A widowed London lawyer, Arthur, is sent to a rural village to oversee the sale of a mansion owned by a deceased Alice Drablow. He stays with Sam and his peculiar wife Elisabeth, who is deeply affected by their young son's death. When Arthur spends a day in the mansion to look at papers, he sees a ghost of a woman wearing black. When he returns to the village, one of the village children dies by drinking poison. Arthur learns about the legend of the woman in black, whose sightings mean the eminent death of a child. Soon, Arthur's presence in the village becomes a cause of worry to the townsfolk. Nevertheless, Arthur keeps coming back to the mansion to do his job. While reading papers, he finds letters between Alice and her insane sister Jennet. Jennet's young son Nathaniel was raised by Alice and her husband, and in an accident by the marsh, the boy drowns. Jennet has nothing but hatred for her sister, and took this anger to her grave. When another child dies in the village, Arthur is convinced. Fearful for his son who will be visiting soon from London, Arthur and Sam retrieve Nathaniel's bones in the marsh, and take it to his room in the mansion, where Jennet will hopefully be reunited with it. After burying the boy next to Jennet's grave, Arthur awaits his son's arrival. At the village train station with his son, the ghost appears again, his son walks on the tracks, Arthur jumps after him. When they open their eyes, they see Arthur's beautiful wife, and she leads them off to the distance.
Click here to see the rest of this review...
Best part of story, including ending:
The isolated mansion in the middle of the marsh, the small English village, and the time period make this the perfect setting for a scary story.
Best scene in story:
When Arthur would roam the mansion halls alone, pursuing the scary noises he'd hear.
Opinion about the main character:
Because of his wife's death, Arthur is lost. So when he pursues the ghost, it's as if he has nothing to lose anymore.