She’s back. And she’s definitely in black.
Tom Harper takes the reins in his role as director for the sequel of The Woman in Black in The Woman in Black 2: Angel of Death. Though the story was neither memorable nor good, this spine-tingling, hair-raising, and scream-worthy film doesn’t fail to punch the viewer’s gut with fear in the way the first film, directed by James Watkins and starring Daniel Radcliffe, did. We see no actors in this cast that would be typically recognizable to the American media consumer, but actors and actresses like Phoebe Fox and Oaklee Pendergast give strong performances in this thriller, which will have you avoiding to look at your mirror when you brush your teeth at night.
In both films we not only see the sadistic and vengeful side to the Woman, but also the ghost’s relation to children. Because of her tragic story, shown through letters in the first film and some clues in the second, the ghost of Jennet Humfrye tends to cause harm specifically towards children; but in this terrifying sequel, she grows protective and possessive of one in particular. Similar to the Australian film, the Babadook, viewers will get an a chill with a childlike drawing of the Woman found in the sequel. As the movie progresses, you can only glimpse the woman in short instances, but not well enough to get a true sense of her appearance. This will have you closing your eyes and/or covering your ears even at the slightest glimpse of her black veil, or her pale and mutilated face.
Funding definitely should not have been a problem for the film, especially since the sets were superb (like a bomb shelter during the Blitz in London, the haunted mansion, an airfield, as well as a whole street in London). With good acting, moments of gut-wrenching fear, and a good representation of the time period, the Woman in Black 2 is definitely a film I would recommend to give yourself some easy shivers with friends or family.
I rate it 2 creepy sailor dolls out of 5. Happy Halloween!