His Hogwarts days now behind him, Daniel Radcliffe here joins the ranks of another noble British institution: the newly revived Hammer Film Productions, who from the mid-1950s to the late 1970s were the last word in moody Gothic horror.

In his first grown-up role, the erstwhile boy wizard capably shoulders a new adaptation of Susan Hill’s modern classic, spending much of the running time shacked up alone in a secluded, decrepit old manor, tormented by what seems to be the unquiet spirit of its previous occupant.

Delivering ghost-train chills and atmosphere so palpable you’ll be brushing yourself for cobwebs throughout, you could do a lot worse than to spend a night huddled up before this, curtains drawn, candles snuffed, this Halloween.

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[[gerard]] Gerard Elson