Director James Watkins brings Hammer’s latest horror to life with
star Daniel Radcliffe by Holly Interlandi
recent years. Under new direction, the UK studio has produced a number of films since 2009, including THE RESIDENT, LET ME IN, and now THE WOMAN IN BLACK, which is a melancholy ghost story starring Daniel Radcliffe and directed by James Watkins. Famous Monsters recently spoke with Watkins about his own horror history, early Hammer movies, typecasting, and the elements of fear.
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Famous Monsters. As you well know, THE WOMAN IN BLACK is one of the first movies that Hammer Film Productions has made since they “rebooted”, so to speak. I read an interview with you in which you said you were influenced by 70s movies. Were any of those movies Hammer movies? How has Hammer Horror influenced you, if at all? James Watkins. The earlier films, certainly! Probably not so much the late 70s ones, but the early Terence Fisher Dracula and Frankenstein films. There’s a very rich legacy. But it was not consciously that I was influenced. In terms of my approach to the material, the attraction was Jane [Goldman]’s script. That’s what I responded to. The fact that the film is associated with Hammer is a bonus, but it was not the clincher. That said, we are what we
26 FAMOUS MONSTERS OF FILMLAND • MAR/APR 2012
lthough Hammer is most often associated with films made half a century ago, the film company has seen a ressurrection in
eat, and having consumed some of those films, there’s definitely a certain similarity… even some of the lighting structures to be employed in terms of making a film with a really rich, saturated look—the deep reds, the blues, and the purple colors of decay… for me, that was very much influenced by looking back at some of the early Terence Fisher films, the early Draculas. At the same time, I’ve been just as influenced by Dario Argento. It’s hard to figure these things out.
FM. It’s a cocktail of influences. It always is. [Laughs] JW. Yeah, totally!
FM. Your film is a remake of sorts… although Jane Goldman based her script on the original novel. JW. That’s right. It’s not related to the BBC film… or whatever television channel it was. It’s going back to the source, to Susan Hill’s book (THE WOMAN IN BLACK, 1983). We very much based it on that.
FM. Have you seen the original film? JW. I have, actually. I only saw it recently. I wasn’t influenced by it in terms of the making, but weirdly, it was written by Nigel Kneale, who wrote some of the early QUATERMASS films. And
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