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It too often happens with horror movie series that a strong first instalment is followed by a tawdry and nonsensical sequel (cf. The Conjuring, Annabelle). This, however, is not the case with The Woman in Black 2: Angel of Death, which manages to maintain the quality and sustain the atmosphere of its 2012 precursor. This may be due to the writer of the original novella, Susan Hill, consulting on its story. The set-up remains the same: a woman dressed all in black haunts an isolated house, cut off from the rest of the village by the tides of a surrounding marsh. As revealed in the earlier film, the eponymous woman had an illegitimate son, who was raised by her sister in the ill-fated house. However, the boy accidentally drowned before she could regain custody of him, and from that time forth, the sight of her spirit would result in the death of another child.

Angel of Death picks up some 40 years after this, when a group of eight schoolchildren are evacuated to Eel Marsh House during the Blitz. Chief among these is Edward, who is shunned by the other children because he refuses to speak. Two teachers oversee the children, Mrs Hogg and the younger, more maternal Eve Parkins. Miss Parkins is sensitive to the sinister atmosphere of the house, taking on a Cassandra role to the stern Mrs Hogg, who is also reproachful of Eve’s close relationship with the traumatised Edward.

Of course, given the nature of the haunting, the children begin to die off. The costuming and production design really adds to the atmosphere, replacing the first film’s greyscale with an autumnal palette that contrasts eerily with the decaying Victoriana. This chilling ambiance is counterpointed by jump scares, echoing the subtitle Angel of Death, which blends tenderness with threat.

From early on in the film, her surreal dreams hint that Eve has something of her own to hide. Her secret, when it is revealed, gives an added motivation and poignancy to her relationship with the woman in black, and to the events of the climax. However, a perfunctory romantic subplot detracts from the main theme of the film, an exploration of motherhood and women’s relationships with children. Despite this, The Woman in Black 2: Angel of Death is a truly effective horror film.