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| Release Date: | October 27, 2000 (US & UK) |
| Runtime: | 90min |
| Rated: | R |
| Genres: | Horror, Thriller |
| Directed by: | Joe Berlinger |
| Written by: | Daniel Myrick, Eduardo Sánchez |
| Starring: | Kim Director, Jeffrey Donovan, Erica Leerhsen, Stephen Barker Turner |
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 I have been, and shall always be, a fan of the original Blair Witch Project. I find myself watching that film and becoming totally engrossed into the story and the characters and the horror that they experience. It is a fascinating film and one I will enjoy for years to come.
So now we ask the question: How in the HELL do you make a sequel to the original film?
The answer…you don't. Instead, you make a film that deviates from your typical sequel and stands firmly on its' own two cinematic legs.
Blair Witch 2 is different, and I know a lot of people simply don't go for different. They want the same thing shown to them over and over again (why do you think the Friday the 13th and Halloween sequels are so popular?). I personally don't like the same old thing, and when I hear of a sequel being made, I always hope that the director has a good idea in place and maybe even decides to go in a different direction and deliver something new.
Most of the time my hopes are ignored, but Blair Witch 2 was the film that answered them.
Blair Witch 2 is a surprisingly good psychological horror film that asks questions about fandom and cult-like followings of films and tells what happens when the lines between reality and fiction become so blurred that you simply lose your mind.
If you're expecting jump out of your seat scares and buckets of blood, then make sure to steer clear of this film. While there is some violence and a few shock moments (mostly added by the studio, who thought the film wasn't 'horror' enough), this is definitely not what makes the film good. The original film relied on what your mind could create. It's what I call an 'imagination film', a movie where you're given a little bit to work with and then you (the viewer) are allowed to come up with the scariest things imaginable.
The sequel uses this idea as well. By giving you (the viewer) the scenario and a few facts, you are able to become part of the movie, so to speak. There is no clear cut answer to what is going on in Blair Witch 2 (not to say that there isn't a plot, because there is), but that's the fun part of the movie. If you have a good (maybe even slightly overactive) imagination, you can come up with ideas and you can make the story scarier than it already was.
Fair warning: This is not a movie you can watch once. Watch it a couple times if you find yourself not liking it the first time (like me), and you may come to find that it's a much better film that you originally thought.
Mark Warner out! |
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