The foundation for The Blair Witch Project sequel, Blair Witch, is simple: James (James Allen McCune), his best friend Peter (Brandon Scott), and Peter’s girlfriend Ashley (Corbin Reid) venture back into Maryland’s Black Hills forest to try to find his sister Heather (The Blair Witch Project’s Heather Donahue) 20 years after her disappearance. They’re documented by film student Lisa (Callie Hernandez) and come to be accompanied by local “guides” Talia (Valorie Curry) and Lane (Wes Robinson).
Blair Witch is directed by Adam Winguard (The Guest, You’re Next, V/H/S, V/H/S/2) and is the official sequel to The Blair Witch Project of 1999, a movie that had a budget of $60,000 and grossed over $200 million. But Blair Witch, rather than starring a handful of local improv actors as in the original, features a band of low-fame actors. The Blair Witch Project is a mystery, or even a thriller, with only a hint of horror; Blair Witch is pure, unadulterated horror. Blair Witch is not a “There’s-something-evil-hiding-in-the-woods” kind of movie. Blair Witch is a “Did-you-hear-that?” kind of movie, a “Don’t-look” kind of movie, a “You’ll-be-okay” kind of movie. But you won’t be okay.
The Blair Witch Project is a thriller that saved its horror for the end, a movie that revolutionized the way horror films were made. It was shot on an unsteady, handheld camera that kept rolling as the protagonists slowly broke under fear. The Blair Witch Project is the first horror film to be made from the documentary perspective; the Blair Witch is one of the first to drastically modernize that documentary perspective, incorporating flashlights as the only unnatural light-source, GPS-tracking and video-recording earpieces, walkie-talkies, and a drone. It’s a movie with only one close-up: Lisa’s face in and out of focus as her breath fogs up James’s camera lens, as rain and sweat strings her hair and dots her face and she shouts with her eyes roaming wildly across the screen.
The sequel film hits you with horror 45 minutes in — all kinds of horror too, from the classic twig snaps and jump-scares to time warping and voodoo — and doesn’t stop for the rest of the movie. The original backstory is elaborated and enhanced upon, and the most minor of characters (“local guides” Talia and Lane) have some of the strongest performances. The ability to get lost seems to run in James’s family, and both lead actresses — Lisa in Blair Witch and Heather in The Blair Witch Project — experience the film student’s struggle with putting friends or footage first.
Blair Witch is nothing extraordinary. It is nowhere near as impactful as the original, and, although unnecessary, it does a good job of exploring and maxing out The Blair Witch Project’s horror potential. It’s worth a see if you want a scare,but if you’re looking for groundbreaking horror, stay out of the woods.
