In color, this is hit or miss. But bathed in silvery cinematography, with a heavy accent on shadow and darkness, “The Woman in Black 2” might have served as an effective tribute to movies like “Curse of the Cat People.” That is, if it hadn’t completely squandered all this goodwill in its last third. As if anticipating the audience’s dissatisfaction with mere atmospheric creepiness, director Tom Harper and screenwriter Jon Croker backload the jump scares and the silliness, cramming way too many “simply for effect” moments in the last half hour. The two biggest jolts are in the commercial, though judging by the audience reaction at my screening, not many people have seen those TV ads.
This is an odd sequel in that its titular character has been reduced to a supporting role. “The Woman in Black 2” focuses on Eve (Phoebe Fox), a teacher whose young students are evacuated from London during the Blitz. One of her students, Edward (Oaklee Pendergast) has just lost both of his parents to a bombing. Rendered mute from the shock, Edward communicates with pencil and paper when he’s not staring catatonically into space. This provokes cruelty from the other students and a sense of maternal protectiveness in Eve.
Eve and her charges are relocated to Eel Marsh House, the haunted site of the original “Woman in Black.” En route, she meets Harry (Jeremy Irvine), a charming pilot stationed at a base not too far from Eel Marsh House. Sparks are evident, especially when he pays her a visit once she’s settled in at the house. When a vengeful spirit’s name is in the title, however, there’s little running time for hanky-panky, rumpy-pumpy or wistful gazes across crowded rooms.
Fans of the original film know that Daniel Radcliffe’s Arthur Kipps went to town of Crythin Gifford where Eel Marsh House was located. He tells the story of how the unmarried Woman in Black gave birth to a son she was forced to give up to her sister. The son, Nathaniel, was killed by the unusual topography surrounding the road that leads to Eel Marsh House: At high tide, the road is submerged in water, causing Nathaniel to drown while the Woman in Black looked on helplessly. After she died, the Woman in Black returned to haunt Eel Marsh House. Her appearance is a harbinger for the death of a child. In the sequel, the doomed child in question is Edward.
ncG1vNJzZmivp6x7s7vGnqmempWnwW%2BvzqZmq52mnrK4v46tn55lp6S6orqMoqVmmpyWsKx5kWaYp5%2BVoXqwsoydnJqsmGJ%2FcX2U