Rating summary

Movie		2.5
Video		4.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		1.5
Overall		2.5

The Woman in Black 2: Angel of Death Blu-ray Movie Review

Still crazy after all these years.

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman April 16, 2015

That famous British maxim states keep calm and carry on, an attitude which would seem to negate one of the key ingredients for any successful ghost story, namely incipient hysteria on the part of those witnessing the existence of a spectral entity. That stiff upper lip that seems to typify the English (or at least our perception of the English) may be one reason why The Woman in Black 2: Angel of Death struggles at times to achieve a suitable spookiness. The film certainly delivers several moments of spiking adrenaline courtesy of hoary techniques like jump cuts augmented by hyperbolic low frequency booms accompanying the visuals on the soundtrack, and it is a rather creepily sumptuous outing from a production design standpoint, but there’s a certain languidness to this “not really a sequel” that keeps the film from ever registering as strongly as it might have. Perhaps the biggest single issue confronting The Woman in Black 2: Angel of Death is in fact its supposed progenitor, The Woman in Black, for that film “solved” the mystery of who exactly the titular wraith actually was, meaning that this film has to meander through the swamps surrounding Eel Marsh House rather discursively at times, as if to not spoil a surprise that indeed has already been revealed.

People are indeed keeping calm and carrying on in a tube station during the London Blitz as The Woman in Black 2: Angel of Death gets underway. That typical British reserve is well on display as pretty young teacher Eve Parkins (Phoebe Fox) comforts a little girl and responds in a fairly sanguine way when another adult congratulates her on still being able to smile despite all the difficulties World War II has brought to England’s doorstep. Later, Eve’s positive attitude seems to be somewhat at odds with the more strict, perhaps even harridan, proclivities of Jean Hogg (Helen McCrory), Eve’s boss at a boarding school whose charges are now being shipped off to the English hinterlands, kind of like the conceit that informed Bedknobs and Broomsticks.

There’s neither a richly appointed country home nor of course a magically inclined governess in store for the kids of this particular group, though, for they have of course been ported off to Eel Marsh House, which is significantly worse for the wear decades after the events portrayed in the first film. Even the stoic Mrs. Hogg is aghast at the living conditions, not above mentioning her husband’s rank to a local Air Raid Warden, as if that would somehow get them moved to a “nicer room.” Eve at least means to make the best of a bad situation, perhaps given encouragement due to the fact that while on the train ride to the country she has “met cute” with an impossibly handsome English airman named Harry Burnstow (Jeremy Irvine), who just so happens to be stationed nearby to Eel Marsh House.

Despite her basically cheery demeanor, Eve is a somewhat troubled woman. She “feels” the coldness of Eel Marsh Manor, and initially at least it seems her dreams are haunted by some trauma that may have taken place there (meaning some trauma other than the one depicted in the first film). That actually turns out to be a red herring of sorts, and one that is more intimately connected to Eve herself, though it at least gives the character a connection to the woman in black who, per the tradition in the opening film, tends to appear as a harbinger of death. Eve is convinced the ghost is attempting to “message” her about this long ago trauma, though others of course question whether or not Eve has actually even seen the spirit which she claims to have.

Playing out simultaneously to the main Eve arc is that of a sweet little boy named Edward (Oaklee Pendergast, surely the best British name in film since Benedict Cumberbatch) who is put under Eve’s care. Edward is suffering from post traumatic stress syndrome himself, after his family home was bombed in the Blitz and both of his parents were killed. Though ostensibly mute, Edward communicates by writing on small scraps of paper he tears off and hands people. Edward also seems to be communicating with the woman in black, and there may be a nefarious element to a rather decrepit looking doll he starts carrying around after he’s locked in the nursery of Eel Marsh Manor.

For anyone who has seen the first film and knows the “secret” of the woman in black, there will be little suspense in this follow up, especially since the film rather quickly details the particulars on the nightmare Eve experiences her first night at Eel Marsh House. That leaves the bulk of the film to be given over to putatively creepy sequences of people trundling through the largely dark and abandoned mansion, while the audience simply waits with bated breath for the expected jump cut with accompanying booming sound effect.

If The Woman in Black 2: Angel of Death never really amounts to much, it’s at least a handsome production, one which makes the most of the fetid atmosphere of the old gothic home. Performances are also very good all around, with Fox a real standout as Eve, a character with scars in her past which the contemporary trials of the Blitz have simply brought to the surface. Little Oaklee Pendergast is also quite winning in the difficult role of Edward, one where the tot actor is forced to convey whole maelstroms of emotional content without uttering a word.

The Woman in Black 2: Angel of Death Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The Woman in Black 2: Angel of Death is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 2.39:1. Shot digitally with the Arri Alexa, the film exploits huge variances in lighting conditions and the general overall color space. As should be expected, many of the interior sequences set in the dim confines of Eel Marsh House are deliberately dark to the point of obfuscating things like, well, the woman in black. That said, shadow detail is generally quite commendable given realistic expectations. Director Tom Harper and cinematographer George Steel delight in thrusting these sometimes hard to see scenes up against breathtaking outdoor vistas of the barren but still scenic fields surrounding the house. Both interior and exterior scenes have been subject to at times severe color grading, with some moments looking virtually desaturated (see screenshot 14). Even scenes with relatively more "accurate" looking color are often tweaked toward a blue, slate gray or even yellow side of the spectrum, as can easily be seen by perusing the screencaptures accompanying this review. Despite these at times abrupt changes, this transfer retains a homogeneous and organic appearance, with detail and fine detail popping quite nicely when lighting conditions permit. Despite the overall darkness of the film, there are no issues with noise. Clarity and sharpness are generally first rate, though some of the CGI is a bit on the soft side (see screenshot 5).

The Woman in Black 2: Angel of Death Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The Woman in Black 2: Angel of Death's lossless DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 mix suffices as a sonic checklist of sorts of everything horror films currently employ to up anxiety levels—sometimes subliminally—in viewers (and/or listeners). As such, it's not a particularly innovative piece, but it provides ample immersion with a glut of well placed ambient environmental effects and other sound effects that emanate from discrete channels with great regularity. The moody score also is splayed widely throughout the surrounds. Dialogue is cleanly and clearly presented. There's typically bombastic LFE accompanying some jump cuts, obviously intended to provoke startle responses. Fidelity is top notch and dynamic range is extremely wide.

The Woman in Black 2: Angel of Death Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Deleted Scene (1080p; 2:33)


• Pulling Back the Veil: The Woman in Black 2 (1080p; 14:15) is the requisite EPK with some good behind the scenes footage and decent interviews.


• The Woman in Black 2: Chilling Locations (1080p; 5:10) visits some of the locations utilized for the film.


• Theatrical Trailer (1080p; 2:26)

The Woman in Black 2: Angel of Death Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

The major problem with The Woman in Black 2: Angel of Death is that titular entity herself: her story was already detailed in the first film, and so this follow up has the odd task of trying to create suspense where a resolution has already been offered. This is a near miss, though, for a lot of the film is resolutely creepy, and if some of the scares are on the cheap side, that still doesn't completely discount a rather elegant physical production and some good performances. Horror fans who have set their expectation bars at appropriate levels may find enough here to warrant checking out. One way or the other, technical merits are generally first rate for those considering a purchase.