"The Woman in Black" is a supernatural period horror film directed by James Watkins and produced by the British company, Hammer Film Productions; it is an adaptation of the novel of the same title by Susan Hill written in 1983. The film is set in Edwardian England and focuses on the young widowed solicitor who journeys to an isolated village, which is haunted by the ghost of a woman avenging her dead son by murdering the village children.
The film opening marks the overall Gothic tone and introduces the antagonist- "The Woman in Black" and her intentions to lead all the village children to their death. The sequence opens with a close up shot of a toy tea set, creating a sense of normality that conforms to the conventional opening of a horror film by establishing a familiar setting; however paired with the contrapuntal non diegetic audio of the organ and tinkling music box in a minor key- creates a sinister and foreboding tone.
The little girls are framed within a mid shot to show how innocent and happy they are as they play together with their dolls. However the change in mood is signified with the pause of the non diegetic audio and the long shot, almost like a point of view shot- of the girls as they all turn to look up and stare; with this the non diegetic audio changes to become a lower pitch, confirming to the audience that there is the presence of something sinister with the girls synchronously look towards the window framed in a mid shot. The pairing of the slow zoom into the window with the reintroduction of the motif of the tinkling music box non diegetic audio speeded up slightly, increases the tension within the scene.
The succession of quick cut shots as the girls simultaneously stand up with close ups of the feet of the girls emphasises the quick pace of action as the mood changes. The close up shot to follow drop of the toy tea cup is further emphasised with the post production diegetic audio of a crash as the tea cup breaks; followed by the series of close ups of the children stepping on the dolls heads and tea pots crushing them, highlights the sudden disorder of the scene contrasting greatly with how careful the girls were previously with their toys.
The slow motion tracking mid shot of the girls walking in line towards the window is cut to the sinister shot of the girls stepping up and opening the window simultaneously, conform to a typical depiction of a seemingly innocent child becoming creepy or possessed.
The off screen diegetic audio of a shriek confirms to the audience the tragedy of the little girl's death and paired with the close up shot of a wide eyed doll creates a ominous atmosphere. This off screen scream creates a sound bridge into the slow zoom out of the room to reveal part of a female figure dressed in black framed in the corner of the screen, revealing to the audience that the death of the girls linked to the presence of this supernatural figure.
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