Common Sense Note
Parents need to know that because Daniel Radcliffe stars in this period ghost story, even younger Harry Potter fans may want to see it. But even though there's not a lot of blood and gore, The Woman in Black isn't age appropriate for tweens or younger kids. There are several disturbing deaths in the movie, mostly children who kill themselves at the bequest of a ghost, and all of the scenes at the haunted estate are chock-full of creepy toys, strange noises, and freaky moments that will have audiences jumping in their seats. And the Woman in Black herself is terrifying. There's also some drinking, but not much in the way of language.
Sexual
Content
Not applicable
Violence
Lots of creepy and disturbing scenes; many involving children's deaths. The movie opens with three young sisters jumping out of their attic playroom's windows, plunging to their deaths (viewers see them jump, not land). A girl who drinks lye spits up blood, convulses, and dies. Another girl dies immolating herself in a basement fire. A story refers to how two young boys walked out in the ocean and drowned; in another tale mentioned again and again, a boy drowns in muddy marshland. Faces and figures pop out unexpectedly, and the Woman in Black is terrifying. She screams and is shown hanging and lurking in rooms moments before children die. People catch glimpses of the ghosts of dead children, and two other characters die suddenly, but it's not gory.
Language
"What the hell," "bloody," "oh my God."
Social
Behavior
The only positive message is that the love that binds mothers to their children -- and husbands to their wives (and vice versa) -- continues even after someone has died.
Consumerism
Not applicable
Drugs / Tobacco /
Alcohol
In a few scenes, Arthur joins a town resident in having a hard drink -- both at the inn and at Daly's home. Mrs. Daly requires some form of sedative to calm her down. The inn has a pub where several adults drink a pint. A man is shown smoking a cigar.
