Seventeen years have passed since the release of the film that firmly rooted the found footage genre into the cinematic landscape and has found its true sequel in Adam Wingard’s new vision of the landmark franchise. Is it worth venturing back into Burkittsville, into the deep, dark woods?

Blair Witch

Directed by Adam Wingard

http://www.blairwitch.com/

Seventeen years have passed since the release of the film that firmly rooted the found footage genre into the cinematic landscape and has found its true sequel in Adam Wingard’s new vision of the landmark franchise. Is it worth venturing back into Burkittsville, into the deep, dark woods?

Few films have been as divisive (and successful) in the last quarter century as “The Blair Witch Project” a micro budgeted horror tale released at the end of the millennium into a genre that desperately needed new blood and fresh ideas injected into its increasingly bloated corpse. It would be hard to imagine that there are that many apologists for the 1990s horror output which sputtered with half-hearted sequels, largely lame attempts at invention and far, far too much “extreme” action. With “The Blair Witch Project,” minimalist measures established a slow burn, a truly creepy crawl that used a perspective that was gritty, raw and intense. The jarring camera work and vertigo inducing angles may have warranted some dizziness or vomiting in crowds as often reported in splashy magazine covers and full page ads and while a huge portion of audiences worldwide didn’t love it, didn’t like it or just didn’t get, the amount of fans and followers of Elly Kedward, the titular spirit only grew with zeal and fervor as converts grew en masse, supplied with a steady stream of books, computer games and more morose merch that you can shake a stick man at. Unfortunately, a cash grab second feature rushed out less than a year later and diminishing interest in this frantic form of hand held horror evaporated almost altogether, save for smaller independent studios who relished the mediums potential protection against budgetary shortfalls or were brandished with big screen success stories like “Paranormal Activity” and “The Last Exorcism” who kept it lo fi or Hollywood heavies like “Cloverfield” and “Chronicle” who mixed it up with more money and fanfare.

Still, something was missing. Not just the original trio of documentarians who disappeared into the Black Hills Forest of Maryland but the Blair Witch follow up fans have been clamoring for with nearly two decades of anticipation. When the original “In The Woods” trailer debuted earlier this year, it seemed to be just another knock off albeit with greater hope for quality horror and though the marketing campaign incredibly got the public again with an extremely deceptive and clever ruse, “Blair Witch” only has half the haunts and heart of the original. Though it will only make for a worthwhile matinee, real scares and surprises are offered up but it’s simply not as potent of witches brew as its forebear.

Which is the primary plot point of this film, as James (James Allen McCune) embarks on a mission with filmmaking friend and love interest Lisa (Callie Hernandez) into a search for his long lost sister, original film heroine Heather Donahue. Along for the ride are best childhood friend Peter (Brandon Scott) and his girlfriend Ashley (Reid) who eventually meet up with locals Lane (Wes Robinson) and Talia (Valorie Curry, who along with Robinson are the standouts amidst the cast of stock characters) who wish to accompany the crew both as pseudo guides and Blair Witch buffs who hope to record evidence of the lore they’ve heard all their lives. As the journey heads deeper into the wooded thicket, the group begins to unravel as expected from internal and external forces and this is where the best cut of this film is contained. As the scenery and script is chewed, we are treated to genuinely unsettling atmosphere that culminates in a daytime separation and a pitch black breakdown that has an energy you wish sustained throughout the remaining running time but hard as it tries, just can’t keep up.

Staying free of spoilers as much as possible, the downfall of “Blair Witch” is that the inertia of the first film isn’t genetic with its sibling stumble owing to several factors including too large of a cast to the match the intimacy of the original, the few great ideas (which bear a surprising similarity to “As Above, So Below”) not expanded upon enough and most importantly, a deflated final act to such a superb setup.  Far from perfect but at least reminiscent of the quality of the debut feature which cannot seem to escape its shadow (though definitely it’s book of.)

All hope is not lost though; Adam Wingard’s direction which was manifested perfectly in breakout releases like “You’re Next” and “The Guest” brims with tension and unease while Simon Barrett’s script has enough black powder to get off a few impressive fireworks. Said incendiary devices are brought to roaring life by one half of the real star duo here, the sound design. Towering thunderclaps of trees and surrounding fauna creak and crash with dread & desperation while the slightest shivers of score & sound creep up your skin like a centipede. In the absolute engulfing darkness of the primal world we once knew, there is such a vast unknown that this film helps encapsulate so well in unspoken nuances and cues. The other successful side of “Blair Witch” is the focus on technology which aids exponentially in the immensity of the experience as micro cameras capture in near HD quality as and is a very welcome workaround to explaining the diversity of footage captured as are discussions about YouTube, content creator rights and responsibilities and other ethics in media that begged for more exposition but we’re still a welcome addition.

While the debate will rage on for “The Blair Witch Project” its successor probably will likely evoke some back and forth amongst friends, fans and film goers about its quality and legitimacy and though it’s not a great film, it’s good enough to stand on its own but unfortunately not strong enough against the original. Still, I see where “Book of Shadows” brought the series to a standstill, “Blair Witch” has a dedication and emphasis on the mythology that will lend itself to the future of the franchise which I hope finds many more forays into the woods…