BACKGROUND
The first Harry Potter movie, Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, had been hugely successful on its release in 2001, signalling the start of a major film franchise.
Although by no-means an Oscar-winning masterpiece, or a masterclass in dramatic acting, it had brought a fantasy world to the big screen, delighting young audiences, as well as bringing this magical world to an older generation, who perhaps had not read the book.
It was seen to be a faithful book-to-screen adaptation, which many appreciated, whilst also showcasing the best in special effects, and introducing a new crop of acting talent, alongside seeing some brilliance from titans of the British acting world.
But now was time to adapt the second novel in the Harry Potter book series, the second of what was anticipated to be a seven-novel series, therefore suggesting there would be seven movies, each adapting one book. The second in the series was Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, originally published in 1998, and the tone was about to get significantly darker, as the ending of Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone had indicated.
I had not read any of the novels before watching the film, so, as a nine-year-old going to see Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets at the cinema, I had no idea what to expect. I can’t even remember seeing the first movie, but I must’ve done, otherwise I would’ve had no reason to go and see the second. I went to see Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets with my dad and my sister, whilst my mum went shopping nearby – she doesn’t like Harry Potter at all. I distinctly recall which cinema it was, I know I saw a Dobby cardboard cut-out outside the cinema screen, and I know it was light when we went into the cinema but it was dark when we came out, because the film was so long – and it was winter.
I also know that I loved the film, and for a strange reason. For someone who doesn’t like being scared, not as a child or as an adult, the very reason I liked Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets was because I found it creepy at that young age. It is my favourite of the Harry Potter movies, and has been ever since I first saw it. Who knows, perhaps this is where my love of villains came from. I’d grown up watching a sea of children’s television and Disney movies, even removing myself from the room whenever Maleficent turned into a dragon in my childhood favourite Disney film, Sleeping Beauty (1959). I’ve never liked being scared, but randomly, Harry Potter seems to be about my level, even to this day.
PLOT
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets starts at the Dursley home. Harry has been “gifted” cousin Dudley’s second bedroom, although Harry is still being mistreated. On this evening, Harry is being warned to stay in his room and to make no noise. Uncle Vernon has very important guests coming for dinner – the Masons – and Harry cannot disrupt that.
However, on returning to his room, Harry finds an odd creature there, jumping on his bed. The creature introduces himself as Dobby the House-elf and warns Harry that terrible things are about to happen at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, and that he must not return there this year. Harry has no clue who Dobby is, and does not listen to his warning. Harry can’t stay with the Dursleys any longer than he has to. Dobby can’t reveal much more information and punishes himself frequently during this conversation for his weakness. All this racket though has alerted Vernon, who barges into Harry’s room, telling him to be quiet or else. Harry reiterates to Dobby that he will be going back to Hogwarts. Dobby resorts to desperate measures to force Harry to stay in Surrey, by magically dumping a cake onto the head of Mrs. Mason, knowing this will enrage his aunt and uncle.
The next day, Vernon doesn’t hesitate in punishing Harry, and puts bars on his bedroom window, telling him he’ll not be going back to Hogwarts again. That evening, Harry is woken up by a weird noise. Looking out of his window, he sees a flying car. It turns out the car’s passengers are Harry’s best friend Ron, and his brothers, twins Fred and George. They hook on to the window and pull the bars off. This wakes up Harry’s aunt and uncle who rush to Harry’s room. They unlock all the bolts on the door just in time to see Harry being pulled into the car. Vernon grabs onto Harry’s foot and tries to pull him back, but it doesn’t work. Harry gets into the car and Vernon falls out of the window, falling into the bushes below.
After a night of driving, Harry, Ron, Fred and George arrive at the Weasley family home, The Burrow. Harry is pleased to see Mrs. Weasley again, and she is also delighted to see him, although she is none too pleased with her sons for vanishing in the night and taking the flying Ford Anglia. Mr. Weasley arrives home from a long night’s work at the Ministry of Magic that morning and is introduced to Harry. Harry also sees Ron’s younger sister Ginny again, and she seems to have a bit of a crush on Harry. Ginny is about to start her First Year at Hogwarts. As the family sit down for breakfast, Ron’s older brother Percy sees that their owl has delivered their Hogwarts letters, including Harry’s. There is a whole list of supplies they’ll need, so they’ll have to go to Diagon Alley. The Weasleys plan on travelling there via the Floo Network, a series of magical portals using fireplaces. Harry is told to watch Ron as he demonstrates how it works, taking a handful of powder, clearly stating his destination name, and disappearing in a blaze of fire. Now, it is Harry’s turn. He grabs the powder, and says he wants to go to “Diagonally”. The Weasleys watch helplessly as Harry vanishes.
Harry turns up in a dusty, dark shop. This is Borgin and Burkes, a shop only frequented by dark wizards. Not wanting to stick around for long, Harry walks outside, only to find himself surrounded by unsavoury characters, who offer to help him find his way. Uh, no, thanks! Luckily, Hagrid sees Harry and quickly leads him out of trouble. Harry was in a dodgy place called Knockturn Alley, close to Diagon Alley. Hagrid takes Harry to the bookshop Flourish and Blotts, where he is reunited with the Weasleys and other best friend Hermione. Here, they see a book signing going on for famous wizard Gilderoy Lockhart. Lockhart spots Harry in the crowd, and calls him over for a photo for the newspaper. He also gifts Harry his complete works completely free of charge. Whilst they wait for their parents to finish at the bookshop, Harry, the Weasleys, and Hermione are approached by Draco Malfoy. Draco is clearly jealous of Harry for being so famous in the Wizarding World, and aims a slight at Harry. His father Lucius Malfoy comes over, telling Draco to “play nicely”. Lucius introduces himself to Harry, becoming instantly fascinated by Harry’s famous scar. Lucius guesses that the kids surrounding Harry must be part of the Weasley family; Lucius works with their father. He also rudely comments on Hermione’s parents, confirming that they are Muggles, non-magical folk, meaning Hermione has no wizarding ancestry, this being a disgrace to a family of Pure-bloods like the Malfoys, who do. Mr. Weasley comes over and tells Lucius they have different ideas of what a disgrace to wizards looks like. The Malfoys then leave.
Later, Harry and the Weasleys arrive at King’s Cross station late for the Hogwarts Express. Most of the family get through the portal to Platform 9 ¾ on time, but Harry and Ron are stuck in King’s Cross with the portal not opening for them. Harry suggests they wait for Ron’s parents by the car, which gives Ron an idea: they’ll take the flying car to Hogwarts! But Ron isn’t exactly an experienced driver only being twelve-years-old, so naturally the journey starts badly, with Ron forgetting to put the invisibility booster on so everyone around King’s Cross can see the car flying, and the journey gets worse when they are almost hit by the Hogwarts Express, and Harry almost falls out of the car. Eventually, they arrive at Hogwarts, only to crash-land into the Whomping Willow, which tries to bash the car out of its branches – it is magical after all. In the chaos, Ron breaks his wand and the car falls to the ground. Ron and Harry are ejected from the car, and the car drives into the Dark Forest.
Ron and Harry hurriedly head inside, but they are caught by Filch the caretaker who takes them to Professor Snape. Snape is horrified to learn about the two’s escapades, which have made the front page of the wizarding newspaper, and states if they were in his house of Slytherin, the two would be expelled and heading home right this minute. Professor McGonagall, head of Ron and Harry’s house of Gryffindor, then comes into the room with Professor Dumbledore, the Headmaster. McGonagall states that the two will not be expelled today but will both get detention and have letters sent home to their parents/guardians.
The next morning, the Second Year students, including Ron, Harry, Hermione, and Draco, arrive to their Herbology Class, headed by Professor Sprout. She teaches the students about mandrakes, getting the students to pot seedlings. We learn that the cry of a fully grown mandrake is fatal to anyone who hears it, but that mandrakes are needed to create a cure to recover people who have been petrified. At lunchtime, Ron tries to fix his wand with tape, but this does nothing to help it. Harry also meets Colin Creevey, a big fan of his as well as an avid photographer. At this point, Ron receives a letter from his mother. Known as a howler, this letter comes to life and starts to shout at Ron for his bad behaviour, whilst also congratulating sister Ginny for being sorted into Gryffindor House with her brothers. The letter then shreds itself. After that, the group have their Defence Against the Dark Arts lesson with none other than Gilderoy Lockhart. Lockhart is discovered to be an incompetent teacher, although handsome and charming, as he releases a swarm of Cornish Pixies into the class, with absolutely no training given, and then proceeds to let Harry, Ron, and Hermione round them up themselves after a pixie steals his wand!
Later on, Gryffindor’s Quidditch team, which includes Harry, are set to train, but are told that the pitch has been reserved for Slytherin’s team so they can train their new Seeker, Draco. Harry, Ron and Hermione learn that Draco’s place on the team seems to have something to do with his father buying the whole team new Nimbus 2001 brooms. Hermione states that this is the only reason he is on the team, to which Draco responds by calling her a “filthy little Mudblood”. Ron tries to react like the hero he is by cursing Draco to “eat slugs”, but the curse rebounds onto him, due to the fact Ron’s wand is broken. Ron then proceeds to spit up slugs, so Harry and Hermione take him to Hagrid for help. Hagrid has no cure for the spell and says it must run its course, asking what prompted Ron to cast it in the first place. Hermione tells Hagrid what happened, and he is equally shocked by what Draco said. Harry has no clue what the term “Mudblood” means, so Hermione explains. “Mudblood” is a derogatory term used by some for witches or wizards who have non-magical parents, like Hermione. Hagrid says that Pure-bloods are no longer the majority in the Wizarding World, with many witches and wizards being “Half-blood”, so one magical parent, or less. He tells Hermione not to think about it anymore, as her magical ability speaks for itself.
That evening, Harry spends his detention answering fan mail for Lockhart in his office. Harry starts to hear voices as the evening wears on. Lockhart tells Harry he must just be getting tired and tells Harry to go back to his dorm. In the corridor though, the voice returns. He then comes face-to-face with Hermione and Ron, asking if they heard a voice. They didn’t. They come across a flooded corridor and Filch’s cat seemingly frozen in fear. They see spiders moving in a line outside, and then discover writing on the wall, written in blood: “The Chamber of Secrets has been opened. Enemies of the heir, beware.” Many other students and teachers arrive at this corridor and are equally shocked. Filch sees his cat, and, believing she’s dead, blames Harry for it, as he was at the centre of the scene. Dumbledore arrives and tells all the students to go to their dormitories, except for Harry, Ron, and Hermione. Dumbledore and the other teachers quickly dismiss them as being involved, especially as Harry has an alibi for the evening. They calm Filch down by saying his cat has been petrified and that they can cure her once the new mandrakes are grown.
In Transfiguration Class with Professor McGonagall, no-one can concentrate on the lesson so Hermione asks McGonagall to tell them what the Chamber of Secrets is. She recounts the story of Hogwarts’ founding, saying that four wizards founded the school over 1,000 years ago: Godric Gryffindor, Helga Hufflepuff, Rowena Ravenclaw, and Salazar Slytherin. Slytherin believed that only some witches and wizards should be able to study magic, i.e., those who have all-magical ancestry. The other three did not agree with him, so he left the school. But there were rumours that he had built a chamber in the school, known as the Chamber of Secrets, sealing it until his heir arrived at the school. The chamber is said to be home to a monster, who would prey on those Salazar Slytherin felt were unworthy to study magic. The school has been searched many times, but the chamber has never been found. After class, Ron, Harry and Hermione discuss who the heir of Slytherin might be, with the boys heavily suspecting it is Draco Malfoy. Hermione has a plan so they can be sure. She finds a recipe for Polyjuice Potion which will allow the three to turn into members of Slytherin House so they can question Draco about it, but it will take one month to brew.
Soon, it is time for Quidditch, with Harry and Draco going up against each other for the first time as Seekers. During the game, it becomes clear that a Bludger has been cursed as it starts to follow Harry. As Harry and Draco battle to find the Snitch to end the game and win it for their team, the Bludger follows Harry, even as the two go underneath the stands in search of the Snitch. At one point, Draco’s broom catches on a wooden slat, and he falls in a heap in the middle of the pitch. Harry continues on, finding the Snitch and winning the game, however, the Bludger continues to follow him, until Hermione magically destroys it. But the Bludger did hit Harry’s arm, breaking it. Lockhart comes over and tries to fix his arm, but instead, he casts a spell making Harry’s bones disappear. Gross. Harry is taken to the hospital wing, where Madame Pomfrey administers a potion to get Harry’s bones to grow again. Overnight, Harry is visited by Dobby again, who tells Harry that he cursed the Bludger wanting Harry to return home, saying things are going to get worse at Hogwarts. Harry ignores Dobby, and they are interrupted anyway, by the arrival of another petrified victim, Colin Creevey. The teachers are rightly concerned, especially as Colin’s camera has been destroyed so that he has no picture of the attacker and person responsible.
In light of these events, Harry, Ron, and Hermione try to speed up their Polyjuice Potion, which they brew in the middle of an abandoned girls’ toilets. The reason it is abandoned is because a miserable ghost called Moaning Myrtle resides there. As well as this, Lockhart and Snape decided to set up a Duelling Club to help teach the students how to deal with potential threats. Harry and Draco are put together as the first pair to duel, but they each choose to simply hurt each other as much as possible with their first spells. Draco then decides to conjure a snake in the middle of the room. Snape goes to remove it, however, Harry starts talking to it, as the snake looks set to attack student Justin. The room are astonished by what they are seeing, and Snape finally destroys the snake. Justin accuses Harry of getting the snake to attack him, and Hermione and Ron wonder why he never told them he is a “Parselmouth”, someone who can communicate with snakes. Harry says he didn’t know. Harry learns that Salazar Slytherin had the same talent, and Slytherin’s crest is a snake, so now everyone believes Harry to be the heir of Slytherin.
During study time, Harry walks out of the room, after being whispered about and stared at. He then hears that voice again, and comes across a petrified Justin and a frozen Nearly Headless Nick. Once again, he is found there by Filch who gets McGonagall. McGonagall sends him to Dumbledore’s office. There, Harry asks the Sorting Hat if he put him in the right house, given what he has learnt about his connections to Salazar Slytherin. The Sorting Hat says he could’ve been great in Slytherin, but Harry rejects that. He then comes across Dumbledore’s phoenix, which suddenly bursts into flames. Dumbledore comes in at that exact moment, making Harry plead his innocence. Dumbledore explains the phoenix is Fawkes, and he was old so his death was not unexpected. The two then watch as a new phoenix is reborn from the ashes. Hagrid arrives into the office, saying Harry has nothing to do with all these incidents. Dumbledore says he already knows that, asking Harry if he has anything to tell him though. Harry says nothing.
Later on, the Polyjuice Potion is finally ready. Hermione tells Ron and Harry to give two cupcakes to Draco’s friends Crabbe and Goyle. The cupcakes have a sleeping potion in them, so it will knock them out. Once this happens, Ron and Harry take their robes and some of their hairs. Hermione tells them to put the hairs in the potion – she has done the same with a female Slytherin student – and they drink up. The potion is disgusting, but it does transform Harry and Ron into Crabbe and Goyle. Hermione tells the two to go ahead without her. They arrive at Slytherin’s common room and are almost caught out by seeing Ron’s brother Percy there. Draco comes to their rescue, and arrogantly leads them away from Prefect Percy. Ron and Harry begin their questioning, and Draco reiterates that he doesn’t know who the heir of Slytherin, only that it isn’t him. His father wouldn’t tell him much either, only that the last time the chamber was opened a Muggle-born student died. Draco hopes it will be Hermione who dies this time. With that, Ron is about to lash out at Draco, but the pair discover that the spell is wearing off and they rush out of there, back to Hermione. They see that Hermione has accidentally turned herself into a cat, after the hairs she took were actually cat hairs. She is sent to the hospital wing to recover.
The next day, Harry and Ron see the corridor by Moaning Myrtle’s bathroom has flooded so they investigate. Myrtle thinks Harry threw a book at her, but he denies that. Harry sees the book lying on the ground and retrieves it. That evening, he opens up the diary but finds it is blank inside. He learns it belonged to someone called Tom Marvolo Riddle. Harry starts to write in the book, and begins a conversation with someone inside the diary, seemingly Tom Riddle. He asks for information about the Chamber of Secrets, and is transported back fifty years to Hogwarts. Here, Harry watches as a young female student is carried out of Hogwarts and confirmed dead. Tom Riddle approaches Dumbledore, and questions whether Hogwarts will be closed. He says it will be unless the attacker is found. Not wanting to leave Hogwarts, Tom tries to find the attacker, accusing Hagrid and his huge pet spider of killing the girl. The spider runs out of the castle and Hagrid is expelled. Harry is transported back to the common room, telling Hermione and Ron what he has learnt.
They plan to question Hagrid about it, when Neville rushes up to Harry saying someone has ransacked their dormitory. Harry sees that Tom Riddle’s diary has gone, so that must’ve been what the intruder was looking for. Harry then goes to play Quidditch but McGonagall says the game has been cancelled. She takes Harry and Ron to the hospital wing, where they discover that Hermione is the latest person to be petrified. From this point, new rules are brought in for the students, like a 6pm curfew and the need to be escorted to and from lessons. Harry and Ron have to speak to Hagrid though so take his invisibility cloak and go to him. Hagrid is very jumpy that evening, and before they can ask him anything, the Minister of Magic, Cornelius Fudge, arrives to take Hagrid to the prison Azkaban, believing him to be involved in these attacks. Lucius Malfoy also turns up, stating that he has got all the school governors to back his call to relieve Dumbledore of his duties. Dumbledore walks away willingly, but Hagrid believes there will be killings next if he goes. Hagrid then states that if someone needs help, they should follow the spiders.
Once alone, Harry and Ron take Hagrid’s dog Fang and head into the Dark Forest, following the spiders. They come to a clearing where a huge monstrous spider appears to them. He is called Aragog and explains that he did not kill that girl 50 years ago and that Hagrid was innocent. Spiders actually fear the monster in the chamber. Aragog also says that the girl who was killed died in a bathroom, giving them some clues. However, Aragog doesn’t plan on letting them escape as he has children to feed, and they have surrounded Harry and Ron. As it looks like they’ll be attacked, the Ford Anglia appears to them, and drives them out of the forest and away from the spiders. They are taken back to Hagrid’s hut.
Ron and Harry return to the hospital to visit Hermione, where Harry finds a piece of paper in her hand about the Basilisk, a huge snake-like creature. They believe this must be the monster in the chamber, and that it tallies with what Aragog said. Hermione also worked out that the Basilisk must be travelling in the pipes and that anyone who looks at it will instantly die. Harry and Ron go over all the victims and learn that Mrs. Norris the cat didn’t die because she looked into the water on the floor; Colin saw the Basilisk through his camera; Justin must’ve seen it through Nearly Headless Nick; and Hermione was looking around corners with a mirror in case she saw it. Ron and Harry then figure out that Moaning Myrtle must be the girl who died in the bathroom all those years ago. Suddenly, there is an announcement calling the teachers to the corridor where another message has been left. Ron and Harry hide so they can listen in. McGonagall says a student has been taken by the monster into the chamber, with the message simply reading: “Her skeleton will lie in the chamber forever”. Lockhart arrives late, and is tasked with retrieving the student as he claims to know where the chamber is. He goes to his office to get ready. McGonagall reveals that Ginny Weasley was the one taken.
Ron and Harry go to Lockhart’s office to tell him what they know, but they discover him packing. He admits that he is a fraud and hasn’t done anything he said he’d done in his books, instead stealing from other wizards and then wiping their memories. He plans to do the same to Ron and Harry but they point their wands at him first. He goes along with them to the girl’s bathroom so they can ask Moaning Myrtle how she died. She said she saw a pair of yellow eyes by one of the sinks, and just died. Harry sees snake carvings on the sink and believes it is the entrance to the chamber. He says something in Parseltongue, snake language, and it opens. They send Lockhart down the drop first, and then they follow, arriving into the chamber, which is filthy and covered in bones and snake skin. Lockhart pretends to faint at the sight of it, using the opportunity to steal Ron’s wand. He tries to wipe their memories, but the spell backfires because Ron’s wand is still broken, slamming him into the wall of the chamber. This causes a rockslide, separating Ron and Harry. Ron finds that Lockhart wiped his own memory. Harry tells Ron to clear a way out, and he’ll find Ginny.
Going deeper into the chamber, Harry finds a lifeless Ginny on the ground. Someone approaches him. The older boy reveals himself to be Tom Riddle. He says he was a memory preserved in his diary but as Ginny grows weaker, he grows stronger, and will no longer be a memory. He takes Harry’s wand, and reveals that he was behind the Basilisk attacks and the writings on the wall, putting Ginny into a trance with the help of the diary to get her to do all that for him. Ginny was the one to try and dispose of the diary in the bathroom, leading Harry to find it, and later stole it back. Harry wonders why Tom would want to do all this. Tom says his target has actually been Harry because Tom Riddle is Voldemort. The letters of his full name actually spell out “I Am Lord Voldemort”, showing Riddle’s true talent for anagrams. Voldemort claims to be the greatest sorcerer in the world, but Harry says that accolade goes to Dumbledore. With that, Fawkes the Phoenix arrives with the Sorting Hat. Tom laughs at the gift and calls for the Basilisk to attack Harry. It chases him through the chamber, with Fawkes pecking out the creature’s eyes so looking at it will no longer be a threat. Harry outmanoeuvres the Basilisk momentarily and returns to Ginny, trying to work out what to do. The Basilisk returns and as it does, Harry finds a sword has appeared in the Sorting Hat. He takes the sword and runs up onto a large sculpture. He stabs the Basilisk through the head, killing it, but not before the Basilisk bites him, sending its venom rushing through Harry.
Harry returns to Ginny and is told by Tom that he’ll die in minutes and there is no hope. Harry then takes the Basilisk fang and stabs the fang into the diary. With each stab, Tom Riddle starts to break apart, until he disappears. Ginny suddenly awakens. She sees Harry is hurt. Harry tells Ginny to go through the chamber and find Ron. At that, Fawkes returns. Fawkes then releases tears onto Harry’s arm, making Harry remember that phoenixes have healing powers. He recovers and Fawkes flies them all back to Hogwarts.
Ron and Harry find themselves in Dumbledore’s office, where they are reprimanded for their breaking of multiple school rules but are given special awards for services to the school. Ron is told to get an owl to fly Hagrid’s release papers to Azkaban, and Harry speaks to Dumbledore more about Voldemort. Dumbledore says that when Voldemort gave Harry his scar, he inadvertently passed over some of his powers, like speaking to snakes, but that Harry must be a Gryffindor as he was able to pull the Sword of Gryffindor from the Sorting Hat, and clearly showed loyalty to Dumbledore to have Fawkes come to him. Lucius Malfoy then arrives to find Dumbledore reinstated. Dumbledore says that many of the governors believed Malfoy would curse their families if they did not agree to let Dumbledore go. Malfoy rejects that. Malfoy asks if the perpetrator has been caught, so Dumbledore reveals all about Tom Riddle and the diary. Malfoy sarcastically congratulates Harry Potter on saving the day.
Harry asks Dumbledore for the destroyed diary and follows Malfoy out of the school. He forces Malfoy to take the diary, as Harry believes Malfoy put it into Ginny’s cauldron on that day at Flourish and Blotts before school. Malfoy refuses to admit to that, handing the diary over to Dobby, his House-elf. Harry gets Dobby to open it, and he sees a sock inside. Dobby says his master has presented him with clothes so he can be a free elf. Lucius sees Harry has tricked him into losing his servant and goes to attack him, but Dobby stops him. Harry thanks Dobby for his help, but tells him to stop trying to save his life from now on!
Later, the school is set up for dinner, and all the petrified students return, including Hermione, much to Ron and Harry’s delight. Dumbledore announces that all school exams have been cancelled given the upheaval everyone experienced this year. Hagrid then arrives, having been released from Azkaban. He thanks Ron, Harry, and Hermione for clearing his name. Harry tells Hagrid Hogwarts wouldn’t be the same without him. The students and teachers break into a round of applause, as Hagrid is embraced by everyone.
In a post-credits scene, we are taken back to Flourish and Blotts, where we see a new book on display. Titled “Who Am I?”, it is a new novel from Gilderoy Lockhart, who is seen on the cover of this book in a straitjacket, as he gets to grips with his memory loss.
CHARACTERS & CAST
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets sees a return for many characters and actors from Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, whilst also introducing a selection of new ones, like The Weasleys, who were introduced in Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, however, many of them were only briefly mentioned. In Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, we get to see more of their family life, and meet Mr. Weasley for the first time.
Molly Weasley was in the first movie; however, here, Molly is clearly shown to be the strong matriarch of the family, putting her foot down with her unruly sons. Molly is also a loving mother, which is obvious from how she dotes on her children, making sure they have everything they need for school and ensuring their home of The Burrow is kept cosy, as well as caring for Harry whenever he is around, given his difficult family situation in the Muggle World. Molly’s character only becomes more integral to the series as the movies continue.
Dame Julie Walters was cast as Molly Weasley. Walters’ film debut came with her role as Rita White in Educating Rita (1983), acting alongside Michael Caine in this film. From then on, she has had a variety of roles on screen, including being cast as Mrs. Wilkinson in Billy Elliot (2000); as Annie in Calendar Girls (2003); as Rosie in Mamma Mia! (2008) and its 2018 sequel; and as Mrs. Bird in the Paddington film series. Walters has also had some history in voice acting for animation, such as voicing The Witch in Pixar’s Brave (2012) and Ms. Montague in Gnomeo and Juliet (2011), reprising her role for its sequel Sherlock Gnomes (2018). She is also known on British TV for working alongside comedian Victoria Wood, for example, starring in sitcom dinnerladies (1998-2000) as Petula, amongst others.
The father of the Weasley family is Arthur Weasley, who works in the Ministry of Magic, specifically in the Misuse of Muggle Artifacts Office. The flying Ford Anglia car they own is therefore technically illegal, which is why he faces an inquiry at work after Ron and Harry drive the car to Hogwarts, being spotted by numerous non-magical people. Arthur is less of a strict parental figure, as Molly seems to have that pretty much covered, but he clearly adores his children, and is proud of his family, despite their lesser economic status. He stands up for his family in front of the pretentious Malfoys, who believe themselves to better than the Weasleys due to their Pure-blood status and perceived wealth. Like Molly, Arthur also goes on to be an important part of the fight between good and evil later on.
Mark Williams was cast as Arthur Weasley. He had previously been cast as Horace in the live-action adaptation 101 Dalmatians (1996), based on Disney’s animated 1961 film, and as Exterminator Jeff in The Borrowers (1997). He later appeared as Wabash in the Oscar-winning movie Shakespeare in Love (1998). In more recent years, Williams has voiced the character of Barry in Aardman Animation’s Early Man (2018) and currently stars as the title character in the long-running BBC series Father Brown (2013-present). He also played Sir John Middleton in the 2008 miniseries Sense and Sensibility, also for the BBC.
We also get to see more of the other Weasley children, outside of Ron, in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets. Ron’s older brother Percy, a school prefect, is seen a few times in the second movie, with Ravenclaw Penelope Clearwater, his secret girlfriend, and is spotted by Harry and Ron by Slytherin’s Common Room, after they have been transformed into Crabbe and Goyle. Chris Rankin was cast as Percy. After appearing in the majority of the Harry Potter films, Rankin went on to be an assistant production coordinator on series like Downton Abbey (2010-15) and Atlantis (2013-15), and is currently the Chair and Lead Producer at the Brecon Little Theatre in mid-Wales[1].
Twins Fred and George are the next brothers in age order. Fred and George are still part of the Gryffindor Quidditch team as they were in the first film, continuing to be seen in these sequences. They don’t have a huge amount to do with the story of Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, but their mischievous nature is briefly glimpsed in this film, before being made more obvious in the later films. Fred and George were played by James and Oliver Phelps. After appearing in all of the Harry Potter films, the duo went on to be cast as Brian Carter and Barry Carter in the TV movie Danny and the Human Zoo (2015) written by comedian Lenny Henry, and made a cameo appearance together in Last Night in Soho (2021). Recently, the twins have hosted the travel series Fantastic Friends (2022) and the cooking competition series Harry Potter: Wizards of Baking (2024-present).
The other Weasley sibling to mention is Ginny Weasley, the youngest of the Weasley children and the only girl. In Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, Ginny starts her First Year at Hogwarts, being placed in Gryffindor House with her brothers. It would be expected that Ginny’s year at school would be pretty quiet, but no; Ginny gets to be highly involved in the problems that occur at Hogwarts. Ginny inadvertently was given a piece of dark magic by Lucius Malfoy in Diagon Alley. She has no idea what the diary is doing to her, and doesn’t realise the trouble she is in until it’s too late and she is being used as a sacrifice so that Voldemort can live again. Luckily for Ginny, Harry was on hand to rescue her from almost-death. Ginny continues to play a role in the story in the later films. Bonnie Wright was cast as Ginny. After her time on the Harry Potter series, Wright went on to be cast as Rose in the independent film The Sea (2013) and as Georgina in the film After the Dark (2013). She also wrote and directed the film Separate We Come, Separate We Go. Recently, Wright has focused on activism, being involved with Greenpeace and the Rainforest Alliance. She published the book Go Gently: Actionable Steps to Nurture Yourself and the Planet in 2022.
Gilderoy Lockhart becomes the second Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher at Hogwarts, after Professor Quirrell “crumbled” in the first film. He is seen to be both exceptionally charming, with his blond hair and bright smile, and arrogant, believing his own self-importance due to his success as an author, and accomplishments as a wizard. However, it soon becomes obvious to everyone that Lockhart actually has very little magical skill, not being able to do the simplest of spells and shying away from his teacherly responsibilities whenever the pressure gets too much. Lockhart reveals himself to be a total fraud near the end of the story, admitting to using memory charms to steal other witches’ and wizards’ life stories and pass them off as his own. When he tries to do the same to Ron and Harry so he can twist the story of finding the chamber, probably for a new book, he fails to account for the fact Ron’s wand is severely damaged and ends up wiping his own memory. He still gets a book out of the situation so I guess it’s a small victory for Lockhart!
Sir Kenneth Branagh was cast as Lockhart. Branagh is well-known for being a great Shakespearean actor, both on stage and screen, having both directed and starred in numerous film adaptations of Shakespeare plays, such as Henry V (1989) and Hamlet (1996), both nominated at the Academy Awards: for Best Director and Best Actor for Henry V, winning for Best Direction at the BAFTAs; and for Best Adapted Screenplay for Hamlet. He also directed Belfast (2021), which won the Academy Award and Golden Globe for Best Original Screenplay, and won the BAFTA for Outstanding British Film. Branagh has also appeared in various other roles. For example, he has recently portrayed Hercule Poirot in a series of movies based on Agatha Christie’s novels, also directing the movies, starting with Murder on the Orient Express (2017), and was cast as Niels Bohr in Oppenheimer (2023). On the more comedic side, Branagh was cast as Sir Alistair Dormandy in the comedy-drama The Boat That Rocked (2009) and voiced Miguel in DreamWorks Animation’s The Road to El Dorado (2000). Branagh is set to appear in The Devil Wears Prada 2 (2026).
However, before Branagh was cast as Lockhart, there were multiple other famous actors who were also considered. Jude Law, who went on to be cast as a young Dumbledore in the Fantastic Beasts series of films, was apparently seen for the part of Lockhart, before being deemed to be too young for the role. Alan Cumming and Rupert Everett were also both offered screen tests for the part, although after discovering a pay discrepancy between himself and Everett, Cumming refused to take any further part in the process[2]. Later, it was reported that Hugh Grant was first offered the part, before having to drop out due to scheduling difficulties, filming the rom-com Two Weeks Notice (2002) with Sandra Bullock. Branagh was confirmed in the role in October 2001[3]. Although I am a fan of all of these actors, I think that Branagh was perfectly cast as Gilderoy Lockhart. Branagh even won the London Film Critics Circle Award for Best Supporting Actor of the Year for this role.
Another major new character introduced in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets was Draco’s father, Lucius Malfoy. He is tall, menacing, and more than just a little bit evil. Lucius is tough on his son and has brought him up to believe that families of Pure-bloods are exceptional, whereas anyone who is not is lesser than them. We get to see why Draco is the snobby, arrogant child he is by meeting Lucius. Lucius is shown to have a fascination with Voldemort, after he looks at Harry’s scar, plus he has Tom Riddle’s diary in his possession. This movie only gives a brief incite into Lucius, with his true villainy still to be revealed.
Jason Isaacs was cast as Lucius Malfoy, in another perfect casting in my opinion. Strangely enough, Isaacs had originally auditioned for the part of Lockhart. He was annoyed to find he hadn’t got the part, and to make it even worse, he was asked to read for Lucius Malfoy. Isaacs’ reasoning for not wanting to play Lucius was that he was already set to play Captain Hook in the 2003 film Peter Pan and didn’t want to play two villains back-to-back, but his family encouraged him to take the part, and now, he is so glad he did[4]. Lucius is one of my favourite Harry Potter characters, so I’m glad he did too, and by being Lucius and not Gilderoy Lockhart, we got to see Isaacs in multiple films, not just one. Prior to his work on Harry Potter, Jason Isaacs was known for such roles as Ronald Quincy inArmageddon (1998); as Colonel William Tavington in The Patriot (2000); and as Captain Mike Steele in Black Hawk Down (2001). After Harry Potter, Isaacs went on to be cast as George Zhukov in The Death of Stalin (2017); John Godfrey in Operation Mincemeat (2021); Archie inMrs. Harris Goes to Paris (2022); and Moth Winn in the now-controversial movie The Salt Path (2024). In television, Isaacs recently portrayed Cary Grant in the miniseries Archie (2023) and played Timothy Ratliff in Season 3 of The White Lotus (2021-present).
As for Draco Malfoy, and his sidekicks Vincent Crabbe and Gregory Goyle, we did meet them in Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, shown to be the main enemies of Harry, Ron, and Hermione. In Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, they are part of the action for longer, as they are central to the three friends figuring out who the heir to Slytherin is. They suspect it is Draco as he spends much of the movie spouting out beliefs about how non-magical students aren’t worthy and are lesser than him, even going so far as to call them “Mudbloods” and hoping Hermione will be one who dies from the release of the Chamber of Secrets’ monster. With Harry and Ron transformed into Crabbe and Goyle, they try to get Draco to confirm he is the heir, but he turns out not to be, making the three Slytherins no longer useful to Harry, Ron and Hermione’s sleuthing. However, Draco later becomes a major part of the story in later films.
Tom Felton was cast as Draco Malfoy. Unlike many of the other child actors though, Harry Potter was not his first film role. Felton had previously been cast as Peagreen in The Borrowers (1997) and as Louis T. Leonowens in Anna and the King (1999), which starred Jodie Foster. After Harry Potter, Felton went on to play Dodge Landon in Rise of the Planet of the Apes (2011); James Ashford in Belle (2013); and Rufus Lancaster in A United Kingdom (2016). Recently, Felton was cast as Richard Goodridge in Save the Cinema (2022) before going on to star as Sam in 2:22 A Ghost Story on the West End in 2022. His stage work has continued by reprising his role as Draco Malfoy in the Broadway production of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, with his run going from November 2025 to May 2026. He also published his autobiography Beyond the Wand in 2022.
Goyle was played by Josh Herdman. He appeared in all of the Harry Potter films, and was cast as Ben in the CBBC series UGetMe (2003-05), going on to be cast in the recurring role of Eric Davidson in Season 2 of the ITV series Marcella (2016-21). In 2016, he started a career as an MMA fighter. Crabbe was played by Jamie Waylett, only appearing in the first six films, as he was not asked to return for the final two due to legal troubles.
Continuing with the dark wizards, although we saw Voldemort in Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, attached to Quirrell’s head, in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, he got to appear in almost-human form, as his sixteen-year-old self, Tom Riddle. Tom Riddle is confirmed to be the heir of Slytherin, having opening the chamber when he was at Hogwarts fifty years before, instructing the Basilisk to kill Myrtle, as he set about continuing Salazar Slytherin’s task of ridding the school of any students with non-magical parents. However, on his return, although the Basilisk petrifies multiple students, Tom confirms his real target was actually Harry Potter, wanting to finally kill him, after his failed attempt over a decade before, and return to life. But Harry being Harry doesn’t let that happen, and manages to stop him, by destroying the diary with a Basilisk fang, which makes the memory of Tom Riddle disappear forever, saving Ginny in the process.
Christian Coulson was cast as Tom Riddle. He was actually 23 at the time, despite portraying a sixteen-year-old. Prior to Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, Coulson was cast as Ben Stemson in The Worst Witch spin-off series Weirdsister College (2001-02). He went on to be cast in the recurring role of Sebastian in the series Mozart in the Jungle (2014-18) and as Ian in Love Is Strange (2014). Many well-known actors also auditioned to play Tom Riddle, including Eddie Redmayne, who went on to be cast as Newt Scamander in the Fantastic Beasts series, and James McAvoy.
Along with these characters, we met a few new teachers. One of these was Professor Sprout, who teaches Herbology at Hogwarts. Here, she teaches Harry and his friends about mandrakes and their importance of curing those who have been petrified. It’s lucky they potted those mandrakes on the first day of the year because they were certainly needed! Miriam Margolyes was cast as Professor Sprout, who returns only for the final Harry Potter film. She had previously appeared as The Nurse in Baz Luhrmann’s Romeo + Juliet (1996) and was cast as Aunt Sponge and Mrs. Glowworm in James and the Giant Peach (1998). She had also earlier portrayed Queen Victoria in the festive special Blackadder’s Christmas Carol (1988). Recently, Margolyes has appeared on our screens in a variety of travel shows, such as Miriam and Alan: Lost in Scotland (2021-22) with Alan Cumming; Miriam Margolyes: A New Australian Adventure (2024) and Miriam Margolyes Discovers New Zealand (2025). Margolyes has also voiced characters for animated movies, including The Matchmaker in Disney’s Mulan (1998) and Queen Oofeefa in Aardman’s Early Man.
We also spend quite a bit of time in the movie in Hogwarts’ hospital wing with Madame Pomfrey the school nurse. She has to nurse Harry back to health, after Lockhart makes all the bones in his broken arm disappear, and later has to care for the petrified students, starting with Colin Creevey who comes to the hospital in the middle of the night. Madame Pomfrey was played by Gemma Jones. Jones has had a variety of screen roles, including period dramas, such as her roles as Mrs. Dashwood in Sense and Sensibility (1995) and Lady Queensberry in Wilde (1997) with Stephen Fry portraying Oscar Wilde. Jones is also known for her role as Pamela Jones, Bridget’s mother, in the Bridget Jones film series. She was later cast in the recurring role of Connie James in Spooks (2002-11), and as Ivy, Elton’s grandmother, in Rocketman (2019). More recently, Jones played Rose Wright in the British drama series I, Jack Wright (2025-present). She reprised her role as Madame Pomfrey for the sixth and final Harry Potter films.
The Minister of Magic, Cornelius Fudge, makes his first appearance in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets too. In the film, he shows up at Hagrid’s hut and takes him away to Azkaban, believing him to be behind the spate of attacks at Hogwarts, since Hagrid was made to take the blame for them fifty years before. Fudge doesn’t seem to listen to reason from others and follows his instincts blindly, without looking for concrete evidence. This makes him seem a tough figure, but his stubbornness proves to be a problem for him later on in the story. Fudge was played by Robert Hardy. Before Harry Potter, Hardy was cast as Sir John Middleton in Sense and Sensibility (1995) and as Lord Caversham in An Ideal Husband (1998). He went on to appear as Tite Barnacle in the BBC miniseries Little Dorrit (2008), with Claire Foy in the title role. Hardy reprised his role as Fudge in the following films, up to Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (2007). Hardy died in 2017.
A few new students are brought in to the story for this second film too. One is Colin Creevey, an excitable First Year student, who is a big fan of Harry Potter’s and an avid photographer. He even manages to capture some action shots of the Gryffindor vs. Slytherin Quidditch match, almost getting hit by the rogue Bludger in the process! Colin sadly succumbs to the Basilisk, becoming the first human victim to be petrified. Thanks to his camera, Colin doesn’t look the Basilisk in the eye and survives the attack, being revived by the Mandrake potion by the end of the film, alongside the other victims. Hugh Mitchell was cast as Colin. He played Young Nicholas Nickleby in the 2002 film Nicholas Nickleby around this time, going on to be cast as Young Silas in The Da Vinci Code (2006) and later playing Richard Welles in the BBC series The White Queen (2013).
Justin Finch-Fletchley, a Hufflepuff student, is the second victim to be petrified. He previously met Harry at the Duelling Club, set up by Lockhart and Snape, however, he finds himself potentially about to be the victim of cobra attack during it, and blames Harry for it. Harry starts speaking to the snake in Parseltongue, but as nobody knows what he is saying, it appears that Harry is trying to get the snake to attack Justin, making him feared after that. Justin is then discovered by Harry to be petrified just a little while later, furthering cementing the case that Harry is behind the attacks, despite not being. Like Colin, Justin is “un-petrified” by the end of the film and able to go about his life. Justin was played by Edward Randell who now seems to be a freelance journalist, having only made an appearance in this second Harry Potter film.
Moaning Myrtle, although a ghost, is also a new student character. Myrtle resides in a girls’ lavatory, which is rarely ever used because she is so miserable, resenting her early death, although she also seems to like to wallow in her self-pity as well! Basically, she can make the students feel uncomfortable so they tend to avoid her. Hermione chooses this bathroom to brew their Polyjuice potion in for this very reason, so it can remain a secret. Myrtle turns out to be the key to figuring out where the entrance to the chamber is, as it is discovered she was the first fatality from the Basilisk, after the chamber was first opened fifty years before. With the information about her death, Myrtle reveals the location of the entrance, helping Ron and Harry to rescue Ginny. She also kindly offers Harry the opportunity to share her toiler as a ghost should he die down there. Nice!
Shirley Henderson, despite being in her 30s by the time this film was made, was cast as Moaning Myrtle, likely because of the versatility of her voice, bringing a real whine to Myrtle’s lines. Early in her career, Henderson was cast as Isobel Sutherland in the mystery series Hamish Macbeth (1995-97), which saw Robert Carlyle in the title role. She also appeared as Gail in Trainspotting (1996) and its 2017 sequel. Other film roles of hers include Jude in the Bridget Jones film series; Lucille Hardy in Stan & Ollie (2018); and Agatha Christie in See How They Run (2022). On television, Henderson was cast recently, as Annie in the series Summerwater (2025) and in the recurring role of Claire Marsh in Dept. Q (2025-present) for Netflix. In voice acting, Henderson voiced the character Ooooo in Pixar’s Elio (2025) and Babu Frik in Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker (2021). Henderson reprised her role as Moaning Myrtle only in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (2005).
MUSIC
Legendary composer John Williams, who had created a beautiful, magical score to accompany Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, returned to compose the score for Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets. Williams is known for composing music for such movie franchises as Indiana Jones, Star Wars, and Jurassic Park, winning numerous awards, including Grammys and Academy Awards, during his career.
This meant that the music of both Harry Potter movies feels quite similar, with some themes returning, such as the iconic “Hedwig’s Theme”, which features in the introductory scene of Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, with the title card.
I particularly like the track “Fawkes the Phoenix”, which can be heard as Harry, Ron, Ginny, and Lockhart make their way out of the chamber with Fawkes’ help. It is triumphant, showing they succeeded in their fight against evil. I also like the final track in the film, played when Hermione returns to the Great Hall after recovering from being petrified, and as Hagrid makes his grand return to Hogwarts after being released from Azkaban. This track is “Reunion of Friends”. As an adult, I always cry at this final scene, and the music is a huge part of what makes that scene so beautiful.
There are darker elements to the story in this second film, so naturally, these needed to be reflected in the score too. One piece of music that shows this is “The Spiders”, playing as Harry and Ron run from the spiders in the Dark Forest. The opening sounds of this track sound just like spiders spiralling down on their webs, making all arachnophobes’ skin crawl. “Meeting Aragog” has similar elements. “Meeting Tom Riddle”, for when Harry first sees Riddle in the chamber, is equally spooky, whilst also being mysterious as we wonder who this boy is, and where he came from. After that, we have Harry’s fight against the Basilisk. The track “Dueling the Basilisk” accompanies this sequence, making for a thrilling final battle for the film, one filled with peril and life-threatening danger.
As with the first film, Williams was once again recognised for his work on the music for Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, although not at the Academy Awards as he had been for the first film. He was nominated again at the Grammys though, for Best Score Soundtrack Album for a Motion Picture, Television or Other Visual Media. Once again, Williams lost to Howard Shore’s score for The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers. But Williams did beat out Shore for the Critics’ Choice Award for Best Composer, which was not only for his work on Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, but also for the Steven Spielberg-directed films Minority Report and Catch Me If You Can, also released in 2002. Williams was also recognised at the BMI Film Music Awards for his work on movie soundtracks that year, which including the three already mentioned, plus Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones.
PRODUCTION
Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone had opened in theatres on 16th November 2001, but there was no time for the cast and crew to celebrate as production on the second film, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, began just a few days later.
The total shoot for the second Harry Potter movie was apparently slightly less time than the first, at around nine or ten months, but this is still a significant amount of time, and not unexpected given the length of the movie’s runtime, the numerous impressive, vast sets, and the number of characters, and therefore actors, and locations required for filming.
Christopher Columbus was back to direct the second film, after directing the first, having been a popular director particularly with the young cast, who had had a great time filming Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone. Steve Kloves also returned to write the screenplay, adapting it from J.K. Rowling’s original novel, having done the same for the first.
Kloves admitted that it was difficult adapting these novels, because, since the whole series had not yet been written and published, although Rowling had a clear idea of the complete narrative, he had to check with Rowling if his screenplay was going in the right direction, so as not to allow something to be contradicted in a later film, or so something important was not omitted. In the case of Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, Kloves said one part of the story in particular would come back later in series, so he had to pepper in just enough clues to allow this to make sense later without giving the game away in this film. I would assume that this story element was the importance of Tom Riddle’s diary. Rowling was particularly impressed with how the ominousness of Tom Riddle’s diary was portrayed in the film, as it is a creepy and scary concept to have someone write back to you in something as private as a diary, something many young girls turn to when wanting to express their innermost thoughts and feelings.
An element that ripples throughout the Harry Potter series is the message about racism, or classism, with the Pure-bloods against everyone else, i.e., Half-bloods or Muggle-borns. This is first introduced in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, specifically differentiating Draco Malfoy and his family from the others because the Malfoys are Pure-bloods, whereas even Harry Potter is a Half-blood, because his mother was Muggle-born. The Weasleys are technically Pure-bloods, but they don’t believe themselves to be better than anyone else. This idea is a huge part of this second film and novel, with the Basilisk’s main purpose being to purge Hogwarts of Muggle-born students, but the idea comes back throughout the series. Kloves felt this theme was very important and had been perhaps more present in his first draft of the script, before having to condense it for the final film script, so the idea is quite different from the book in some aspects[5].
Although it has been noted just how faithful the first two Harry Potter movies are to the first two novels, there obviously had to be some concessions made to the story, to allow the films to be a reasonable length, and to keep the pace snappy and interesting.
One character that is referenced in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, both film and novel, is Penelope Clearwater, Percy Weasley’s love interest at Hogwarts. She is only mentioned in the film, as she walks down a hallway with Percy in one scene, however, she was actually another petrified student in the book, being found beside Hermione in the library. In the book, it is Penelope’s mirror that they are using to look around corners so they don’t meet the eye of the Basilisk.
Something else that could’ve been included in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets the film, but could’ve been omitted simply for pacing is that Hermoine’s potion book, Moste Potente Potions, where she finds the recipe to brew Polyjuice Potion is actually in the Restricted Section of Hogwarts Library in the novel, with Hermione having to metaphorically charm Lockhart into writing her a note, giving her permission to take the book out. In the film, this potion book just happens to be on a regular shelf of the library.
There were a few other minor changes to the story, including missing out Nearly Headless Nick’s 500th Deathday Party, attended by Harry and his friends; a scene of the Weasley brothers “de-gnoming” their garden at The Burrow, literally throwing gnomes over a hedge to keep them out; and Mr. Weasley repairing Harry’s glasses after his visit to Knockturn Alley. For some reason, it was not supposed to be noticed that with Hermione repairing the glasses in the film, she is technically breaking the rule against underage witches and wizards using magic outside Hogwarts…A professor character is also missing entirely from the films, and that is Professor Binns, the History of Magic professor, who was the one to reveal the history of the Chamber of Secrets to Harry and his classmates. Instead, this speech was given to Professor McGonagall
Another omission includes the fact that the book first references “Squibs” in this story, specifically referring to Argus Filch, the caretaker. This leans further into the racism experienced in the Wizarding World, as the term refers to someone with at least one magical parent, but with no magical powers of their own. This may’ve initially been part of the initial script for Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, because, in a deleted scene, we see Harry pass Filch a letter, which appears to be confirming Filch’s inability to perform magic. Instead, this fact is only briefly mentioned in the sixth Harry Potter film[6].
Speaking of deleted scenes, there were numerous ones that have since been available to view on DVD and Blu-Ray releases of the film. An interesting one was the scene in Borgin and Burkes, which Harry ends up in after his disastrous first attempt at using the Floo Network. Harry sees Draco Malfoy and his father entering the shop, and has to hide in a coffin to avoid being seen. Here, Lucius is selling items that he needs to get rid of from his home, since the Ministry of Magic are conducting more raids into finding dark magic. It was this scene which Tom Felton and Jason Isaacs later reflected on, as Isaacs had accidentally injured Felton’s hand here. Isaacs must’ve gotten very into character at this stage in filming, because when he used Lucius’ cobra cane to scold Draco, he accidentally hit Felton with the cane, and the pointy fangs hurt his hand. Isaacs apologised profusely after they stopped rolling, with Felton later joking that it was reminiscent of Jekyll and Hyde working with Isaacs, as he was cold and harsh one minute when acting, and nice the next when he wasn’t! The two loved working together though, and have a strong friendship even now.
Something else in the deleted scenes that might’ve helped with the plot of the story is seeing Justin Finch-Fletchley introducing himself to Harry just before the Duelling Club began. In this scene, Justin confirms he is a Muggle-born. I didn’t realise this until many years later, and simply thought the Basilisk was just attacking whoever was around, not specifically targeting Muggle-borns with Hermione just being a coincidence, since Tom Riddle says to Harry at the end of the film that that wasn’t his purpose anymore. I thought the Basilisk was trying to get to Harry and these students were just in the way, so had this scene been included, it would’ve added more clarity for viewers who were not familiar with the book. This idea was further used in a later scene, where Harry heard people talking about how Justin had revealed he was Muggle-born to Harry, making the students gossiping suspect Justin would be the next victim, since Harry must be the heir of Slytherin.
Another scene that could’ve added more clarity to the overall story was Harry, Ron, and Hermione all seeing that the diary belonged to a Tom Riddle. On hearing the name, this reminded Ron that he’d seen that name whilst polishing the school’s silver as part of his detention. Riddle had won an award for services to the school fifty years ago, with this being the same time the chamber was opened. They therefore assume Riddle will know all about the chamber, but see nothing written in the diary, so cannot read anything about it. This would’ve led on to Harry writing in the diary and conversing with Riddle through it[7].
In terms of filming locations, many of the same locations were used in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets after their usage in Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, for example, Alnwick Castle. Specifically in this second film, the Inner Bailey area of the castle was used for the sequence of Harry and Ron crash-landing in the flying car on their arrival at Hogwarts[8]. The cast and crew also made a return to Durham Cathedral. In this sequel, the Cloister Garth was used for the scene of the Gryffindor Quidditch team learning about Draco becoming Slytherin’s new seeker, and Ron casting his “eat slugs” curse, with the Chapter House being used for Professor McGonagall’s classroom. It would seem that the Divinity School at Oxford University was the location for Hogwarts’ hospital wing and was also used for Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone[9]. Other locations include the North Walk Cloisters of Gloucester Cathedral being the location for the scene of the writings on the wall in this film, with Moaning Myrtle’s bathroom being nearby, and the Glenfinnan Viaduct in the Scottish Highlands becoming iconic for the sequence of Harry and Ron meeting the Hogwarts Express, and almost crashing with it, whilst in the flying Ford Anglia. The viaduct makes a return in other Harry Potter movies too, during the group’s travels to Hogwarts[10]. The story also returns to King’s Cross station, where we see Harry and Ron attempt to follow the rest of the Weasleys on to Platform 9 ¾, finding the portal has closed. This is once again inside King’s Cross, or how it was many years ago, but when Harry and Ron go to get in the flying car, this exterior shot is actually of neighbouring train station St. Pancras.
With the filming of the second movie feeling very similar to the first one, for numerous reasons, it made everyone feel free and more comfortable with what they were doing, including Christopher Columbus. Additional cast members meant widening the Harry Potter family, with Kenneth Branagh, Mark Williams, and Jason Isaacs being welcomed into the cast, with the latter two becoming very integrated into later storylines. Branagh was actually set to play Richard III on stage partway through filming Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, and was learning his lines for it in his downtime. Daniel Radcliffe was said to have enjoyed running lines with him for the play. Jason Isaacs had an enjoyable moment seeing just how brilliant Radcliffe was too, as Isaacs improvised the line “Let us hope Mr. Potter will always be around to save the day”, so that Malfoy could have the final say in Dumbledore’s office. Isaacs had not been expecting Radcliffe to shot back with his own bit of improv, cooly stating, “Don’t worry, I will be”. This showed a level of increased confidence in the young cast in the brief spell of time between the two movies, which did not go unnoticed by the adults on set. It was also notable that they were growing up by the fact many of the boys’ voices were breaking by this point[11]! But to really bring everyone back down to earth, that this production was centred around child actors, there was reportedly an outbreak of headlice on set during filming, which was said to have halted production briefly[12]!
Moving on, let’s discuss some important characters who were not part of the filming process, and yet feel very real to audiences. One of these is obviously Dobby the House-elf, a beloved character in the Harry Potter universe for many. Dobby was going to have to be a computer-generated character, and the animators wanted to make him appear as he was described in the books, as a sort of shrivelled and puny creature, made to wear a dirty rag all his life, as he serves one wizard family forever, a family who have tormented him and weakened his spirit. There were some concerns around making Dobby, as he had to feel lovable, without being cute and cuddly, and be a sympathetic figure that we feel sorry for. It was possible he’d end up being too annoying, like some other computer-generated characters of the time, or that he’d feel too digital to seem real. Although Dobby might appear quite strange, especially given how far computer animation has progressed since the early 2000s, he remains a figure that we want to root for[13].
The talents of his voice actor will also have helped with this. British actor Toby Jones was chosen to voice Dobby. Jones has made appearances in various well-known movies franchises, including being cast as Claudius Templesmith in The Hunger Games franchise; as Mr. Eversoll in Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom (2018); and as Basil Shaw in Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny (2023). Jones has also recently starred in numerous British miniseries, such as portraying Alan Bates in Mr. Bates vs. The Post Office (2024), and Alan Rusbridger in The Hack (2025). Initially, when Jones was offered the part of Dobby, he didn’t understand the importance of the character, but later came to realise how loved Dobby is.
It was quite difficult for the actors to act to Dobby, because he obviously wasn’t there, but the two actors who had the most scenes with Dobby, i.e., Daniel Radcliffe and Jason Isaacs, did their best with them, and I think it shows. Isaacs, for instance, chose to kick Dobby down the stairs in Dumbledore’s office. Columbus apparently believed Isaacs had just slipped as he was walking down them, but he made it clear, he was actually acting! This moment made it into the film. Radcliffe was also said to have impressed many on set as he acted to a stick with a ball on the end of it for all Harry’s scenes with Dobby, being said to have twice as much focus and commitment as many adult actors in these types of scenes.
Fawkes the Phoenix is another vital character to the story, coming to Harry’s rescue whilst in the Chamber of Secrets on two different occasions. But Harry first meets Fawkes in Dumbledore’s office, and this phoenix is an animatronic figure, not a CG creation. It apparently had cameras in its eyes so it could be moved to respond to the actors. Columbus and Radcliffe later revealed that they believed Richard Harris thought Fawkes was a very well-trained bird[14]! But whenever Fawkes had flight sequences, and for when he caught fire and was reborn, digital effects were used.
Aragog the spider – an Acromantulas, to be exact – was another creature that had to be created for Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets. It was thought that Aragog would simply have to be computer-generated, due to his size, however, it was later decided that Aragog could be constructed, even if he was such a complex and huge spider. If it didn’t work, there was always CG to fall back on, but in the end, Aragog was created, as a puppet. This must’ve been absolutely terrifying to see up close! The swarm of Aragog’s children, however, were CGI. Julian Glover was tasked with voicing Aragog. He had previously been cast as General Maximilian Veers in Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back (1980) and Aristotle Kristatos in For Your Eyes Only (1981), showing Glover’s talent for playing villains. He later had a recurring role as Grand Maester Pycelle in Game of Thrones (2011-19).
The Basilisk, a huge snake-like creature, was created with a mixture of practical models and CGI. A 30ft long structure was built, detailing the Basilisk’s head and mouth, which was used and controlled for the battle scene with Harry. This mechanical puppet could even move towards Radcliffe as he literally fought against it. However, when the Basilisk slithers through the chamber, following Harry, this was CGI[15].
Outside of that, various new sets had to be built for Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets. One of these was Dumbledore’s Office, a grand office to suit the grandeur of Dumbledore and his status as Headmaster. It was thought the scale of the project may’ve had to be scaled back from original designs because of a lack of budget, however, instead of compromising on the office, further funds were secured to ensure the office was constructed as it had been envisaged. Numerous paintings of former Hogwarts’ Headmasters had to be commissioned, for those to be hung around the walls of the office, and various celestial objects, including a large telescope, were either created or purchased to fill the space, to match Dumbledore’s interests in astronomy. They also had to build the moving, spiral staircase, the Griffin Stairwell, that Harry steps into to get to Dumbledore’s office. The greenhouse for Professor Sprout’s Herbology class was another new set, although they had wanted to film in potentially one of the greenhouses at Kew Gardens, but on learning that air traffic would be a problem for them, they chose to build a set based on one of Kew’s actual greenhouses. The Weasley family home of The Burrow, a homely cottage-like building, was another new set, filled with whimsical, magical inventions, like a pan being cleaned, and moving knitting needles, which were all practical effects. The Burrow is also filled with little knick-knacks, to complement Mr. Weasley’s fascination with the Muggle world[16].
Sadly, a very tragic ending was about to unfold as Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets headed into the post-production stages. Richard Harris had been able to see out the filming of Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets in his role as Dumbledore, however, by August 2002, Harris was struggling with ill health. Columbus saw his health decline quite quickly after that, although Columbus did say Harris seemed in good spirits when he saw him in the hospital. After visiting him, Harris warned Columbus not to even think about replacing him as Dumbledore for the next film as he’d be back. Columbus said he’d never do that, and said he’d see him in a few weeks, however, sadly, as Columbus began editing Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets a few days later, he was shocked to discover that Harris had passed away, on 25th October 2002 at the age of 72[17]. This meant that Dumbledore would have to be recast for the future films. Columbus did not even return for the third film, at least as director, as he decided he needed a break from directing the Harry Potter movies, passing them over to others to finish the rest of the series.
RECEPTION
An official premiere was held for Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets on 3rd November 2002 in London. This was soon followed by the film’s release to cinemas, on 15th November 2002, in both the US and the UK, coming to international markets either around the same time, in the following few weeks, or within the first couple of months of 2003.
In the UK, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets had a high opening weekend, making around £9.8 million in its opening weekend in the country[18]. It made an estimated $87.7 million in its first three days of release in the US, making this the country’s third best opening of all time, behind May 2002’s Spider-Man, with $114.8 million, and Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone’s $90.3 million. Across the world, the movie is said to have made $142 million in just those first three days. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets was even in top position at the box office in eight other countries, including creating the highest openings ever in Taiwan and the Philippines[19].
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets ended its run with a total worldwide gross of just under $880 million, in second place to the second film in The Lord of the Rings trilogy, The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers, which made a total of $923 million. Rounding out the rest of the Top Five were Spider-Man, with just under $805 million; Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones, with $645 million, and Men in Black II, with a little over $440 million. This proves that studios even loved making sequels over two decades ago!
In comparison with the first film in the series, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets did not end up surpassing its predecessor. Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone made around $975 million during its initial release, and did top the worldwide box office for 2001. But the figures weren’t too far apart, showing that Harry Potter had a bright future as a film franchise, even though this was only two movies into an expected seven movie series.
Looking at audience reviews, there were plenty of positive comments for Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, and it seemed to have a similar overall view by the public as the first one had received. Many commented that Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets felt the same as the first, in terms of both the story elements and the production value. This would’ve been due to the benefit of having continuity with the direction of the films as the first two were both directed by Christopher Columbus, as well as perhaps the two films being filmed so close together, with many of the same settings. This second film was also seen as staying quite faithful to the original book, something that the first film had been praised for as well. The story of Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets was said to have developed the overall story and the characters further, being considered scary, in a good way, with the finale battle between Harry, Tom Riddle, and the Basilisk a particular highlight. The special effects were received well too. For new characters, many of the actors performing these roles were highlighted, including Kenneth Branagh, who was a total scene-stealer as Lockhart, and Jason Isaacs, who was quietly menacing in his role as Lucius Malfoy. Fans of the Weasleys also appreciated a closer look at the family in this film too. The acting of the child actors was seen to have improved quite significantly between the first two films as well.
However, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets was slightly longer in runtime than the first movie, and for some, it showed, with the story said to have dragged in places, and just generally being considered too long for a family-friendly film. There were also some who commented that Richard Harris seemed tired in this film, lacking the twinkle that Dumbledore had had in the first movie. I can’t say I noticed this to be honest; I just thought Dumbledore didn’t have as much of a role in the story here. These were likely retrospective reflections after Harris’ death. The other problem with Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets was that you had to have seen the first to understand the sequel, because they waste no time in explaining what is going on; there’s too much to cover that this wouldn’t have been a good use of the runtime. There were also those who obviously didn’t like the first film for varying reasons, including that the book was stuck too closely to, or that Columbus had made the film too light and breezy, and since the first two films feel very similar, if you already didn’t like the first film, it was unlikely you’d like the second.
It also turns out that Dobby was quite a divisive character. I always liked Dobby; I thought he was funny in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, and he was my favourite character from the film when I first watched it. However, some found him much too annoying, comparing him to Star Wars’ potentially most-hated character, Jar Jar Binks. Perhaps in both cases, the use of these characters for comic relief purposes took away from the story of their respective films? Or they were just generally irritating with their voices and appearances. I don’t know, but I should mention that I always liked Jar Jar Binks too – sorry!
In terms of awards, Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone had turned out to be quite a surprise hit, even receiving three nominations at the Academy Awards for Art Direction, Costume Design, and Original Score, although it did not win in any of the categories. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets ended up not being nominated at the Academy Awards for anything, this being only one of two Harry Potter films not to receive a single nomination here, but there were a few award wins and nominations for the sequel.
For example, the BAFTA Awards, seen to be kinder to the British film industry than some of the US academies, for obvious reasons, nominated Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets in three categories: Best Production Design, Best Sound, and Best Special Visual Effects. There were no wins for Harry Potter at this ceremony though. Elsewhere, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets received six nominations at the Saturn Awards, including for Best Fantasy Film and Best Make-Up, losing out to The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers on both occasions; and Best Special Effects and Best Costumes, losing to Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones. Christopher Columbus and Daniel Radcliffe were both up for Best Direction and Best Performance by a Younger Actor, but also did not win.
A few other awards and nominations to mention include a win for Best Family Film at the Critics’ Choice Awards, alongside a nomination for Best Digital Acting Performance for Toby Jones as Dobby, which turned out to be a win for Andy Serkis’ portrayal of Lord of the Rings character Gollum. The same thing happened at the 2003 MTV Movie Awards. Sadly, Dobby was nominated in a much meaner ceremony, at the Stinkers Bad Movie Awards, for Most Annoying Non-Human Character. Luckily, he – and Jar Jar Binks – lost out to Scrappy-Doo in Scooby-Doo (2002)! Finally, I’ll just mention that Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets was nominated for Favorite Movie at the Nickelodeon Kids’ Choice Awards – and lost to Austin Powers in Goldmember, which I thought was definitely not aimed at children!
LEGACY
It is common knowledge that as the Harry Potter movies were being made, J.K. Rowling was still publishing the rest of the series. By the time the first movie came out in 2001, only the first four books of an anticipated seven-book series had been published.
A little while after Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets came to our screens, the fifth book in the series, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, was published, in mid-2003. The publication date was announced in early 2003, with it being confirmed as 21st June 2003, a Saturday so that children would not feel the need to miss school to be one of the first in line to purchase it! More than a third of million copies of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire had been sold on its first day of release in the summer of 2000, becoming the fastest-selling book in history at the time[20]. The release of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix then broke that record with its 2003 publication.
As well as the new novel being published, a computer game based on Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, with similar gameplay to the game based on the first film, was developed. Like the first Harry Potter game, I enjoyed playing this second one too. Plenty of merchandise and memorabilia for this first sequel have also been available to purchase over the years, including replicas of Tom Riddle’s diary with the Basilisk fang through it.
There was even a sketch created for the British charity Comic Relief which aired as part of its annual television broadcast in 2003 which parodied Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets. It was created by Dawn French and Jennifer Saunders, who played Harry and Ron respectively. The sketch was humorously titled Harry Potter and the Secret Chamberpot of Azerbaijan. As well as recreating moments from Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, including having Harry meet “Dobby”, who was being played by the beloved Basil Brush, a puppet for any non-British readers who may be unfamiliar with the character, and the flying car sequence with the Hogwarts Express, it was also made like a mockumentary, with the “actors”, including Jeremy Irons playing Alan Rickman/Snape, Ronnie Corbett, known for his small stature, playing Robbie Coltrane/Hagrid and Alison Steadman playing Maggie Smith/McGonagall, talking about how they’d rather be working on The Lord of the Rings, or not understanding how to act to allow for special effects. The sketch was simply poking fun at the films, which had already become huge successes both in Britain and around the world. J.K. Rowling took the parody in her stride by recording a mock introduction to the sketch, telling viewers not to watch because she had “nothing nice to say” about it.
The real legacy of Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets though is that its success, and that of the first movie, allowed for the series to be continued in movie form, because had this second one not proved to be as relevant as the first, this may’ve been the end of the film series. It wouldn’t be the first time a movie series based on novels was halted partway through due to a lack of financial success – thank you, Divergent… It also introduced the viewers, those who had not read the books, to the evil that was set to come later in the series. It gave us plenty of clues for upcoming plot points, although we were not aware of this until a few films later when everything was tied together.
FINAL THOUGHTS
Stylistically, Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone and Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets feel very similar. This is thanks to the strong vision of Christopher Columbus, who wanted to stick as close to J.K. Rowling’s books as he could, without making the films hours and hours long. Columbus successfully brought in elements of dark magic and evil wizards without making the films too dark and scary for the children that would be watching.
However, with an expected seven-movie series, and a quick turnaround between the first and second films, to allow them to be released within a year of each other, Columbus was rightly exhausted and decided not to commit to directing any further Harry Potter movie.
This allowed for the remaining films to be taken in a new direction, with an even darker tone. Voldemort had returned once again for the sequel, and it was only a matter of time before the past he’d never even known about was going to catch up to Harry Potter.
REFERENCES
[1] Credit: Martin Barber, ‘Harry Potter: ‘Percy Weasley changed my life’ says Chris Rankin’, BBC.co.uk, 22nd November 2021.
[2] Credit: Zac Ntim, ‘Alan Cumming says he told ‘Harry Potter’ producers to ‘f— off’ after they asked him to audition for Professor Gilderoy Lockhart’, BusinessInsider.com, 9th August 2021.
[3] Credit: ABC News ‘Kenneth Branagh Joins Second ‘Harry Potter’ Film’, ABCNews.com, 25th October 2001.
[4] Credit: Veronica Vivona, ‘Jason Isaacs Wanted to Play Gilderoy Lockhart’, ScreenRant.com, 19th October 2017.
[5] Credit: Warner Bros., ‘Conversation with J.K. Rowling and Steve Kloves (2003)’, from Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (2002) 11-Disc Blu-Ray Set (2011).
[6] Credit: Matthew Rudoy, ‘Harry Potter: 10 Differences Between The Chamber Of Secrets Book & The Movie’, ScreenRant.com, 21st August 2020.
[7] Credit: Warner Bros., ‘Deleted/Extended Scenes’, from Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (2002) 11-Disc Blu-Ray Set (2011).
[8] Credit: Alnwick Castle, ‘Harry Potter at Alnwick Castle’, AlnwickCastle.com, date unknown.
[9] Credit: Visit Britain, ‘Visit Harry Potter filming locations’, VisitBritain.com, date unknown.
[10] Credit: BBC, ‘Harry Potter 20th anniversary: The UK film locations’, BBC.co.uk, 20th November 2021.
[11] Credit: Adam Markovitz, ‘Harry Potter: Casting the Spell’, EW.com, 1st July 2011.
[12] Credit: Tamar Altebarmakian, ‘Secrets You Didn’t Know Behind The Making Of Harry Potter’, ScreenRant.com, 30th January 2018.
[13] Credit: Alec Cawthorne, ‘Chris Columbus – Part Two Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets’, BBC.co.uk, 28th October 2014.
[14] Credit: HBO Max, ‘Harry Potter 20th Anniversary: Return to Hogwarts (2022).
[15] Credit; Warner Bros., ‘Creature Effects: Basilisk’, WBStudioTour.co.uk, date unknown.
[16] Credit: Warner Bros., ‘Behind Hogwarts: Building a Scene’, from Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (2002) 11-Disc Blu-Ray Set (2011).
[17] Credit: Lexy Perez, ‘‘Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone’ Turns 20: Director Chris Columbus Reflects on Pressures to Adapt Book and Hopes to Direct ‘Cursed Child’’, HollywoodReporter.com, 11th November 2021.
[18] Credit: BBC, ‘Potter conjures up box office record’, News.BBC.co.uk, 18th November 2002.
[19] Credit: The Guardian, ‘Potter breaks UK box office records’, TheGuardian.com, 18th November 2002.
[20] Credit: BBC News, ‘June debut for Potter latest’, News.BBC.co.uk, 10th February 2003.
The Disney Purist 