MOVIE REVIEW: Blair Witch

Blair Witch (2016)

Horror, Thriller

Directed By: Adam Wingard

When The Blair Witch Project hit theaters back in 1999 it was nothing short of a phenomenon, the likes of which we will probably never see again. They had people convinced what they had seen was real, so how do you follow that up? You can't try to re-capture lightning in a bottle, but you can recreate a feeling by building off of what audiences loved the first time around. Making the film in secret doesn't hurt, either and writing/directing duo Simon Barrett and Adam Wingard did just that filming under the title The Woods. With clever marketing and an understanding of what worked so well the first time around Blair Witch is the sequel fans have been waiting sixteen years for. 

Ever since it happened, James Donahue (James Allen McCune) has been obsessed with discovering how and why his sister Heather went missing in the woods of Burkittsville, Maryland back in 1999. He thinks he may have finally found a legitimate lead when he discovers a video online of someone lost in those same woods. Thinking that there are answers out there, or that his sister might even be alive still, he gathers a group of his friends to go out there and look for themselves. Though they are all skeptical they head out with James anyways in hopes of finally setting his lifelong mission to rest. Unfortunately for them the woods, and the Blair Witch herself have different plans for them 

If the original film was a thrilling build up to an epic final shot than this new movie is an insane roller coaster ride that finishes as abruptly as it begins. Barrett and Wingard knew they couldn't recapture the tension and surprise the original brought, but they could get the scares. Not only that but they made sure to make those scares much bigger than the first time around. Once the group has entered the woods they begin to rapid fire these scenes, with some jump scares feeling a little cheap but most of them landing wonderfully. The cheap ones are easily forgiven as well when you realize they are there to simply build more tension for the crazy final act. 

When I say this film is a roller coaster ride I mean this is the best possible way. What you are seeing this time around is a thrill ride experience. The movie is here to scare the hell out of you, not to change the genre entirely. The original was also an experience of a different sort, giving audiences their first real glimpse at the found-footage genre while also tricking them into believing what they were seeing was real. Blair Witch doesn't get the opportunity to do that so they created an all new type of horror enterprise within the same framework.

What makes the film more than just this amusement park ride is the way the filmmakers build off of the established mythology of the original. They take ideas that were barely even realized in the first and bring them into fruition in truly terrifying ways. They build off of the story of the man killing all those children under the witch's control, we actually get to see that influence in action this time around. They also incorporate different types of horror here as well adding a few practical blood shots and an unnerving sci-fi element dealing with time. This is precisely what a sequel is meant to do; take what the original established and build off it to create a story that feels both familiar and totally new at the same time. 

There were two key elements in creating this feeling and they are the characters and the updated technology. Taking advantage of the fact that everyone will know that this is a hollywood film this time, they brought together a wonderful cast of characters. Some we are pushed to really like while others are made to be the unfavorables, giving us a connection to this story that we didn't have the first time. It being 2016 now they also step up their game technology wise, equipping our characters with plenty of HD cameras, high quality microphones, and even a small drone. These are all used in clever ways to show us new angles, and give us new sounds that we were not able to pick up in the original.

Though this film may be one of the most exciting horror rides you take all year they have some trouble sticking the landing. Following in the footsteps of one of the most iconic final shots in all of horror the ending of this movie was almost guaranteed to fall short of it. If you are hoping for a crazy final shot that blows the lid off of this movie you will be disappointed. Barrett and Wingard focused on the ride that gets us to the finale and when the ending does come it feels like the only out they had. 

The latest installment in the franchise hardly sets out to reinvent the wheel but it does a damn fine job of polishing it. Operating on the same framework as the original these guys crafted a found-footage movie that hits every beat it needs to and those who enjoy this style of filmmaking will have a great time. If you are someone who scoffs at this sub-genre of horror I still say you should give this a shot. Seeing it on a big screen, as loud as possible, and with a big crowd made this a wonderfully fun, and truly scary experience.

As always, thanks for reading and I am Zach Who Watches Movies. You can find em anytime on twitter @ZachWWMovies, smell ya later!