Actor Daniel Radcliffe proved he was all grown up and ready to give us a scare in February of 2012. No, this was not when he went nude for Equus on the stage. Rather, that month saw the release of The Woman in Black, a horror film making headlines once again because a new sequel has been ordered.
The Woman in Black grossed about $127,730,736, worldwide. It was directed by James Watkins, with a screenplay by Jane Goldman. This was the same talented lady who did writing work for Stardust, X-Men: First Class and The Debt. The film was based upon the scary Susan Hill novel of the same name.
The story follows a young lawyer, acted by Radcliffe, who circumstances lead to stay in the home of some locals in the English countryside in the Edwardian era. That’s why you saw photos circulating the web of the Harry Potter actor in that great old-fashioned attire. Eel Marsh House; however, is haunted by, you guessed it, The Woman in Black.
The sequel, called The Woman in Black: Angel of Death, will be directed by BAFTA nominee, Tom Harper, of The Scouting Book for Boys and The Borrowers.
The sequel will be produced by Exclusive Media, Talisman, Cross Creek Pictures and Alliance Films, with Roy Lee as Executive Producer. Screenwriter Jon Croker, who also wrote Desert Dancer, has completed the screenplay, also based on an original story by author Susan Hill.
The story in The Woman in Black: Angel of Death kicks off four decades after the original. I think its safe to say Radcliffe won’t be rejoining the cast, in that case. Eel Marsh House is still standing, having been seized by the government during World War II. The was displaces a group of evacuated children who wind up staying at the house, only to encounter The Woman in Black.
Simon Oakes, Vice-Chairman of Exclusive Media and President & CEO of Hammer Films said: “We are assembling a terrific team to bring The Woman in Black: Angel of Death to the big screen and Tom is a great addition to that family. His unique visual approach and storytelling style perfectly compliments the smart, sophisticated horror movies that Hammer is championing.”
Xavier Marchand Alliance Films’ President of Worldwide Distribution and Managing Director of UK distributor Momentum Pictures, said “We know audiences in the UK and across the world love being terrified by ‘The Woman in Black’ so we’re excited to be partners in bringing them the next episode of Susan Hill’s haunting story, under Tom’s expert direction.”
Director Tom Harper said, “I am thrilled to be a part of The Woman in Black: Angel of Death. This will be a great opportunity for me to collaborate with a brilliantly talented team on the next installment in this exciting series.”
The original Woman in Black film is considered one of the highest grossing British horror film of the past 20 years. It had an atmospheric and noteworthy soundtrack by Marco Beltrami.
In Eric Eisenberg’s review of the original detailed that the picture used “shadows and low light to create a sense of disorientation and panic. The house in which Arthur is working is filled with terrifying toys and porcelain dolls that aren’t scary by themselves, but do a brilliant job adding a creepy ambiance to every scene. Unfortunately, the movie does make heavy use of jump scares, which will effectively raise the audiences’ blood pressure, but feel cheap and phony in the aftermath.
He also said, “As a whole it’s an effective and creepy ghost story. …It may not elicit screams from everyone that goes to see it, but it is guaranteed to send chills down the spine of even the bravest viewer.”
