Radcliffe so-so in 'The Woman in Black'

From the creepy atmosphere of a Gothic mansion to the multitudes of PG-13 heart-jumping scares, The Woman in Black has just about everything you could want in a ghost story -- except an ending.

Like many ghost tales, the final scare is hardly the biggest or best. Instead, the creepy spirit of the film dissipates in a rush to the climax, one that feels tonally out of place with the rest of the movie.

Daniel Radcliffe, in his first post-Harry Potter gig, is the star of The Woman in Black, and it's obvious just how well cast he was for the former role.

He plays a young, gloomy widower and attorney named Arthur Kipps, whose years-long grieving over the death of his spouse is affecting his relationship with his young son, who draws frowny-face pictures of his dad, and his work at a London law firm.

Daniel Radcliffe is a gloomy widower named Aruthur Kipps in the horror film, 'The Woman in Black,' which opens Friday. CBS FILMS Enlarge

To keep his employment status, Kipps is given a final opportunity to prove himself by tending to the legal affairs of a recently deceased woman in an English village several hours away. But when Kipps arrives in the village by train, he is anything but welcome.

The reasons for the cold reception are kept from him, and us, until much later, but it involves a curse from a grieving mother who is exacting revenge from beyond the grave. Never mind that the townsfolk who are being hurt by the apparition had nothing to do with her misfortune. Such is the way of serial killers and vengeful spirits that everyone must suffer for long-ago misdeeds.

Ultimately, it's up to Kipps to set things right with the help of a disbelieving wealthy local man (Ciaran Hinds) and his troubled wife (Oscar nominee Janet McTeer).

As Harry, Radcliffe was the perfect incarnation of the skinny, gently handsome hero burdened with ill fortune and a troubling legacy. But as Kipps, Radcliffe -- whose pale skin resembles Robert Pattinson's vampire in Twilight, minus the sparkles -- brings little on-screen charisma with him from the Potter series.

It's a good performance by Radcliffe, and without the distractions of being a bona-fide Hollywood movie star the likes of Matt Damon or Brad Pitt, his celebrity presence does not siphon from the believability of his character. But the actor is vanilla in this role, a bland figure with no defining or memorable moment. Radcliffe's Kipps is just there, like a film prop necessary to move the story along. Hopefully, this is not a sign of what's to come in his career.

The screenplay is by Jane Goldman (Kick-Ass, X-Men: First Class), adapting the popular novel by Susan Hill. Goldman and director James Watkins (Eden Lake) have a lot of fun scaring us. There's nothing terribly original in how Watkins and Goldman go about their frights, but why quibble with what works? And The Woman in Black works best when it's creeping us out.

It's up to Kipps (Radcliffe) to set things right in a haunted village. CBS FILMS Enlarge

It's that fear factor -- especially when you know a scare is imminent -- that makes the middle section of The Woman in Black so effective. Kipps opts to spend the night alone in the dark, abandoned mansion and sort through the widow's papers. The frights begin with noises, then shadows, then ghostly figures, and our dread and unease grows. Watkins has the good sense to know when to push our buttons and when to let off. At least for this half-hour or so there isn't much time to rest, as Kipps bravely (perhaps stupidly) explores the dark rooms upstairs by candlelight, chasing down the source of the mysterious noises alone, fearing what he might find behind the next door or in the dark corner of a room.

It's too bad that the scares grow scarce as the film races toward a conclusion. Kipps gains more insight into the cause and solution of the hauntings than should rightfully be expected, but none of it makes much sense, at least as it is presented onscreen.

It's a tidy finale that feels dishonest.

THE WOMAN IN BLACK

Directed by James Watkins. Screenplay by Jane Goldman, based on the Susan Hill novel. A CBS Films release, playing at Rave Franklin Park, Fallen Timbers, and Levis Commons. Rated PG-13 for thematic material and violence, and disturbing images. Running time: 95 minutes.

Critic's rating: ** 1/2

Arthur Kipps ........... Daniel Radcliffe

Mr. Daily ........... Ciaran Hinds

Mrs. Daily ........... Janet McTeer.

Contact Kirk Baird at kbaird@theblade.com or 419-724-6734.