The Woman in Black is a ghost story set in the early 1900s, based off of the book of the same name by Susan Hill. Arthur Kipps (played by Daniel Radcliffe), a recent widower, reluctantly leaves his small son (played by Daniel's adorable real life nephew) to travel for work to a small village to sort out the legal papers of a woman who has just died there. The villagers seem to be hiding something and try to discourage him from staying, except one man, Sam Daily (played by the fantastic Ciarán Hinds). Working at the house, Arthur begins seeing a woman in black on the grounds and inside the house. He must discover how to appease the woman in black before she takes the lives of more children, including his own.
Although the setup is everything we might expect from a classic ghost story, the attention to detail makes this one special. The horror movie stereotypes are numerous, but in this film they feel like a proper homage to the classic ghostly story elements, not tired tropes. The long, candlelit hallway is full of dusty old rooms for ghosts to hide in (or emerge from), and ends in the room of a child, which we can deduce on account of all the creepy old wind up toys scattered around. Emaciated cobwebs cover the portraits that line the wall along the staircase and heavy drapes frame dark doorways.
There are certainly plenty of jump scares, and they make the mistake of getting us too much of a long look at the ghost so the scare factor goes down, but other elements make up for that. I love a good soundless scare--the opposite of a jump scare, where instead of something jumping out at you and the musical score spiking and shrieking suddenly, you just soundlessly notice something in the distance that should. not. be. there. One of the earliest sightings, if not the first sighting, of the woman in black is such a scare and it's delicious!
Of course, then they capitalize on your breathless tension by immediately throwing in a 'cat scare'--so named because you think you see a monster but really it's just a cat (or in this case, a faucet suddenly spouting mud from the pipes). Even this scare is a clue to the unfolding mystery, though, and not just a gimmick. I also love the attention paid to the shape of golden curtains at the opposite end of the hall--the negative space between the drapes is evocative of the woman in black's silhouette and is surely no accident.
Let's get to the knit.
The set itself is dressed beautifully. This is a very atmospheric movie--with muted tones of purple, gold, and a deep, rich turquoise that convey the moodiness of the house and the ones who lived (live?!) there. Some extravagant clothing shows up on Mrs. Daily in the form of lace, embroidered and brocade-type fabrics, but there isn't much knit at all in the movie. A couple of village women wear wraps in one scene, and a boy wears a plain cardigan in another brief scene. In a way, it's not terribly surprising--knitted colorwork pullovers or granny-square couch afghans typically evoke a cozy, nostalgic vibe, which isn't helpful in creating an atmosphere of unease or downright terror!
One of the villager's wives wears a knit wrap in a style known as a Sontag, or "bosom friend." A Sontag generally crosses over the body and ties in back, although some variance in length and style seems permissible and still included in the category.
This one appears to be knit in a DK or worsted weight wool, knit almost entirely in ribbing with subtle shaping at the edging to give a slight ruffled look around what serves as the sleeves when worn.
The earliest published pattern of a Sontag shows up in in a ladies' 1860 magazine called Godey’s Lady’s Book and Magazine.
Like the look? Check out these patterns:
L to R: Tess D'Urberville's Shawl by Kay Meadors (knit, free pattern; photo credit dctangles );
Tess D'Urberville's Shawl by Kay Meadors (crochet, free pattern; photo credit dctangles);
To Eyre by Carol Sunday (knit; photo credit Carol Sunday)
The titular costuming belongs, of course, to the woman in black, and while her clothing is difficult to get a close look at, it does not seem to contain any significant knit elements. However, check out this pattern that is 100% evocative of the macabre moodiness of the film: the Widow's Web Shawl (knit) from Our Widow:
I am knitting one up right now and the wide open weave and fuzzy halo on the particular yarn I am using makes it look like spiderweb covered in dust. Perfect, no?
Some fun further reading:
The Woman in Black Book Analysis (if you really want to dig in)
*Post not sponsored.*
Comments