most horror movie be in fact horrible movie . they get to be same ol same ol . same ol pack every minute with some cheap thrill ( usually platter ) and nowadays they can pack every second with gaudy special effect . one of the goal of a really good horror flick be to suspend the sense of disbelief of the audience . for instance and i saw both of the recent mummy movie and nearly get dizzy view ridiculous special effect every second . it probably cost a million dollar per second to make those movie and my sense of disbelief be never suspend and it grow root . subtlety can be more terrifying . less be more . i first saw the woman in black on the a and e channel . after flip through the usual 987 channel of very bad television i stop to watch it . this movie almost have the feel of a masterpiece theater production . that be fine with me and i have always prefer british tv and movie anyway . most viewer would find this to be too slowly paced . but the slow pacing help give the story credibility . the special effect be few which lull the viewer into think that this film be set in the real world thus make u a bit more uneasy . the makeup and costume for the ghost be keep simple and believable . hollywood would have make her look like a she demon from hell with glow eye fang claw etc . hollywood would have do an overkill and turn this idea into a mediocrity . the woman only make about five appearance in the film . most of them be where she appear in the distance and even that create a good fright . if she appear too often and it could have cheapen the mood that get set . however this movie be so well make that through much of the film be lead into sense that she be there the whole time but not visible . the scene where she visit arthur kidd late at night and we see her just a little too close be a masterpiece in horror . this be just an extraordinary film that i think should rate a one the fine horror film ever make . i have a copy of the haunting and the changling and a zillion more . i haven not see anything that top the woman in black yet although i be still look . this movie be so well make that it give even the most hardened skeptic ( like me ) a moment where i almost have second thought about the non existence of ghost . i joke to people that i occasionally get brief fear that she could appear stand in the middle of the road or that i would see her star through my window and etc . maybe she could be in a crowd at the mall glaring at me with her look of hate . this be how a really great horror film should be . like a lafanu novel and the woman in black very slowly pull you in and wrap herself around your neck and before you realize it and she squeeze the life out of you and then it too late . close thing i have to a criticism be that this be make for the small screen . and it a terrible shame that this be out of print . i just pay over $ 40 for my second copy of this movie . it a major prize in my collection . now i be on a quest to find an even well horror movie that not only give the chill but also qualify a sound drama .