#The woman in black book plus
#The woman in black book tv

The characters are possessed by the ghost of ‘the woman in black’, and admit this when they revisit living characters as ghosts. There is strong contextual justification to the feature of child suicides within the film, in that these are clearly set within a supernatural storyline and an unrealistic setting. Suspense also builds about how the narrative will resolve, which in some ways resembles a detective story. Although there is a degree of intensity to the scenes involving the ghosts, it slowly increases in the first 40 minutes and is then broken up at intervals by other scenes and stories, with a number of quieter periods in between the more frightening sequences. The BBFC Guidelines at the time for 12A/12 stated that 'Moderate physical and psychological threat may be permitted, providing disturbing sequences are not frequent or sustained'.

Moreover, the BBFC was also aware that as Daniel Radcliffe was starring in The Woman In Black (one of his first major film roles since finishing the Harry Potter series), the film might attract a younger audience, that may not usually choose to watch a scary film. This said, arguments in favour of a 15 classification included the fact that the general mood and tone of the film is quite bleak, and the premise of a ghost manipulating children into harming or killing themselves makes this a potentially disturbing feature for young children. The BBFC also took into account how the period setting of the story provides a degree of separation between the film and contemporary reality, and is in the tradition of classic ghost stories such as those of M.R. If the film had been rated 15, some might have argued it unfair for the BBFC to prevent 12 to 14 year olds experiencing an adaptation of such a well known story – especially as the film relies on atmosphere and a traditional ghost story format and 'frights', rather than on graphic or explicit imagery. The book also appears on the national curriculum, and schools therefore frequently take pupils to see the stage version.

#The woman in black book tv

The BBFC considered that the theme of the film was a relatively known quantity: the best-selling book was adapted for the stage in 1987 and has played continuously in the West End of London, and was broadcast as a TV drama in 1989. Therefore several factors needed to be considered by the BBFC before a decision on the final category for the film could be made.

#The woman in black book plus

The BBFC considered the film to be on the border between the 12A and 15 categories, because of the number of scenes of supernatural horror and threat in which the ghost of the 'woman in black', plus the ghosts of her victims, appear to and threaten the central character and others. Then the finalised version of the film was submitted in early 2012, also with a 12A category request this was seen by a group of BBFC Examiners, plus the BBFC Director.

The first version of the British made film was submitted for classification to the BBFC for an advice viewing in 2011, with a 12A category request. Set in late Victorian/early Edwardian times, it follows a young lawyer who travels to a remote rural village, where he discovers a vengeful ghost responsible for the deaths of local children. The Woman In Black is a film version of the 1983 ghost story by Susan Hill, written in the style of a traditional gothic novel.