Monday, February 27, 2012

The Woman in Black twist ending

The Woman in Black is a supernatural movie about a young lawyer helping a small town to overcome the curse of the woman in black. In most good horror movies, the twist ending is a powerful device to make the moviegoer think beyond the initial viewing. Movies with twist endings are entertaining to the mind.

***Movie Spoilers*** 

The Woman in Black twist ending occurs the moment the woman in black hypnotizes little Joseph to walk on the railroad tracks. Arthur races to save his son seconds before the train bulldozes them. 

We see Arthur holding Joseph. The father and son survived. However, the train station is pitch dark. It is then we realize the truth - Arthur and Joseph died in the train collision. 

The motif of darkness conveys the afterlife. We see the darkness in the woman in black's estate. This same darkness now smothers the train station. Arthur and Joseph reside in the astral plane, a dimension that imitates the physical world.

The moment of realization that add depth to the twist ending is Stella's Angel body. Joseph asks his father who the woman is. Arthur tells his son the woman is his mother. 

The twist ending is emotionally charged. We never expect Arthur to reunite with his wife. Thus, the son meets his mother for the first time in the afterlife. His face is gleaming of happiness. It is a touching twist ending that has moviegoers clapping and crying. 

The Woman in Black twist ending is written nicely, conveying the meaning of reuniting family to reach Heaven. Arthur mourns the death of his wife. in the twist ending, Arthur and his son reunite with the wife/mother. The best horror movies with twist endings leave a lasting impression on moviegoers.  

image credit: horror.about.com


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10 comments:

  1. YOU"RE ALL WRONG. I see a different ending. not a happy one. but a bit of a twist to the twist. I believe that arthur and misha were not walking off with stella, rather they were walking off with TWIB who was appearing to them as stella. they are off to join the rest of the children in their fate as hopeless prisoners. TWIB even looks like stella at the ending shot. Here's my reasoning....at the very beginning, and then throughout we see the children committing suicide for some unexplained reason. this is the most horrific point in the story, and it should have been on the forefront of your thoughts throughout. (for some reason i do not see anyone else discussing this point.....-wake up folks). at the 70 minute mark, mrs daley is possessed by nicholas who speaks to arthur, reiterating the disturbing fact "she makes us do it..... somehow she takes us". this movie would have no closure without answering this quiestion, and the ending provides this by showing that TWIB appears as someone or something that the children are drawn to which they do not fear. TWIB then leads them away and they are trapped in her domain. teck has spoken.

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