Susan Granger’s review of “Woman in Black 2: Angel of Death” (Relativity Media/Hammer Films)
Back in 2012, when Daniel Radcliffe chose to play the widowed Edwardian solicitor Arthur Kipps in the original “Woman in Black” as his breakout role after Harry Potter, it sparked inordinate interest in the psychological horror thriller. Its pedestrian sequel not only lacks Radcliffe but also the terror factor.
During Germany’s WWII bombing of London in 1941, caretakers are charged with escorting a group of children out of the war-torn city and into the safety of the countryside. They take refuge in the eerie, isolated Eel Marsh House that happens to be haunted by the vengeful, darkly veiled, titular female.
Much to the consternation of prim schoolteacher Eve Parkins (Phoebe Fox), the sinister apparition soon becomes obsessed with stalking shy, young Edward (Oaklee Pendergast), whose parents were killed in the Blitz. As a result of that trauma, he’s become mute, unable to scream when the menacing, malevolent spirit appears.
Riffing off a 1983 novella by British horror author Susan Hill, screenwriter Jon Croker and director Tom Harper toss in more convoluted plot points, like the ghostly Woman’s complicated backstory, a stern headmistress (Helen McCrory), a local doctor (Adrian Rawlins), and a fearful RAF pilot, Harry Burnstow (Jeremy Irvine), who is struggling with cowardice.
It’s unfortunate that cinematographer George Steel’s spooky sequences feature shaky, jump scares that are ominously punctuated by the creepy, predictable sound track.
On the Granger Movie Gauge of 1 to 10, “Woman in Black 2: Angel of Death” is a feeble 4, concluding with a scene that suggests that a third installment may be on its way.
