Blair Witch is somewhat of a letdown: it is largely the same as its predecessor (The Blair Witch Project) but does get points for attempting to build on the mythology. The problem though is that Blair Witch doesn’t really answer any of the questions posed by the first movie. It seems as if it is a cash-grab trading on the Blair Witch name or an attempt to reboot the franchise. Unfortunately, neither one was successful.
For those not familiar with the basic story, Blair Witch is a found footage horror film in which several young people set out to investigate the legend of the Blair Witch, a local urban legend. This time around the group goes into the Maryland woods armed with video cameras, sound recording equipment, GPS devices, walkie talkies and even a drone. The group is lead by James (played by James Allen McCune) who is trying to find out what happened to his sister, Heather (who disappeared in The Blair Witch Project).
James and his group meet up with two locals, who promise to lead James through the woods to where the footage from the original movie was found. As in the first movie, it isn’t long before strange things start happening and everyone is at each others’ throats. The group gets lost and their technology fails. They hear strange noises and stick figures and piled-up rocks appear seemingly out of nowhere. Tension among the group members causes the two locals to split off and horrible, anomalous things happen to everyone involved.
One thing that Blair Witch does right is capture the dire effects of being lost, isolated and helpless. This imparts a palpable sense of dread and when things go south for the group, it’s already too late for them. When things take a turn for the worse, there is no build up and no warning. One minute things are okay, the next there is no hope. The only way for the group to avoid their horrific situation was to have never put themselves in it in the first place.
There is a lot of shaky-cam footage in Blair Witch, which can be annoying and distracting. But in a movie like this it is very effective; the nausea induced strengthens the film. Adding to the tension are the many effective jump scares.
Overall, Blair Witch is not as good as The Blair Witch Project. The Blair Witch was never shown in The Blair Witch Project; it was left up to the viewer to interpret the events. Blair Witch, on the other hand, implies that the cause of the events may be indeed supernatural, maybe even caused by the Blair Witch, herself. It is interesting to compare and contrast the two films. But ultimately, the introduction of the new mythology only creates more questions than it answers.
Worth a look if you want to learn more of the mythology surrounding the Blair Witch.
Skip it if you think the original is perfect and/or dislike jump scares.
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