Overview
A young solicitor uncovers a chilling legacy in a haunted estate that the townspeople fear.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Measured
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Easy to follow
- Violence
- Mild
- eerie
- foreboding
- oppressive
- late night horror
- rainy day viewing
What critics said
Critics broadly regard it as an exceptionally atmospheric and spine-tingling literary ghost story whose restrained horror culminates in a notably bleak resolution.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Arthur Kidd is sent to settle an estate in Crythin and is drawn into the ominous house despite the town's warnings.
The townspeople refuse to discuss the woman in black, while Arthur's repeated sightings create a slow, spine-tingling escalation.
The estate's horrible history and the woman's legacy ensnare Arthur beyond the original death that prompted his visit.
Crythin's residents avoid the house and will not acknowledge the menacing figure Arthur keeps seeing.
Films like The Woman in Black, and why
The Haunting
shared gothic ghost story atmosphere, haunted house setting, and escalating supernatural dread
The Innocents
shared literary supernatural horror, isolated domestic setting, and psychologically unsettling ambiguity
The Others
shared British period-gothic mood, vengeful haunting, and bleak supernatural legacy
Movie Details
- Director
- Herbert Wise
- Release Date
- 1989-12-24
- Runtime
- 100 min
- Rating
- 6.9 / 10 (147)
Cast
- Adrian Rawlins
- Bernard Hepton
- David Daker
- Pauline Moran
- David Ryall
- Clare Holman
- John Cater
- John Franklyn-Robbins
- Fiona Walker
- William Simons
Where to watch in United States
- Rent
- Amazon Video
- Buy
- Amazon Video
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is The Woman in Black about?
- A young solicitor’s routine estate assignment becomes a chilling encounter with a seaside town’s unspeakable ghost and its devastating legacy.
- What is The Woman in Black like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of The Woman in Black as measured, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as easy to follow.
- Is The Woman in Black violent?
- Only mildly. Ember rates the violence in The Woman in Black as mild.
- What did critics think of The Woman in Black?
- Critics broadly regard it as an exceptionally atmospheric and spine-tingling literary ghost story whose restrained horror culminates in a notably bleak resolution.
- Which films are like The Woman in Black?
- Films with a similar feel include The Haunting, The Innocents, and The Others.
- How long is The Woman in Black?
- The Woman in Black runs 100 minutes.
- Where can I watch The Woman in Black?
- In United States, The Woman in Black is available to rent or buy from Amazon Video.
In Ember's collections
Movies like The Woman in Black
- Haunted1995
- The Little Stranger2018
- The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson: The Hound of the Baskervilles1981
- The Last Vampyre1993
- Sometimes They Come Back1991
- The Woman in Black 2: Angel of Death2014
- When the Lights Went Out2012
- Red Riding: The Year of Our Lord 19832009
- The Caretaker2026
- The Woman in Black2012
