Blu-ray, DVD Release: The Woman in Black

Blu-ray & DVD Release Date: May 22, 2012, Digital Download Release Date: May 15, 2012
Price: DVD $30.99, Blu-ray $35.99
Studio: Sony Pictures Home Entertainment


The Woman in BlackDaniel Radcliffe’s first film after his breakout role as Harry Potter, The Woman in Black is a departure from the children’s fantasy but still has lots of the supernatural.

In the horror movie, Radcliffe, barely looking old enough for the stubble on his chin, plays Arthur Kipps, a young lawyer and widower who’s assigned to investigate the will of a woman who owns an old English manor. When he travels to the remote village where the woman lived, Kipps is not welcomed by the locals, who warn him to stay away from the manor. He doesn’t, however, with threats that if he returns to London without the information he needs, he might lose his job. Soon after he’s in the manor, he starts seeing an eery woman while children in the village start dieing in strange ways.

Based on the novel by Susan Hill, The Woman in Black also stars Ciaran Hinds (The Debt), Roger Allam (The Iron Lady) and Janet McTeer (Albert Nobbs). The movie was directed by James Watkins (Eden Lake) and written by Jane Goldman, the writer of X-Men: First Class and Kick-Ass.

The old school ghost film, rated PG-13, grossed a decent $53.5 million when it was in theaters, receiving mixed reviews from critics. New Yorker‘s Bruce Diones liked it, saying the “moody, beautifully composed production raises [the movie] above the norm.” Detroit News‘ Adam Graham didn’t see it as favorable, however, saying, “The Woman in Black is your standard-issue ghost story, gussied up in period garb to make it look like a prestige picture.”

Both the DVD and Blu-ray offer the film as a download or stream via UltraViolet and these special features:

  • commentary with Watkins and Goldman
  • featurette “Inside the Perfect Thriller: Making Woman in Black
  • featurette “No Fear: Daniel Radcliffe as Arthur Kipps.”
Buy or Rent The Woman in Black
Amazon graphic
DVD | Blu-ray
DVD Empire graphicDVD | Blu-ray Movies Unlimited graphicDVD | Blu-ray Netflix graphic

About S. Clark

Sam Clark is the former Managing Editor/Online Editor of Video Business magazine. With 19 years experience in journalism, 12 in the home entertainment industry, Sam has been hooked on movies on since she saw E.T. then stared into the sky waiting to meet her own friendly alien. Thanks to her husband’s shared love of movies, Sam reviews Blu-ray discs in a true home theater, with a 118-inch screen, projector and cushy recliners with cup holders.