In Susan Hill’s original 1983 novel, the setting is even more specific. The story takes place in a fictional town called Crythin Gifford. The house is on a real place called Nine Lives Causeway.
Hill was inspired by the Essex coast. She loved the eerie flatness of the salt marshes there. But the film crew needed something more dramatic. They packed their bags and moved north to Northumberland.
So the “Woman in Black” exists in two landscapes: the flat, muddy Essex of the book and the rugged, rocky Northumberland of the film. Both are miserably beautiful. Both are perfect.
The Weirdest Real-Life Connection
Ready for a spooky coincidence? The village of Alnmouth has a history of smuggling and shipwrecks. It’s genuinely atmospheric. There’s even a local legend about a ghostly woman in a white dress. Not black, but close.
And get this: the film’s director, James Watkins, said he picked the location because it felt “prehistoric.” He wanted a place that felt disconnected from time. Mission accomplished. The farmhouse at Hauxley looks like it was built by sad, ancient wizards.
If you visit, bring a good raincoat. And maybe a flashlight. It gets dark early there. The fog can roll in faster than you can say “Arthur Kipps.”
