The sun falls and the fog settles over a small seaside English town. On an island just off the coast, widowed lawyer Arthur Kipps (Daniel
Radcliffe) diligently sorts through papers and documents of a recently deceased woman, trying to get his job done as soon as possible in order to preserve his job. He sits in a huge dust box of a mansion when he hears a peculiar noise echo throughout the enormous home.

He follows the sound until he reaches a room where the noise seems to be coming from. Kipps searches the room for the location of whatever had caused the noise, but instead spies a woman in a sweeping black gown roaming the
property. He rushes outside in pursuit of the mysterious lady, only to find himself temporarily lost in a forest of fog, unable to see more than a few feet in front of him.

This fog is a recurring element throughout the movie, “The Woman in Black.” The film starring Daniel Radcliffe is based off a book of the same name by English author Susan Hill and also a remake from a made-for-TV movie from 1989, also of the same name.

The movie is Radcliffe’s first since wrapping on the “Harry Potter” series, and it centers around a widowed father and his experience in a sleepy little seaside town that harbors a dark secret among its residents.

The town of Crythin, England is haunted by the restless spirit of a mysterious unknown woman. The legend goes that anytime someone sees the woman, a child in the town will die of a horrible death. Kipps and his closest companion in the town, Daily (Ciarán Hinds), who is one of the few townsfolk who will
actually speak with him, first believe they are the only sane
people because they do not believe the tale. They soon find out, however, that they are sorely mistaken and take it upon themselves to stop the vicious spirit once and for all.

This movie far surpassed my expectations for it. In the flurry of “found” footage movies like the “Paranormal Activity” series or “The Devil Inside,” “The Woman in Black” offers a refreshing return to clearly Hollywood horror films. Who says that the classic horror film cannot be scary anymore? This film not only put legitimate fear in me (if I wasn't already before, I am indeed now afraid of dark figures in fog), but also offered an intriguing story line that does not have to rely on camera tricks to spark fear. Radcliffe’s performance especially impressed me; his ability to believably portray a young father just months after playing the part of a teenager proves that he will have no problem transitioning into more roles and characters beyond his iconic portrayal of Harry Potter.

His surprising versatility mixed an equally talented cast and major last story line minute twist creates a must-see horror movie for 2012.