HAMMER FILMS: WOMAN IN BLACK PREMIER: ROYAL FESTIVAL HALL LONDON

Daniel Radcliffe brought The Woman in Black to London's Royal Festival Hall tonight (January 24) for the world premiere of the supernatural ghost story.

The movie sees Harry Potter star Radcliffe play Arthur Kipps, a young lawyer who experiences a supernatural encounter when he is sent to a secluded village to attend to a recently deceased client's affairs.

Radcliffe said of his new role: "It felt very natural to be stepping into another character and starting this next phase of my career."

The film is a dark tale full of scary moments but Radcliffe insisted there had not been such a gloomy atmosphere on set. He said: "We had a very nice, relaxed time on all of our locations. It was a very good time and nothing scary happened."

The film, which is already a hit West End play, was adapted from Susan Hill's novel by Kick-Ass script writer Jane Goldman. Radcliffe insisted the pressure of The Woman In Black's long-running success had not loomed over him while making the film. He said: "They're totally separate entities so I don't think we are going to be compared to other versions of it. But it will be great for this classic story to get such a wide audience."

Goldman, who attended the premiere with husband Jonathan Ross, revealed she was very impressed by Radcliffe's performance.

She said: "I think he's incredible and so many people have come up to me at screenings and said they have been blown away by Daniel. And rightly so, he's amazing."

The Woman in Black director James Watkins and screenwriter Jane Goldman also turned out for the debut. The film will open in UK cinemas on February 17.