THE WOMAN IN BLACK **

The spirit of Hammer films is alive and very definitely kicking in this superlative ghost story based on Susan Hill's novel and the long running play. Daniel Radcliffe is excellent, and holding the movie very much on his own for a good deal of the time, as the young lawyer foolish enough to spend the night in a lonely house haunted by"The Woman in Black" as well as some very dead children. Director James Watkins knows how to build up the frighteners and there are several excellent jump-out-of-your-seat moments and a nice sense of dread permeates the whole thing. Ultimately it may be nothing more than a guilty pleasure but there are worse ways of spending ninety minutes in a cinema.