The original Daniel Radcliffe-starrer was a box-office hit and played equally well to Radcliffes teenage base and those who were pure horror fans. The structure was great and James Watkins and Jane Goldman did a good job of taking the stage shows horror structure and opening it out for the cinema. The sequel is directed by TV stalwart Tom Harper (Misfits, This is England 86 and Peaky Blinders). Set during the London blitz of World War II, a group of school children are evacuated with young schoolteacher (Phoebe Fox) to Eel Marsh House. Slowly, the children begin acting strangely and, with the help of Jeremy Irvines soldier, Eve discovers that they have re-awoken The Woman in Black and must survive her terrifying hauntings. The film has a strong British cast, which includes Helen McCrory, and is based on Hammer Books 2013 novel of the same name. Whether the film can reach the heights of the original, from Susan Hills brilliant novel and the sell-out stage show, remains to be seen but adding a Turn Of The Screw element of terrified kids might up the gothic ante and help develop the scares beyond marshland mists.
