Forgive me for sounding hyperbolic, but this is a very crucial moment in time for Daniel Radclffe. Yes, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part II broke nearly every box-office record in existence, but now this young lead actor must prove that he can carry a movie beyond wizardry and built-in franchises based upon already successful books. In short, he’s probably got a few years and a couple of misses to rely upon, but Radcliffe must prevail beyond the character that he portrayed for nearly a decade. And he’s certainly got a promising start; for three years ago, he made his (nude) Broadway debut in Equus to rave reviews. Now, Radcliffe makes his post-Harry Potter cinematic debut in a film called The Woman in Black. If you’re interested in an official description, well sure. Here you go:

The story follows a young lawyer, Arthur Kipps (Radcliffe), who is ordered to travel to a remote village and sort out a recently deceased client’s papers. As he works alone in the client’s isolated house, Kipps begins to uncover tragic secrets, his unease growing when he glimpses a mysterious woman dressed only in black. Receiving only silence from the locals, Kipps is forced to uncover the true identity of the Woman in Black on his own, leading to a desperate race against time when he discovers her true intent.

[From Hammer Films]

C’mon. This is an an adaptation of the 1983 novel (by Susan Hill) about a specter that haunts an English town, so we could at least characterize Radcliffe’s character as a proper “barrister,” right? Check out the trailer, and afterwards, we’ll discuss:

Freaky, right? That “thing” at 1:15 completely threw me off guard, and I seriously doubt that poor Kaiser will be sleeping for at least the next three nights. Mostly, the atmosphere is what does the trick here, although the creepy little girls and Radcliffe certainly don’t hurt matters. The film does look quite interesting, but we’ll have to wait a bit longer to see the full theatrical trailer, which will hopefully arrive in short order, no?

Movie stills courtesy of HammerFilms.com