The Woman in Black: Angel of Death

Last updated

The Woman in Black: Angel of Death
Womaninblack2poster.jpg
Theatrical release poster
Directed by Tom Harper
Screenplay byJon Croker
Story by Susan Hill
Produced by
Starring
CinematographyGeorge Steel
Edited byMark Eckersley
Music by
Production
companies
Distributed by
Release dates
  • 30 December 2014 (2014-12-30)(Dubai premiere) [2]
  • 2 January 2015 (2015-01-02)
Running time
98 minutes [3]
Countries
  • Canada [4]
  • United Kingdom
  • United States [5]
LanguageEnglish
Budget$15 million [6]
Box office$48.9 million [1]

The Woman in Black: Angel of Death is a 2014 supernatural horror film directed by Tom Harper and starring Phoebe Fox, Jeremy Irvine, Helen McCrory, Adrian Rawlins, Leanne Best, and Ned Dennehy. The screenplay was written by Jon Croker from a story by Susan Hill. [7] It is the sequel to the 2012 film The Woman in Black , and is produced by Hammer Film Productions and Entertainment One. During WWII, the London bombings force two schoolteachers to evacuate a group of children to the coastal village of Crythin Gifford. When the refugees take shelter at Eel Marsh House, one teacher, Eve Parkins, soon realizes they are not alone. Little does she know that what lives in the house is more sinister than what they were running from. The film had a premiere in Dubai on December 30, 2014.

Contents

Plot

Thirty years after the events of the first film, during the London Blitz, Eve Parkins joins some of her schoolchildren and the school's headmistress, Jean Hogg, to evacuate them to the isolated village of Crythin Gifford. On the train journey there, Eve meets dashing RAF pilot Harry Burnstow, who is stationed at an airfield near Crythin Gifford. Upon arrival at the apparently deserted village, Eve is confronted by a raving madman, Jacob, and flees.

Although Eve and Jean do not approve of Eel Marsh House, the isolated manor house on an island in the marshes where they have been billeted, there is no alternative. That night, Eve has a nightmare of how she was forced to give up her baby when she was younger. When she awakens, she hears the noise of a rocking chair coming from the cellar. There she finds a message, scolding her for letting her child go, and sees a woman dressed in black. The next morning, one of the children, Edward, who has been mute since the death of his parents in the bombing, is bullied by two other children and sees the Woman in Black in the nursery. Eve feels that something is wrong when Edward starts constantly carrying around a rotting doll. That night, one of the boys Tom who was bullying him is drawn out of the house by the Woman in Black; Eve finds his body on the beach, tangled in barbed wire.

Eve later sees the Woman in Black in the graveyard near the house, where she finds the grave of Nathaniel Drablow. She chases the ghost to the beach and is overcome by visions of Nathaniel's death. At the house, she and Harry establish the story of the ghost through an old recording made by Alice Drablow before her death at the hands of the Woman in Black: it is her sister, Jennet Humpfrye, the mother of the child she adopted, Nathaniel. Jennet is haunting them because of Nathaniel's premature death, and is punishing Eve in particular for giving up her baby. Eve journeys into the abandoned village to confront Jacob, who is blind and therefore unable to be killed by the ghost, as he cannot see her. However, he has been driven insane by the deaths of all the other children (whose ghosts surround him) and tries to kill Eve before she escapes.

Back at the house, Jean finds one of the girls trying to strangle herself under the Woman's spell. During an air raid, the girl suffocates herself using a gas mask. After this death, Harry takes them to his airfield, which is revealed to be a decoy to divert enemy bombers. Harry, the only man stationed there, has been disgraced following a crash in which he was the only survivor, and is no longer allowed to fly. Eve realises that the Woman has followed them, as when Harry is looking for Edward sees a child figure inside a plane decoy, but on clambering inside is confronted by a disfigured Tom now a ghost who glares hatefully at him. Edward flees and apparently dies by walking into a fire basket. Eve, however, realises that Edward is still alive and at Eel Marsh House. Realising that the Woman in Black wants her alone, she drives to the island, where she finds Edward walking out into the marsh to drown himself where Nathaniel died. She crawls after him, at tells him to think of his mother breaking Jennet's hold over him, but they are dragged down into the mud by the ghosts of her victims. At the last minute, Harry arrives and saves them, though he is then seized by the child ghosts and dragged down to his death instead.

Months later, Eve has adopted Edward, and they are living in London. Although they believe they are free from Jennet Humpfrye, once they leave their house, she appears again and smashes a picture of Harry and his crew.

Cast

Development

In April 2012, Hammer Films announced that there would be a sequel to The Woman in Black, titled The Woman in Black: Angel of Death. Originally, the official plot synopsis was different from that of the final film: "Seized by the government and converted into a military mental hospital during World War II, the sudden arrival of disturbed soldiers to Eel Marsh House has awoken its darkest inhabitant. Eve, a beautiful young nurse, is sent to the house to care for the patients but soon realises she must save them from more than their own demons. Despite Eve’s efforts to stop her, one by one they fall victim to the Woman in Black." [8]

The screenplay was written by Jon Croker though the original novel's author, Susan Hill, was approached to help with the story. [9] [10] [11] In October 2012, Tom Harper was announced as the film's director. [12] In April 2013, it was announced that Jeremy Irvine will play the lead role. Rumours circulated that Daniel Radcliffe would briefly reprise his role from the first film [13] but this never came to pass. Principal photography for the film began in early 2014. [14]

Film novelisation

On 18 October 2013, a novelisation of the film's screenplay was released by Hammer Books (Random House Publishing) in England. The novelisation was written by crime fiction author Martyn Waites, [15] and critical reception for the book has been generally negative. [16] [17] [18]

Soundtrack

The soundtrack album was released on 30 December 2014 over the Indie label Varèse Sarabande Records. [19]

Release

Theatrical release

The movie was originally set to be released on 30 January 2015, but instead it was moved to 1 January 2015. It was released in Canada and the United States on 2 January 2015, then released in France on 14 January 2015 and in Russia on 15 January 2015.

Home media

The Woman in Black: Angel of Death was released on DVD and Blu-ray on 14 April 2015. [20] The Blu-ray features the documentary "Pulling Back the Veil: The Woman in Black 2 - Angel of Death" [21] [20]

Critical response

On Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds a rating of 23%, based on 81 reviews, with an average rating of 4.5/10. The consensus reads, "The Woman in Black 2: Angel of Death is atmospheric and visually sharp, but it's short on tension and scares." [22] Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned a score of 42 out of 100, based on 23 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews". [23] Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film a grade of "C" on an A+ to F scale. [24] [25]

Olly Richards of Empire (film magazine) gave it 3 out of 5 and called it "A much bolder, braver horror sequel than most. Except for a wispy ending, it’s a match for the first." [26]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gwen Stacy</span> Marvel Comics fictional character

Gwendolyne Maxine "Gwen" Stacy is a character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics, usually as a supporting character in those featuring Spider-Man. A college student and the daughter of George and Helen Stacy, she is the first romantic interest for Peter following his high school graduation before she is murdered by the Green Goblin. Her death has haunted Peter ever since, and stories published long afterwards indicate she still holds a special place in his heart. Gwen is posthumously subjected to numerous cloning experiments by her former professor Miles Warren, Peter's clone Ben Reilly, and an A.I. of Harry Osborn, the latter resulting in the creation of the Kindreds, and Ben briefly resurrecting Gwen in "Dead No More: The Clone Conspiracy" (2016–2017), with the embodiment of Death herself confirming in Ben Reilly: The Scarlet Spider (2017–2018) that all clones Ben created of deceased people had their souls intact on being brought back, while clones of living people had unique souls of their own. In the alternate realities of Ultimate Marvel and Spider-Gwen, a still-living Gwen respectively becomes their universe's versions of Carnage and Spider-Woman.

<i>City of Angels</i> (film) 1998 film by Brad Silberling

City of Angels is a 1998 American romantic fantasy film directed by Brad Silberling and starring Nicolas Cage and Meg Ryan. Set in Los Angeles, California, the film is a loose remake of Wim Wenders's 1987 film Wings of Desire. As with the original, City of Angels tells the story of an angel (Cage) who falls in love with a mortal woman (Ryan), and wishes to become human to be with her. With the guidance of a man who has already made the transition from immortality, the angel falls and begins the human experience.

<i>Deadly Weapons</i> 1974 American film

Deadly Weapons is a 1974 American exploitation film directed and produced by Doris Wishman. It stars burlesque performer Chesty Morgan and porn star Harry Reems.

<i>Beetlejuice</i> 1988 American fantasy comedy film directed by Tim Burton

Beetlejuice is a 1988 American fantasy horror comedy film directed by Tim Burton from a screenplay by Michael McDowell and Warren Skaaren based on a story by McDowell and Larry Wilson. The film stars Alec Baldwin, Geena Davis, Jeffrey Jones, Catherine O'Hara, Winona Ryder, and Michael Keaton as the title character. The first installment of the Beetlejuice franchise, the plot revolves around a recently deceased couple. As ghosts, they are not allowed to leave their house. They contact Betelgeuse, a charismatic "bio-exorcist" from the Netherworld, to scare the home's new inhabitants away.

<i>Scary Movie 2</i> 2001 film by Keenen Ivory Wayans

Scary Movie 2 is a 2001 American supernatural parody film directed by Keenen Ivory Wayans. It is the sequel to Scary Movie and the second film in the Scary Movie film series. The film stars Anna Faris, Regina Hall, Shawn Wayans and Marlon Wayans, as well as Tim Curry, Tori Spelling, Chris Elliott, Chris Masterson, Kathleen Robertson, David Cross and James Woods. The film is the last in the series to feature the involvement of stars Marlon and Shawn Wayans, and director Keenan. Marlon would eventually go on to produce a similar horror-themed parody, A Haunted House, and its sequel, both starring himself. In the latter film, Wayans pokes fun at the Scary Movie series' decline in quality after his family's departure.

<i>The Curse of the Cat People</i> 1944 film by Robert Wise and Gunther von Fritsch

The Curse of the Cat People is a 1944 American psychological supernatural thriller film directed by Gunther von Fritsch and Robert Wise, produced by Val Lewton, and starring Simone Simon, Kent Smith, Jane Randolph, and Ann Carter. Its tells a story about a young girl who befriends the ghost of her father's deceased first wife, a Serbian fashion designer who descended from a race of people who could transform into cats. The film, which marks Wise's first directing credit, is a sequel to Cat People (1942) and has many of the same central characters, but the plot is only tangentially related to its predecessor.

<i>The Woman in Black</i> Book by Susan Hill

The Woman in Black is a 1983 gothic horror novel by English writer Susan Hill, about a mysterious spectre that haunts a small English town. A television film based on it, also called The Woman in Black, was produced in 1989, with a screenplay by Nigel Kneale. In 2012, another film adaption was released starring Daniel Radcliffe.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Audrey Niffenegger</span> American writer, artist and academic (born 1963)

Audrey Niffenegger is an American writer, artist and academic. Her debut novel, The Time Traveler's Wife, published in 2003, was a bestseller.

Dame Susan Elizabeth Hill, Lady Wells is an English author of fiction and non-fiction works. Her novels include The Woman in Black, which has been adapted in multiple ways, The Mist in the Mirror, and I'm the King of the Castle, for which she received the Somerset Maugham Award in 1971. She also won the Whitbread Novel Award in 1972 for The Bird of Night, which was also shortlisted for the Booker Prize.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Helen McCrory</span> British actress (1968–2021)

Helen Elizabeth McCrory was an English actress. After studying at the Drama Centre London, she made her stage debut in The Importance of Being Earnest in 1990. Other stage roles include playing Lady Macbeth in Macbeth at Shakespeare's Globe, Olivia in Twelfth Night, Rosalind in As You Like It in the West End, and Medea in the eponymous play in the Royal National Theatre.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Graham Masterton</span> British horror author

Graham Masterton is a British author known primarily for horror fiction. Originally editor of Mayfair and the British edition of Penthouse, his debut novel, The Manitou, was published in 1976. This novel was adapted in 1978 for the film The Manitou. His 1978 novel Charnel House and 1983 novel Tengu garnered positive critical reception, the former receiving a Special Edgar Award by the Mystery Writers of America and the latter being awarded with a silver medal by the West Coast Review of Books. Masterton was also the editor of Scare Care, a horror anthology published for the benefit of abused children in Europe and the United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Marian Marsh</span> Trinidad-American actress (1913–2006)

Marian Marsh was a Trinidad-born American film actress and later an environmentalist.

<i>The Woman in Black</i> (1989 film) 1989 British TV series or programme

The Woman in Black is a 1989 British horror drama television film directed by Herbert Wise and starring Adrian Rawlins, Bernard Hepton, David Daker and Pauline Moran. The teleplay is adapted from the 1983 novel of the same name by Susan Hill. It focuses on a young solicitor who is sent to a coastal English village to settle the estate of a reclusive widow, and finds the town haunted.

<i>The Woman in Black</i> (play) 1987 stage play

The Woman in Black is a 1987 stage play, adapted by Stephen Mallatratt. The play is based on the 1983 book of the same name by English author Susan Hill. The play was produced by PW Productions, led by Peter Wilson. It is notable for only having three actors perform the whole play. It was first performed at the Stephen Joseph Theatre in Scarborough, in 1987. The production opened in London's West End in 1989 and was performed there until 4 March 2023 for 13,232 performances, becoming the second longest-running non-musical play in West End history, after The Mousetrap.

<i>The Woman in Black</i> (2012 film) Film by James Watkins

The Woman in Black is a 2012 gothic supernatural horror film directed by James Watkins from a screenplay by Jane Goldman. It is the second adaptation of Susan Hill's 1983 novel of the same name, which was previously filmed in 1989. The film stars Daniel Radcliffe, Ciarán Hinds, Janet McTeer, Sophie Stuckey, and Liz White. The plot, set in early 20th-century England, follows a young recently widowed lawyer who travels to a remote village where he discovers that the vengeful ghost of a scorned woman is terrorising the locals.

<i>Insidious: Chapter 2</i> 2013 horror film by James Wan

Insidious: Chapter 2 is a 2013 American supernatural horror film directed by James Wan. The film is a sequel to the 2010 film Insidious, and the second installment in the Insidious franchise, and the fourth in terms of the series's in-story chronology. The film stars Patrick Wilson and Rose Byrne, reprising their roles as Josh and Renai Lambert, a husband and wife who seek to uncover the secret that has left them dangerously connected to the spirit world. The film was released September 13, 2013.

Leanne Best is an English actress. She trained at the Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts and presently lives in southwest London.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bellatrix Lestrange</span> Fictional Harry Potter character

Bellatrix Lestrange (née Black) is a fictional character in the Harry Potter book series written by J. K. Rowling. She evolved from an unnamed peripheral character in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire into a major antagonist in subsequent novels. In the final installment of the story, Rowling established her as Lord Voldemort's "last, best lieutenant". Bellatrix was the first female Death Eater introduced in the books. Bellatrix had a fanatic obsession with the Dark Lord although she was clearly fearful of his magical abilities and absolute power over his forces. She is almost as sadistic and homicidal as Lord Voldemort, with a psychotic personality.

<i>All Hallows Eve 2</i> 2015 American film

All Hallows' Eve 2 is a 2015 American horror anthology film. The film is a standalone sequel to All Hallows' Eve (2013). The film was released on VOD and digital on October 6, 2015, and had a DVD release on February 2, 2016. The film grossed $30,658 in home sales.

References

  1. 1 2 "The Woman in Black 2: Angel of Death (2015)". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 3 June 2016.
  2. ↑ Fakhruddin, Mufaddal (23 December 2014). "Win 10 Invitations to the Movie Premiere of 'The Woman in Black 2: Angel of Death'". me.ign.com. IGN Middle East. Retrieved 8 July 2017.
  3. ↑ "Woman in Black 2: Angel of Death (15)". British Board of Film Classification . 16 October 2014. Retrieved 16 October 2014.
  4. ↑ Foundas, Scott (1 January 2015). "Film Review: 'The Woman in Black 2: Angel of Death'". Variety . Retrieved 17 February 2015.
  5. ↑ "BFI Statistics 2015: UK independent films win audiences in a blockbuster box office year". bfi.org.uk. Retrieved 27 October 2018.
  6. ↑ "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 12 January 2017. Retrieved 5 October 2016.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  7. ↑ "'The Woman In Black' sequel confirmed with author Susan Hill - NME". nme.com. 2 April 2012. Retrieved 27 October 2018.
  8. ↑ Schwartz, Terri (13 June 2012). "'Woman In Black' Sequel Story Details Revealed". MTV. Archived from the original on 25 July 2014. Retrieved 13 June 2012.
  9. ↑ "'The Woman in Black' Sequel Moving Forward". Fused Film. Retrieved 24 May 2012.[ permanent dead link ]
  10. ↑ Newman, Nick (2 April 2012). "'The Woman in Black' Gets Sequel Treatment, 'Angels of Death'". The Film Stage. Retrieved 24 May 2012.
  11. ↑ Miller, Jenni (2 April 2012). "'The Woman in Black' Becomes a Frightening Franchise with 'The Angels of Death'". Next Movie. Retrieved 24 May 2012.
  12. ↑ Trumbore, Dave (13 October 2012). "Tom Harper Set to Direct The Woman in Black: Angels of Death". Collider. Retrieved 13 October 2012.
  13. ↑ "Woman in Black sequel casts Jeremy Irvine as lead". BBC News Online . 29 April 2013. Retrieved 4 May 2013.
  14. ↑ "Helen McCrory - London theatre tickets". London theatre tickets. Retrieved 27 October 2018.
  15. ↑ Tyley, Jodie (31 October 2013). "The Woman In Black 2 Has a "Fantastic Script"". SciFiNow. Retrieved 18 October 2014.
  16. ↑ Alexander, Niall (30 October 2013). "Not Enough: The Woman in Black: Angel of Death by Martyn Waites". Tor.com. Retrieved 18 October 2014.
  17. ↑ Jones, Tony. "Book Review: The Woman in Black - Angel of Death". Starburst. Archived from the original on 23 February 2015. Retrieved 18 October 2014.
  18. ↑ Hickling, Alfred (23 October 2013). "Angel of Death by Martyn Waites – review". The Guardian. Retrieved 18 October 2014.
  19. ↑ "The Woman in Black 2 Angel of Death Soundtrack Available Today! - Dread Central". www.dreadcentral.com. 30 December 2014. Retrieved 27 October 2018.
  20. 1 2 "'The Woman in Black 2: Angel of Death' Dated For Home Video - Bloody Disgusting". bloody-disgusting.com. 18 February 2015. Retrieved 27 October 2018.
  21. ↑ "The Woman in Black 2 Angel of Death Haunts Blu-ray in April - Dread Central". www.dreadcentral.com. 18 February 2015. Retrieved 27 October 2018.
  22. ↑ "The Woman in Black 2 Angel of Death". Rotten Tomatoes . Fandango Media . Retrieved 1 April 2020.
  23. ↑ "The Woman in Black 2: Angel of Death". Metacritic . CBS. Retrieved 9 January 2015.
  24. ↑ D'Alessandro, Anthony (6 January 2015). "2015 Off To Fantastic Start, Up 6.5%: Post-New Year's Box Office Actuals". Deadline Hollywood. Angel Of Death received a C CinemaScore, which places it line with other horror movies that performed at the box office
  25. ↑ Ray Subers (4 January 2015). "Weekend Report: 'Hobbit' Finale Three-Peats on First Weekend of 2015". Box Office Mojo . With a "C" CinemaScore and an audience that skews younger (65 percent under the age of 25 )
  26. ↑ Olly Richards (2015). "The Woman In Black: Angel Of Death". Empire .
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.