Hammer plans to turn The Woman in Black into a horror franchise

Hammer horror returned with THE WOMAN IN BLACK and made over $100 million worldwide which for most films would not guarantee a sequel. However, the movie became the highest grossing British horror film in twenty years.

Hammer’s CEO Simon Oakes revealed at a recent screening of the film that a sequel has been officially greenlit and he provided this tidbit: “We are working on not a sequel but a continuation of THE WOMAN IN BLACK. Susan Hill wrote an outline story about what happened 40 years later to the woman in Woman in Black and the house and all of that. It’s completely different. It’s completely different. Obviously with a different story and cast.”

It could be assumed that the box office draw for THE WOMAN IN BLACK was Daniel Radcliffe rather than the movie itself, so taking him out of the mix may not work out too well. Having seen the film, I thought it was pretty good but never thought a sequel was necessary. Then again, sequels rarely are.

Hammer has also officially released a synopsis for the sequel: Seized by the government and converted into a military mental hospital during World War II, the sudden arrival of disturbed soldiers to Eel Marsh House has awoken its darkest inhabitant. Eve, a beautiful young nurse, is sent to the house to care for the patients, but soon realises she must save them from more than their own demons. Despite Eve’s efforts to stop her, one by one they fall victim to the Woman in Black.

Horror franchises tend to dwell in the direct-to-home arena and are almost never as good as the original. Since their return, Hammer has been trying to select their films carefully, so I hope they keep the quality of their output up.

Are you interested in seeing more of THE WOMAN IN BLACK, sans Daniel Radcliffe?