Daniel Radcliffe as attorney Arthur Kipps in his first post-"Potter" film "The Woman In Black" (Shockya.com)

Scary movies have become all about following a recipe of clichés: the creepy residents of a creepy town, the town’s even creepier haunted house, and the creepy back story behind the creepy things that happen inside said creepy haunted house.

Not to overuse the word “creepy,” but that is exactly what Daniel Radcliffe’s first post-“Harry Potter” film delivers in “The Woman In Black.” And all the scary movie clichés, although extremely familiar and predictable, are actually quite fun to be reacquainted with in this old-fashioned ghost story.

The film, directed by James Watkins, is about Arthur Kipps (Radcliffe), a Victorian-era attorney still mourning the loss of his wife who tragically died four years ago while giving birth to their son. Fighting to hold onto his job, Kipps’ boss gives him one final make-or-break assignment, to travel to the north of England and finalize the papers of a dead woman’s estate, the Eel Marsh House.

As Kipps makes his way through the foggy, quiet town of Crythin Gifford, he is given the cold shoulder by every local resident he crosses, and is met with blank stares by children through every window, locked in their houses like prisoners. Early upon his arrival, a girl dies in his arms, leading him to piece together the town’s devastating history of children fatalities.

After this incident, Kipps’ suspicion grows, and his business trip quickly turns into an investigation as he steps foot into the Eel Marsh House, the film’s most expressive character. Filled with sounds of footsteps where no person walks and images of chairs that rock on their own, Kipps delves deeper and deeper into the mystery of the Drablow estate.

Isolated from the town at the end of a causeway lined with thick marshes, the estate can only be accessed at certain times of the day when the tide is right. Thanks to its brilliant production design, the mansion will without a doubt take hold of your nightmares. “The Woman In Black” is a short film, but as Kipps makes his way down those long, dark hallways holding his candle and approaching locked doors that suddenly open, it seems to take hours.

The film has strong strengths and strong weaknesses. Its strengths make strides in its overall eeriness, not only in Eel Marsh House (which takes the whole “scary dolls” cliché to a whole new level), but in its supporting characters. Ignored by all other townspeople, the only welcoming couple towards Kipps is Sam Daily (Ciaran Hinds) and his wife (Janet McTeer, an Oscar nominatee this yearfor "Albert Nobbs"). They, too, have lost a child for reasons unknown, but what makes this subplot creepy is when Mrs. Daily uses her supernatural powers to channel her son’s spirit through her violent outbursts, outbursts that ultimately reveal the plot’s twist.

This, however, is where the film reveals its weaknesses. After Mrs. Daily’s revealing fit, the movie becomes about cheap scares in a scene that is both bizarre and irrelevant to the story (it involves Radcliffe playing around in the mud trying to recover something and reunite it with something else… a scene that could have been copied directly from the scripts of “The Ring” and “Drag Me to Hell”).As for the ending, well, I thought it was great, but others felt ripped off. You’ll have to decide for yourself.

What makes “The Woman In Black” stand out is that Watkins successfully steers clear of today’s typical horror film formula: overt violence, gore, torture, and all-out nudity, and instead makes a movie that could have played in the 1950s, but still appeals to modern-day “Potter” fans. Radcliffe as Arthur Kipps shines in this Gothic tale. Although somewhat hard to believe as a grown-up parent, his deep blue eyes (finally naked from Harry’s glasses) and sorrowful charisma are what make him appealing to both his younger and older audiences. 

In the end, “The Woman In Black” is an effective scary movie that relies on clichés, but clichés that work. It will keep you on the edge of your seat with your face buried in your hands, and will leave you with a new-found respect for a good old-fashioned scream fest. Ultimately, though, it will not completely terrorize you. It provides cheap thrills thanks to alarmingly loud sound effects (if you plug your ears the whole time, it will be a walk in the park), but the film’s eeriness is undeniable. Eel Marsh House will give you goose bumps and haunt your nightmares, but it’s all worth it because you’ll have a blast watching this movie.

Well done, Harry. Ten points for Gryffindor.

Reach reporter Berkeley Cavignac here.