The Woman in Black (2012)
James Watkins’ 2012 adaptation of The Woman in Black is quite a radical adaptation of Susan Hill’s story, yet it still manages to remain true to its central themes. Jane Goldman of Kick-Ass, X-Men: First Class fame, has crafted a screenplay which is both innovative yet strangely traditional. She boldly revises the central character from contented husband to desolate widower; a move that adds a very bleak under current to the story. The more ghoulish elements of the narrative have been greatly enhanced and the film works the best when the eponymous character makes an appearance via jump scares. Despite a modest budget of $15 million, The Woman in Black went to make over $127,730,736 worldwide making it the most financially successful British horror film in 20 years.
Mrs. Brown, You've Got a Lovely Daughter (1968)
I was channel surfing a while back when I stumbled across Mrs. Brown, You've Got a Lovely Daughter, a feature film starring none other than Herman's Hermits! Now I was aware that after the success of the Fab Four's A Hard Day’s Night and Help, several popular bands tried to follow in their wake. The Dave Clark Five made Catch Us If You Can (directed by John Boorman) and there were numerous vehicles for Cliff Richard. But apparently, Herman's Hermits were signed to MGM records in the US and it was standard marketing practice to make at least one feature film vehicle for their bestselling artists. Apparently, this included Hank Williams, Connie Francis and Roy Orbison although I’m not familiar with the movies they made. Hence there’s nothing really that unusual about this film’s existence.