Forget the old sequel for the Blair Witch Project. This is the new Blair Witch sequel. When the first is such a classic that it started a whole new genre on its own, your best chance is to remake the sequel instead. This way, you can gain a good comparison to a bad movie instead of a bad comparison to a good movie. Anything to help get the folks in to see the movie. Let’s see what we are dealing with.
The first one is really what this movie will be compared against. It was original and genius. At first, the audience did not know if they were watching a movie or a documentary. Another documentary discussing the “found footage” even appeared on cable. It automatically became a myth in the minds of potential viewers. Word of mouth spread so far and large that the “found footage” genre was born. This new Blair Witch will not have that advantage. Instead, people will be coming to see the movie hoping to experience the old thrill. Well, the thrill is gone. Long live the new thrill.
The movie was secretly filmed under the title “The Woods” up in Vancouver. The movie was held under secrecy and no clue to the tie-in with the legendary classic was leaked. The movie even started getting its own buzz without any connection to the original Blair Witch Project. So why announce at the San Deigo Comic Con that the September release movie is the new Blair Witch?
The sequel picks up 20 years after the first Blair Witch Project. James Allen McCune plays the brother of the original BWP movie’s heroine (or is that Scaroine?) who was lost… never to be seen again. Her lost documentary footage was found scaring the bejeebers out of anyone who thought this could be real. In the new Blair Witch, the brother treks with three others through the same scary woods around Burkittville, Maryland where the original crew disappeared.
Jason Constantine of Lionsgate Films spearheaded the project. A long time fan of the original, his first act was to recruit two people whom he thought would be perfect to take the new Blair Witch to the next step: Adam Wingard and Simon Barrett. The two first brought attention to themselves with their 2013 popular horror-comedy: You’re Next. The two followed that one a year later with The Guest. Both films set the horror fan community on the edge of their seats. Constantine knew he had to convince the two to do his project. It turned out not to be that hard as both men were also fans of the original.
True to its natural form, the new Blair Witch is also a hand held found footage film. Just like his sister before him, he treks over the same ground doing the same thing as his sister when she mysteriously disappeared. This is whee I start screaming at the screen advice on how not to become a victim but the characters never listen. They continue to tromp in the direction of danger to repeat those mistakes from the original. We won’t know from the trailer itself so we will have to wait and find out from the complete movie if the brother doesn’t learn from the past. My hope is that someone learns enough so they can make entire new original mistakes this time around. That is what I hold my breath for.