"Harry Potter" star Daniel Radcliffe goes from Hogwarts to haunted houses in the new movie "The Woman in Black," which hits theaters Friday.
"The Woman in Black" began as a horror novel written by Susan Hill in 1983. It tells the story of a young London solicitor, Arthur Kipps, sent to settle the affairs of a reclusive widow who lived alone in an old house in the marshes of England. It does not take long for Kipps to realize that the widow kept a terrible secret, and that the house is haunted by memories of the mysterious woman in black. The novel was adapted into a successful stage play, which is still playing on London's West End and a television movie for Britain's ITV. Now, American audiences will have a chance to be frightened in the new movie, starring everyone's favorite boy wizard.
Fans of Radcliffe remember him as Harry Potter, the character he played in the eight-film series that concluded this summer with "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part II." While Harry's main concern was defeating Voldemort, Radcliffe now plays Kipps, and he will have to face the woman in black.
This character, while still dealing with the supernatural, is more adult. Many viewers might wonder if seeing Radcliffe in his first post-Potter role will be hard to believe.
Junior Lauren Cicale believes in Radcliffe's ability to portray characters other than Harry Potter.
"He looks pretty convincing in the previews," she said.
"Radcliffe will definitely suffer from ‘stuck to one character syndrome,'" junior Patrick Eagens said. "Because no matter what movie he makes for the next five to 10 years, people will see his face and think ‘Harry Potter.' But the kid has some serious acting chops, and I didn't see a scar on his forehead in the preview, so I think he'll do just fine."
Eagens also said that he thinks "The Woman in Black" looks like a typical horror movie. Junior Quemars Ahmed agreed.
"It looks like your standard horror movie, a filler film that studios put out between Oscar season and summer," he said. "I understand he (Radcliffe) has to take on many different roles post-Harry Potter, but there's no reason he can't be a little selective. I'm sorry… I'm not sure if he's a good enough actor to ever break that typecast."
Sophomore Shantell Johnson saw the stage version of "The Woman in Black" when she went to England with Seton Hall's Theatre in London class, and said she is excited to see the film.
"For a play, I was actually really surprised at how well it was able to incorporate the scare factor," Johnson said. "I definitely underestimated it from the beginning. Even though I didn't flinch or anything from fear, it was definitely a great horror play."
However the films turns out, audiences may not be able to guess the secret of the woman in black until it's too late. Hopefully Radcliffe lives to tell his tale.
Patrice Kubik can be reached at patrice.kubik@student.shu. edu.
Jazzmyne Morrison can be reached at jazzmyne.morrison@ student.shu.edu.
Erin Bell contributed to this report. She can be reached at erin.bell@student.shu.edu.
