind of week. I think they were afraid he'd come off as unlikable if he displayed negative character traits, but instead it just makes the townspeople seem complacent.
Usually when I watch reviews for movies I've never seen, I just sort of take them and the reviewer's opinion with a casual perspective and usually don't wind up watching the movie. Within three minutes of this review, I'd already paused Ryan's video to open amazon prime and watch this for myself. So, thanks Ryan Hollinger; this is the first video of yours I've ever seen and its already great.
The most tragic thing is harry potter will never be remembered as anyone but harry potter
Well duh it was a biopic what did you expect
This was the only movie, to this date, that has given me nightmares.
This movie is strange, I never felt like it was scary yet it always seems to stay at the same level of horror, if anything it gets scarier the older I get , unlike movies like the conjuring. For me the conjuring wasn't scary, it was like ohhh that was spooky the first time, but since it has a happy ending it makes it less scary in the end. This could also explain why I still feel like the grudge remake is still terrifying, it has nothing happy in it. Now are these good movies? Idk I'm no critic, but I know what I find scary and what I don't, this is just my opinion, but I feel like this is a scary in multiple ways like the grudge, and unlike the conjuring. 12 year old me went into this after watching insidious and it scared the shit out of me so maybe it dulled this out, but each time I watch it, it gets more and more depressing and scary. I'm 18 now, and I still find this a quite terrifying movie. OK I'm done with my ramble return to reading the comments
Personally it's scary for me because it implies that suicide or death was the happy ending
Robert his wife and child died in childbirth.
Robert if I remember correctly.
Fluffy Dragon
I feel the same.
I also think that the Woman in Black and the Grudge share a lot of similarities. Especially concerning their main female ghosts.
Both are women who were wronged in life and died angry at those who hurt them. Their rage manifests itself as a curse, they will never forgive and will continue to inflict their pain and hatred onto innocent people. There is no way to end their curses, no great mystery or solution to be found. Once you are in their sights you can’t escape them, only death and despair await.
Of course there are differences as well, the Woman in Black evokes a more British gothic horror whilst The Grudge takes itself from Eastern folklore tales of Onryo’s. Kayako will kill anyone who enters her house indiscriminately, whilst the Woman in Black only kills children if she is seen by someone. But the core of the characters are still the same, killing innocents to perpetuate their hatred, which manifests as a curse, onto the world.
Both stories are very nihilistic as well. Like I said, there is no solution to appease either spirit, their rage and need for revenge drives their existence. A lot of horrors, especially American ones, feel the need to present an escape for its main characters. Such as finding a way to get rid of/exorcise/appease the spirit. That there is a way for the main characters to have a happy ending. That if they find out this or if they do that, everything will be alright.
But for these two stories there just isn’t any. And that is pretty terrifying. That once these ghosts have you in their maw, you are just straight up doomed. Not many horrors do that.
I see what you mean with the Conjuring, and I like the Conjuring, I thought it had great scares and James Wan, the director, is one of my favourite modern horror directors. But it doesn’t evoke that same terrifying nihilism since the Warrens are always there to explain everything and essentially save the day. So even the Conjuring offers the viewer some form of comfort and reassurance for the audience. And you see that a lot.
I’m not saying all horrors need to have a sad ending to be scary, but as I get older The Grudge and the Woman in Black do become more and more terrifying to me because of the unstoppable nature of their ghosts.
Found your channel and videos by accident and I’ve been binging them since, super entertaining. Props from a Derry fan!
Seamus McFlannery-I have to agree with you on the 1989 made for TV movie, it absolutely terrified me when I saw it as a kid in the late 90s/early 2000s & that scene at the inn towards the end of the movie that you mentioned is still the stuff of my nightmares. When I heard Daniel Radcliffe was going to star in a new adaptation I was looking forward to seeing if it could live up to the TV adaptation or even the book & play which were also very creepy, but unfortunately after seeing it I came out very underwhelmed thanks to the abundance of terrible cheap jumpscares & their overuse of cgi on top of the performance of the actress playing the woman in black, she looked much more terrifying in the play & TV movie when it was just the actress made to look pale & gaunt with makeup.
Why don't people just reply?
The Woman in Black holds a very special place in my heart. It was my great uncle on my dad’s side who adapted the book to stage (his name was Stephen Mallatratt) and even though I never saw the play until my late teens, I can tell the effect the story and its legacy has had on my family. I’m so glad you decided to make a video on this film, i remember seeing it in the cinema and thinking it was an absolutely fantastic adaption !! Thank you for all your hard work !!
Perfect timing I needed something to watch
How did you not mention the fact that she keeps the childrens souls? That was the creepiest part to me, the children didnt just die, they were stuck with the woman afterwards. I took it as since Arthur sacrificed himself for his child he and his childs soul managed to be free, but I was always curious when the parents of the dead children die if they could break their childrens souls free from the womans grasp
Funny how I can watch a movie and be like “Eh, it was alright”, then I watch your video and i’m like “Oh, it’s actually pretty good”.
Thank you so much for covering this film! I've always loved this movie and have wanted more people to engage with it despite it's simplistic storyline.
This film is problematic for me because I prefer the book and play. The ending felt like cheat from the original and the kid trances seemed silly. That said I have to respect that they got Eel Marsh House pretty much nailed.
I remember watching this movie when i was 8,and the last scene where the woman in black just looks and screams at the camera.it scared me so much i had nightmares for days
Love your movie analyses. ❤️😀
Wonder if the woman in black knew Arthur would die, and in a way did so to unify them all together?
I watched this when I was maybe 10 or 11 and it scared the shit out of me
Same...i was f*cking 7
YES IVE BEEN WAITING FOR SOMEONE TO TALK ABOUT THIS MOVIE WELL DONE
I was under the impression that killing the mc and his kid was a gesture of a gift/mercy, rather than just another one of her killings. Dan's character could never really get over his wife's death, so the woman in black reunited them.
Supposedly a Person no. She wouldn’t have said ‘never forgive, never forget’. before that.
I agree with you. She didn’t take his child. Mr. Daily saw her after it happened with all the children she’d killed, but she didn’t take Kipps’ son.
no
While this isn't super high on my list of favorite horror movies it was this point that I saw Daniel Radcliffe's acting and thought,
"Oh. This is no longer the guy who plays Harry Potter." Quite a good movie.
I enjoyed this movie. But, I have a love for gothic Victorian horror
This was a great video! I love hearing your takes on horror and why it's important. Also you have such a positive narrative to your essays while still being critical which I feel takes a lot of work and I feel super grateful for your efforts!
You gotta watch the BBC TV version. Much more subtle and terrifying. Even more nihilistic than this version in my opinion.
I completely agree. The TV version was on the most unnerving movies I've seen. No matter how many times I've watched I can never quite prepare for the final fright. Smaller budget. Yes. But it undermines you, in a way the big budget film doesn't.
This movie traumatized me when it came out. I was only 6. I never felt a feeling of dread and depression and terror as strongly as I did while watching this. It's still my favorite horror film of all time. I love how it doesn't rely on cheap
jumpscares to frighten you. This is an amazing film.
SAME i was 7 when i first saw this...i was broken for 2 weeks
I love these videos so much
This was the first movie I cried to in a theatre. I was 11 when it came out and my mother and I were (and still are) big horror fans, it was the first movie than more than just spooked me it made me existentially afraid of losing loved ones and the idea of an afterlife and how people can choose to be trapped in anger or not. It was super challenging in my kid brain and I sobbed so much at the end that my mother didn't really want to bring me to a horror movie in the theatre again for a few years. I rewatched it recently and it still shook me to my core: it's inexplicable but I'm just really drawn to the themes in the film. Great summary/review! :)
Anyone else remember having to do this in English class?
Seriously?
Dude, I love your videos! And great job tackling this film, which I think to this day is still underrated! I remember seeing it in theaters back in 2012 with my mom and it still scared the shit out of me, mainly the window scene.
The original made for tv movie is 1000x better in my opinion. The scene at the inn really disturbed me.
That version is incredible. The bed jump scare made me hit the roof!
everyone should read the book. it is an absolute brilliant representation of the heartbreak of both motherhood and of women secluded in the private sphere of the home. The author wrote it during a time when parental rights in Britain were in the forefront of political discourse, with debates on when social workers should and should not be allowed to remove children from their home. She uses the classic gothic horror tropes to but with a female monster and a male victim, illustrating the dangers of society's prejudices. It's brilliant - that's all.
Alright maybe a give this movie another try. Watched while drunk when it first came out so not the best first go of it.
Woman in Black was the first horror film that I'd ever seen, so it's always held a special place in my heart. I love it.
Problem was, once he had the dead child's body, he forgot to cast Yrden. Rookie mistake.
I liked the movie and analysis. I've also found I like just about anything Daniel Radcliffe does.
Very good video, this movie has been one of my favorite horror flicks for years now.
Session 9 and whether Simon is a demon or just another personality
Oh man!! That movie IS terrifying!! 😯
I think this is the first time I've ever been genuinely unnerved just watching the background footage, probably because I never saw the film so I wasn't sure what to expect. Some of that imagery is HAUNTING!
If you don't sit around waiting for Ryan to upload then what are you doing.
Rewatching his previous videos, of bloody course.
Sitting around and waiting for tats to upload. Or channel zero. Or cyriak.
the movie started off pretty slow, but that night in the house is the best horror scene I've ever seen. I was praying for it to be day throughout the whole scene, it was so bloody terrifying
The woman in black seems like a real jerk
This play was performed by my local theater group for Halloween and it was TERRIFYING! I loved every second of it, including the jump scares of the woman in black silently walking through the aisle while the audience is focused on the stage.
• The ending was better in the book than in the movie. The movie makes a sort-of happy ending, but the book is more creepy because he thinks he's free, having a picnic in London in broad daylight, but no, it's not over… Now that's scary, and tragic.
• Also, the trailer was much better than the actual movie. In fact, the movie didn't even have the best shots from the trailer. 😒
• I've no sympathy for Alice; she's an unsuitable mother so her sister was right to take custody. Alice wasn't entitled to revenge.
Alice is a huge bitch just like Mama from the Guillermo DelToro movie. They suck and they don't deserve their children.
@@linasayshush AWWWwW man!!! Completely agree with ALL y'all! Oh man.... 😭😭😭😭😭😭
I found the book's ending to be significantly more tragic and horrifying, and it left me feeling both sad and helpless when I first read it as a kid.
However, I did enjoy what the movie ending did. Yes, it reunited Arthur with his family in the afterlife, for a sort of happy ending for him. But it also highlighted that the woman in black will never reunite with her child, entirely due to her own hatred. She is essentially trapped in a hell of her own making, and I found that pretty tragic too.
I agree - the horror in broad daylight is really affecting. You should definitely also seek out the made for television version from 1989 - the story is slightly different from the book, the play, AND the modern movie version.
Small quibble: The woman's name is Jennet - Alice is the sister who takes her baby from her.
Always excited to get home and see an upload. Great video man
The play is better, not that the film isn’t good, I just think the play is better executed.
Phoebe Woodhouse that’s your opinion
again great video. I've watched the woman in black but never gave that much thought to it, I'll have to go back to it
Never before has a youtuber made me question my sexuality.
Ryan, you put so much work into your videos. I feel like it's under appreciated, but at the same time I enjoy the feeling of being one of the few who subscribe to a quality channel...
Don't worry anyone, I'm recommending Ryan to everyone I know. It's solid work, and a very nice way to understand the deeper meaning of movies that most people take for 90 minutes of jump scares.
You HAVE HAVE HAVE to do a vid on 'dead silence' i think its one of the best american ghost movies i found the story compelling i found the production quality beautiful and it really has that american gothic ghost story feel lke this one does.
Yeah, I remember being so sad. And then a little angry at the end when she kept repeating “Never forgive.”
Ayy another movie where the sequel sucked