Letter from Hollywood

"The Woman in Black" is a fine choice for a dark wintry night; it's a journey story.

Daniel Radcliffe needs to prepare an old deserted mansion to be sold. But the townspeople seem not to want him there. And creepy events transpire; toy clowns seem to move in shadows, a sinister ghost-woman wanders around the lawn, a child-villager swallows lye and convulses and dies.

You don't see a movie like this for the plot; you certainly don't watch for Daniel Radcliffe's performance. (Roger Ebert was right to point out that Mr. Radcliffe's abilities are limited.)

You watch for the stunning vistas and the creaky Victorian interiors. And you watch this one because--like any good horror movie--it gives major character actors a chance to chew scenery. "Woman in Black" has theater legend and Oscar darling Janet McTeer; we see her wrestling the spirit of her dead child (at the dinner table!), and we see her murmuring crazily by the graveyard. You won't get *that* from "One Night in Miami."

So: consider this rental if only for the twenty minutes you'll get with McTeer. As always, she is a delight.

(P.S. Three cheers for Jessica Raine and Ciaran Hinds, as well....)

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