Hammer's Back!: The Woman in Black.

Three years ago the rights to classic British horror producers Hammer were bought by Dutch consortium Cyrte Investments, the company behind Big Brother.

They pledged to restore the name, which, after achieving great success in the 50s and the 60s bringing the names Christopher Lee and Peter Cushing to the forefront of British cinema, lost popularity in the 70s and early 80s after losing American backing and having to compete in a market quickly becoming oversaturated with horror.

After four titles in the last three years under the Hammer name (including the brilliant vamp-chiller remake Let Me In (Matt Reeves, 2010) we have the adaptation of Susan Hill’s 1983 ghost story The Woman in Black, which shall star a Daniel Radcliffe no doubt keen to stop fannying around with wands and earn the respect of fellow thespians without taking all of his clothes off.


The film was originally intended to be shot in 3D but Hammer have reversed this decision. Thank goodness.

The Woman in Black is the story of Arthur Kipp, a young London solicitor on business to a remote northern village to deal with the possessions of deceased spinster Mrs. Drablowe. He quickly learns that the villagers don't like to talk about her, let alone go anywhere near her home, and that she lived on a large estate periodically cut off from the mainland by the tide and swamped by thick mists called "sea frets". 

Despite being terrified by apparitions and noises without source, Arthur chooses to stay in the house alone to work as quickly as he can, but intrigued by a single locked room and the hauntings he endures, he seeks to discover the truth behind Mrs. Drawlowe's death. 

This production treads in the footsteps of an almost perfect television adaptation in 1989 and an experimental theatre production still running after twenty-three years, described by the BBC as "One of the most phenomenal theatrical performances in the UK." 

Reading the novel in school was tantamount to psychological terrorism. Why can't teachers just beat us any more? I have also seen the theatre production and it is absolutely terrifying. Here's a link to the television adaptation which, for the first forty five minutes, is an example of horror done simply and effectively: The Woman in Black (television series) (Herbert Wise, 1989)

Look very forward to this film.

If my sights are correct, this is going to be a good twelve months for the renewed Hammer Productions. Let Me In received glowing reviews and has taken in over £20million, which came as a surprise considering the Swedish film it was adapted from, Let The Right One In (Tomas Alfredson, 2008), is held in such high regard by the press and the cult horror audience.

Think before showing your kids The Woman in Black, though. 

And if you do, a good family doctor would prescribe a heavy dose of Disney, ketamine and sausage rolls to alleviate the initial trauma and prevent significant lasting damage. 

Sadly, some of us were left to cope alone.