The newly revamped Hammer studios has returned, post-Harry Potter Daniel Radcliffe in tow, with a James Watkin directed adaptation of Susan Hill’s much lauded novel, ‘Woman in Black’.

It’s hardly subtle or scant in its shocks, exhausting almost every scare a crumbling gothic mansion could offer; squeaking chairs and doors, warped toys and lingering shadows, but it’s a solid rollicking old fashioned ghost story, which, in its more effective moments, highlights the power of the unseen in a genre so often reliant on overt gore.

Radcliffe was never especially convincing as socially awkward but well-meaning schoolboy Potter, a role in which he essentially played himself, but manages fairly ably here as tight-lipped Arthur Kipp, a recently widowed solicitor sent to the isolated Eel Marsh House to rummage through the papers of the former occupant.  As if foreboding music and gloomy visuals weren’t warning enough, his arrival is heralded by a barrage of hostile locals whispering ominously about child deaths and strange female apparitions. So far, so 'Ghost Hunters'; inventive and nuanced filmmaking this aint.

Characters remain largely undeveloped and Kipp insists on continuing the fifty-year tradition of horror protagonists by going into all the particularly creepy and uninviting rooms, but it’s little matter because the mixing pot of classic Hammer twists and turns ensure it’s constantly entertaining and occasionally edge of seat spooky. Watkins makes great use of space and sound: slow panning cameras reveal hidden figures, and soft backing music creates an eerie melancholic atmosphere. While the screenplay is fairly unremarkable, it’s efficient.  The only real problem is an alteration in ending offering an unnecessarily syrupy and grating resolution.

In spite of all the overused horror gambits, The Woman in Black is a surprisingly refreshing and enjoyable watch and hopefully will herald a larger output from the once great Hammer studios. The more pressing matter for much of the audience will be the career of another great cinematic institution, the formidable Radcliffe. Luckily for them, this more mature, if entirely unchallenging, role will probably ensure his sultry self on our screens for a while longer.