When I saw the trailers for this, I decided that I wanted to go see it even though I knew it was gonna be dark and twisted because I went to see the the stage play about 4 years ago. I purposely chose not to go on an orange wednesday knowing that it would be full of kids. Unfortunately it still was. But luckily they kicked some of them out for being to noisy.
It's a very good adaptation from stage to film. The plot is chilling, it's about a ghost haunting the local village and convincing young children to kill themselves, after she lost her own son was taken from her. It all begins because Kipps (Radcliffe) comes to sell on the house, that he sees the ghost at, in order to protect his job. After the first death, the locals tell him to leave because whenever somebody sees her it results in a child's life being taken. He doesn't leave and continues to see the woman's ghost. The scenes that take place in the house about half way through the film are quite chilling to watch, as she pops up a lot behind him and in various places.
The one thing I remembered clearly about the play was the rocking chair and as soon as I knew what to expect. One minute she's not there then the next she is and gone again. It's typical thriller/horror that plays on the fear senses. The way they filmed the deaths of the young children is quite chilling and adds to the horror of the rest of the film.
Kipp and Sam (Hinds) pull the wagon that crashed with the woman's young son in, out of the sinking mud to reunite them and to protect Kipp's Joseph. Although he attempted to stop his Joseph and nanny from heading up to meet him, he was too late in his efforts. He reunites them in nursery and then a female voice says "I never forget. I never forgive". When he meets his Joseph at the station and is distracted talking, she gets his Joseph to walk on to the track and when Kipps realises and runs to save him from the on coming train. It's to late. But the end of the film is sweet, they are reunited with his wife and Joseph's mother Stella (Stuckey).
I don't agree with the certificate of the film thought, I know this is currently being debated by a lot of people and everyone has different opinions. But personally I would rather them had left that 6 seconds of gruesome to up the rating. I personally don't feel it's appropriate for most 12 year-olds because of the grueling story.
