THE WOMAN IN BLACK ANGEL OF DEATH

GB / US / CAN
2014
1hr 38mins
Dir: Tom Harper
Starring: Phoebe Fox and Jeremy Irvine

A group of children evacuated from a blitz ravaged London arrive at a dilapidated country house awakening its darkest inhabitant

This sequel to The Woman in Black (qv) was set 30 years after the first in WWII, but it was seen by many to be an unnecessary deviation from the original. None the less it is quite a potent thriller. It opens with a scene filmed at Aldwych station, which is being used as an underground air raid shelter (again!). This is followed by smoked filled evacuation scenes filmed at King’s Cross. The platforms are full of maroon-liveried Mk.1 coaching stock, most of which is CGI created. Quite a good attempt has been made to recreate a wartime scenario with the overhead wires and other modern paraphernalia all removed, though of course the carriages are too young for such a scene. One is TSO No.4994, built in 1961. Following on from this is another very good backlit shot of Southern Railway U Class 2-6-0 No.1638 on the Bluebell Railway, almost certainly one filmed for the original 2012 film which was then not used in that production (qv). The railway sequence ends with a scene filmed onboard what is possibly a Bulleid coach, followed by a shot from the roof of a steam-hauled train entering Sharpthorne Tunnel, a darkened shot of wheels and motion, and then a final view of a distant steam-hauled train passing through the countryside at night. Officially, the film was not given the number 2 to denote its status as a sequel but it was released in some countries as The Woman in Black 2 Angel of Death.

Aldwych. In use as an air-raid shelter once again.
The scene at King’s Cross opens with this busy view of the station
As the camera continues to rise we see that at least four ‘trains’ are in the platforms. The train nearest the camera is the real deal, but all else is either a CGI creation, manipulation, or recreation. Some signage has been applied to the station to add to the period effect, highlighted further by the crowds of extras.
Soldiers of the British Army join the parents and their children on the platform at King’s Cross
The bewildered children are shepherded towards the waiting train. The carriage forming the background is Mk1 TSO No.4994.
This lovely backlit shot of Southern Railway U Class 2-6-0 No.1638 on the Bluebell Railway appears to have been filmed in the early morning
The train enters the northern portal of Sharpthorne Tunnel on the Bluebell Railway. At 731 yards in length, it is the longest tunnel on a preserved line in the UK.
A steam-hauled train rounds a bend in this aerial view at night