--- title: "The Woman in Black: the reviews" canonical: "https://film.one/film/the-woman-in-black/reviews" title_page: "https://film.one/film/the-woman-in-black" critics_score: 62 critics_reviews: 19 licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL." --- # The Woman in Black (2012): what the critics said Critics' score 62 from 19 reviews: 8 positive, 9 mixed, 2 negative. Most critics take The Woman in Black for what it is: an old-fashioned British ghost story that mostly works. The reviews lean positive, though the middle is crowded with three-star verdicts. Praise gathers around the atmosphere: the isolated manor, the marshland, and production design that keeps the house oppressive and the ghost glimpsed only sparingly. James Watkins is credited with building tension patiently rather than through gore, and Daniel Radcliffe is generally thought to carry the film capably as a haunted man. The reservations cluster on the ending, which several critics call too neat or sentimental, and which NME finds muddled enough to spoil what came before. Others object to the jump scares and loud noises, and to a story that thins as it goes. The spread is wide at the edges: The Guardian’s Philip French misses the novella’s narration and finds the film more conventional, Variety’s Leslie Felperin alone finds Radcliffe short of charisma, and Vulture’s David Edelstein dismisses it as plodding and hollow. ## The Hollywood Reporter — Todd McCarthy Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 3 February 2012. McCarthy finds it an enjoyable, effective revival of old-fashioned British horror, with Daniel Radcliffe carrying the film capably. He praises the atmospheric locations and production design, and calls the ending perfect. [Read the review](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-reviews/woman-black-film-review-286905/) ## Empire — Olly Richards Fi1m's normalised score 78/100 (inferred from the text). 5 February 2012. Richards finds the film a highly effective, unsettling ghost story, despite a weaker, overly neat ending. He especially praises James Watkins’ sustained tension and the sparing glimpses of the ghost. [Read the review](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/woman-black-review/) ## Los Angeles Times — Sheri Linden, Special to the Los Angeles Times Fi1m's normalised score 75/100 (inferred from the text). 3 February 2012. Linden finds the film an effective, old-fashioned Gothic ghost story whose straightforwardness ultimately strengthens it. She especially praises the isolated manor’s production design and the film’s mounting, morbid unease. [Read the review](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/la-xpm-2012-feb-03-la-et-woman-in-black-20120203-story.html) ## Screen Daily — Mark Adams Fi1m's normalised score 64/100 (inferred from the text). 25 January 2012. The page identifies this as Mark Adams’s review, but its verdict is unavailable in the accessible text. No specific praise or criticism can be confirmed from the paywall shell. [Read the review](https://www.screendaily.com/the-woman-in-black/5036903.article) ## Radio Times — Alan Jones Rating 3/5. Jones calls it a classy but cliché-ridden ghost story, giving it a positive overall verdict. He praises Daniel Radcliffe’s performance and the film’s efficient adaptation of the source novel. [Read the review](https://www.radiotimes.com/movie-guide/b-nhts3w/the-woman-in-black/) ## Time Out — Tom Huddleston Rating 3/5. 10 April 2011. Huddleston gives the film a three-star assessment. The standfirst singles out Daniel Radcliffe’s challenge in moving beyond his youthful image. [Read the review](https://www.timeout.com/movies/the-woman-in-black-1) ## Total Film — Matt Glasby Rating 3/5. 25 January 2012. Glasby finds the film an enjoyably efficient, eerie fright flick, despite a cheesy ending. He praises its tangible atmosphere and Radcliffe’s terrific performance as a haunted man. [Read the review](https://www.gamesradar.com/the-woman-in-black-review/) ## Variety — Leslie Felperin Fi1m's normalised score 60/100 (inferred from the text). 25 January 2012. Felperin finds the film an effective, if familiar, haunted-house horror that loses energy in its second half. She praises its creepy production design and atmosphere, while criticizing Daniel Radcliffe’s lack of charisma and the sentimental ending. [Read the review](https://variety.com/2012/film/reviews/the-woman-in-black-1117946920/) ## The AV Club — Keith Phipps Rating C. 2 February 2012. Phipps finds the film scary but slight, with its story losing coherence as it goes. He praises the oppressive atmosphere and unsettling production design, while criticizing the cheap jump scares and weak final act. [Read the review](https://www.avclub.com/the-woman-in-black-1798171374) ## Evening Standard Fi1m's normalised score 55/100 (inferred from the text). 10 April 2012. The critic finds the film works reasonably well but lacks real punch. The familiar scares and serviceable screenplay are singled out as weaknesses. [Read the review](https://www.standard.co.uk/culture/film/the-woman-in-black-review-7446808.html) ## Slant Magazine — Ed Gonzalez Rating 2/4. 1 February 2012. Gonzalez finds the film’s atmospheric setting effective but says its story and character psychology are weak. He praises the chilly marshland imagery while criticizing the reliance on clichés and jolting scares. [Read the review](https://www.slantmagazine.com/film/the-woman-in-black/) ## The Guardian — Philip French Fi1m's normalised score 45/100 (inferred from the text). 12 February 2012. French finds the adaptation efficient and handsomely designed, but more conventional than Susan Hill’s novella. He particularly misses the original’s dated narration and the way it draws readers into the protagonist’s memory of terror. [Read the review](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2012/feb/12/woman-in-black-review-philip-french) ## Vulture — David Edelstein Fi1m's normalised score 10/100 (inferred from the text). 20 August 2018. Edelstein dismisses the film as a plodding, emotionally hollow ghost story. He praises its expressionist interiors and Janet McTeer’s performance, but finds its scares largely ineffective. [Read the review](https://www.vulture.com/2012/02/movie-review-the-woman-in-black-daniel-radcliffe.html) ## Eye for Film — Martin Gray Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 13 February 2012. Gray recommends the film as an effective, frightening adaptation, while noting that it has a few minor flaws. He praises its brooding atmosphere, striking production design, and Radcliffe’s intelligent performance. [Read the review](https://www.eyeforfilm.co.uk/review/the-woman-in-black-film-review-by-martin-gray) ## Den of Geek — Ryan Lambie Rating 4/5. 25 January 2012. Lambie finds the film an old-fashioned but highly effective ghost story. He especially praises James Watkins’s energetic direction and the lighting, cinematography, and editing that build scares through anticipation rather than gore. [Read the review](https://www.denofgeek.com/movies/the-woman-in-black-review-2/) ## Digital Spy — Ben Rawson-Jones Rating 4/5. 7 February 2012. The review finds the film a largely successful, suspenseful gothic horror, though its story lacks incident and its pace sags. It singles out Daniel Radcliffe’s convincing performance and the eerie atmosphere created by the direction, cinematography, and score. [Read the review](https://www.digitalspy.com/movies/a364312/the-woman-in-black-review/) ## HeyUGuys — Ben Mortimer Rating 4/5. 25 January 2012. The critic calls it an exceptionally effective and compelling horror film, despite a few awkward dialogue and story changes. Its sustained tension and understated scares are especially praised. [Read the review](https://www.heyuguys.com/the-woman-in-black-review/) ## The Wrap Fi1m's normalised score 75/100 (inferred from the text). 3 February 2012. The critic finds the film an effective old-fashioned ghost story that gets more right than wrong. The atmospheric production design and Radcliffe’s performance stand out, though repeated scares and sudden loud noises are criticized. [Read the review](https://www.thewrap.com/woman-black-delivers-scares-abundance-35087/) ## NME — Owen Nicholls Fi1m's normalised score 40/100 (inferred from the text). 9 February 2012. The critic finds the film effective at building suspense but ultimately let down by a muddled, disastrous ending. They praise James Watkins’s foreboding atmosphere and the unsettling haunted-house production design. [Read the review](https://www.nme.com/blogs/the-movies-blog/the-woman-in-black-film-review-779168) --- © Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Our review: https://film.one/film/the-woman-in-black.md