Varèse Sarabande Records release Marco Beltrami, Marcus Trumpp and Brandon Roberts's score for The Woman in Black 2: Angel of Death. When a group of orphaned children are forced to move from their home in London, caretakers Eve and Jean bring everyone to the desolate and eerie British countryside. 40 years after the first movie, this supernatural horror film introduces this new group to the now abandoned Eel Marsh House; an odd but seemingly safe location. It isn’t long before Eve starts to sense that this house is not what it appears to be as the children in her care begin to disappear. As their house of safety becomes a house of horrors, Eve enlists the help of a handsome pilot to help investigate what is happening. Eve soon discovers that it may not be a coincidence that she has come to reside in the house inhabited by the Woman in Black...

While the score for The Woman in Black 2: Angel of Death is attributed to Marco Beltrami, Marcus Trumpp and Brandon Roberts, I'm suspecting that it was composed by Trumpp and Roberts, but using some of Beltrami's original themes from the first movie. In fact, 'Angel Of Death' is a very slightly modified version of 'The Woman in Black' on the first soundtrack. And 'Eve's Theme' revisits a few themes. The reason behind my suspicions is that this lacks any of Beltrami's usual flair for the beautiful and macabre. There's not even a short segment like the beautiful 'Reunion' from the first soundtrack.

While it's not a bad score, and certainly one that, like the first soundtrack, helps greatly to heighten the tension and suspense of the movie, my main concern is that there aren't enough themes, or memorable moments to make this an album you'll want to listen to very often. 'Where is my Smile' is about as close it gets... but it doesn't really go anywhere.

The album contains 19 tracks (38 min, 32 sec). For those that enjoyed the first album, this is more of the same, but lacking any beautiful themes.

5

Darren Rea