The Woman in Black 2: Angel of Death (2014)

When Your Sequel Forgets the Ghost Is the Main Character 👻💣


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Let’s start by showing y’all the trailers, shall we? 🎥🍿

The Woman in Black 2: Angel of Death – Official Trailer

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Non-Spoilers Rundown 🕯️

Forty years after the events of the first film, we return to Eel Marsh House — only this time, it’s the middle of World War II, and the property is being used as a temporary refuge for evacuated children. The result? A ghost story that tries to blend wartime drama with supernatural horror… but mostly just forgets the horror part.


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Plot Overview (Non-Spoilers)

Schoolteacher Eve Parkins (Phoebe Fox) and headmistress Jean Hogg (Helen McCrory) evacuate a group of foster children from London after the bombings. They bring them to Eel Marsh House — because nothing says “safe” like an abandoned mansion with a cursed history. Among the kids is Edward (Oaklee Pendergast), who hasn’t spoken since losing his parents. Eve tries to connect with him, while Harry Burnstow (Jeremy Irvine), a former RAF pilot haunted by his past, offers his help.

Strange things begin to happen, but the Woman in Black’s presence is more fleeting than frightening. Instead of the creeping dread from the first film, much of the runtime is spent on Edward’s emotional healing… which is fine, except it’s not the movie we came to see.


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Character Breakdown 🎭

Eve Parkins (Phoebe Fox) – A compassionate teacher trying to protect her students, but her arc is less about survival and more about emotional caregiving.

Edward (Oaklee Pendergast) – The silent boy the film revolves around. His trauma is central, but it sidelines the ghost plot.

Harry Burnstow (Jeremy Irvine) – A grounded pilot with survivor’s guilt who exists purely to be noble cannon fodder.

Jean Hogg (Helen McCrory) – Stern, practical, but ultimately just there to shepherd the group.

The Woman in Black – Technically in the movie. Barely.



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Pacing ⏳

Unlike the taut tension of the first film, Angel of Death is slow-moving. The suspense is diluted by long stretches of wartime melodrama, and the scares are sparse enough that you could forget this is a horror sequel at all.


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Pros 👍

Eel Marsh House still looks eerie and atmospheric.

The cinematography captures the bleak, gray tone that worked so well in the original.



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Cons 👎

The Woman in Black is barely in the film.

Focus on Edward’s emotional recovery overshadows the ghost plot.

Tame scares, especially compared to the original.

A slow, uneven pace that kills momentum.



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Final Thoughts 💭

Where the first film delivered consistent dread and Gothic terror, the sequel settles for a watered-down ghost story that feels more like a war drama with a paranormal cameo. It’s serviceable as background noise, but as a follow-up to the 2012 hit, it’s underwhelming at best and forgettable at worst.


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Rating: 2/10


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Spoilers Ahead 💀

In the third act, Edward is directly targeted by the Woman in Black, who uses his grief to lure him in. Harry, still carrying guilt from failing to save others in the war, throws himself into rescuing the boy. During the chaos of an air raid, bombs hit nearby, the marsh floods, and the Woman in Black strikes.

Harry gets Edward to safety but is dragged into the water by the ghost, dying as a final act of redemption. Eve takes Edward away from the house, adopts him, and he finally begins to speak again. Everything seems fine until she looks at a framed photograph of Harry in his uniform — the glass cracks, and in the fractured reflection, the Woman in Black is still there.

Eve tells Edward the spirit is gone for good. We, of course, know she’s lying to herself.