It’s that time of year again, and everything is starting out on the right path. The leaves are slowly changing, the pumpkin spice is now available, but most importantly the scary movies are here. Not all scary movies are made the same however. Some are chilling to the bone, while others simplly go for the quick jump-scare. Some keep you on the edge of your seat the entire time, and some hardly keep you in the theater. And then there is this. This year produced a new movie called The Blair Witch, which is to be a sequel from the original Blair Witch Project. While being a continuation of the former film, it still does a good job as a stand alone film as well.
The Blair Witch is a thrilling horror tale centered around a haunted forest. One man and a group of his friends go out to the site of where his sister had disappeared years ago in hopes of being able to find and rescue her. So they travel into this state owned forest with a couple locals. Their first day was uneventful and ineffective at finding his sister. They stayed the night in the woods only to wake up to strange voodoo style figures surrounding the camp site. Determined to leave as soon as possible, they pack up and head out. This is where the pacing speeds up as they circle back to the camp, it becomes exclusively nighttime, and they being to be chased by some strange figure. Seeking help or shelter they head into an abandoned house, ironically trying to find a safe place to hide.
But where is the safest place to hide in a scary movie? Nowhere. Never has a person been able to stand a door frame away from the immediate threat and been completely safe. This isn’t a game of tag as a child, it is a good and suspenseful film. Part of the suspense of this movie comes from the fact that it is tied to its predecessor. Similarly, it is a found footage movie that seems to be very jostling and almost unprofessional. However, what is sacrificed in film quality is made up in how realistic it feels. As if we as viewers are watching a live survivor show. It follows the younger brother of the girl who went missing years ago in the first film. Knowing this, the viewer can assume the movie will go one of two ways. Either in the same direction as the first, or the total opposite.
This sense of predictability in the ending of the film may take away from how it is perceived. Not everyone feels quite as positively about this movie. For the scary movie connoisseurs, this may not by your type of movie. Smith says in his review for the “New York Post”, “If the Blair Witch wants to take these chumps, no great loss to the rest of us” (“Poor Blair Witch”). He is implying that the movie is as irrelevant as any other 1 star Netflix horror flick, where the bad guy is predestined to win. And when it came down to the final chase, these simple minded teenagers stood no chance to the immense supernatural force that was the Blair Witch. But then again, who would? Escaping the terrors of the forest would have come only one way, and that for these travelers meant their endeavor was pointless. But when it comes to pride over self preservation, pride always comes out on top. Humans are so very strange that way. To make the choice to stay in the forest was essentially to admit defeat while still holding onto their pride. This is rather cliche but not necessarily bad if executed properly. Many top tier critics would have seen coming from a mile away, but only if they are watching with a bias, predisposing them to believe it is a bad film.
Those watching without bias, however, may watch the movie less critically, subsequently enjoying it more. From the reviews of the first installment we can see that this installment isn’t too far off. Ty Burr states, “The slow progression of dread as the hapless threesome stumble around the woods, fighting and freaking and hearing shards of children’s laughter through their tent flap at night, is believably unnerving” (“Curse of the Blair Witch”). This review of on the original Blair Witch Project lets us know what exactly we could expect from the 2016 sequel. And while some details change- there are more people, and no children laughing- the unnerving nature still holds true. The evil slowly creeps up on them as the fear and suspense builds up inside the viewers. And from a movie that could pull it off almost 20 years ago, to today and still instill those same feelings proves this movie is doing at least something right.
When a movie has a positive aspect, it should be noticed and enjoyed, not overshadowed by its faults, as is found in so many reviews. When I went to see this film, I went in knowing that I already was not a fan of the horror/thriller genre. Being scared and tense isn’t quite my cup of tea. But when watching this movie, is was not only captured in the film and invested in the story, but I also set back enough to watch it honestly. The honest truth of the film is that the first bit is long and tedious. It isn’t inherantly scary, and the plot is only as thick as it can be for what it is. Being a sequel, it isn’t allowed to deviate too far and become its own movie. But, if we are following the plot diagram we all learned in high school english class, once we get beyond the introduction, the rising action rises to a peak I had never seen before in movies. I had to do all sorts of different tactics to keep myself calm. Slamming handfuls of popcorn into my face, covering my ears, hiding behind my neighbor. Whether it was the thrill of the chase, or the intense ominous music over top, or just the deep sense of dread it elicited, it had the audience on edge. If that isn’t what makes a horror movie a good one, then I’m not sure what does.
The Blair Witch, is a movie worth seeing if you are a fan of horror, are a fan of the original, or are a fan of spending five dollars and have a good night out with friends. This movie will keep a captured audience and deliver its message, without holding that crippling sense of fear over you the rest of the night, as is found in truly terrifying movies. It is one you can walk away from and have a light hearted family discussion afterwards. The calm discussion, and easy analysis of how it made us feel as watchers. It was a fun and thrilling movie with a lot of good connections to the original, as well as keeping it distinct. So to call this a bad movie is in no sense accurate, but to call it the best horror film ever also isn’t the truth. This is a good afternoon spent with friends or family on those rainy days when you don’t want to stay home. When you can’t go rake the leaves outside. When you are on your way out to go get those pumpkin spice lattes from Starbucks, take the time out to stop at a local theater and check out this movie.
Works Cited
Burr, Ty. “Curse of the Blair Witch.” Rev. of The Blair Witch Project, dir. Daniel Myrick. Entertainment Weekly. Entertainment Weekly, 29 Oct. 1999. Web. 24 Sept. 2016
Smith, Kyle. “Poor Blair Witch- She Deserves a Better Movie.” New York Post. New York Post, 15 Sept. 2016. Web. 21 Sept. 2016.
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