Release Date:
10/19/2000
First of all, to all those who slagged the original Blair Witch Project, the best thing youll take out of Blair Witch 2 is a newfound appreciation for what two film students with $30,000 were able to accomplish. Through subtlety and suggestion, they crafted a creepy (thats different from scary, folksand harder to do well) little movie that got under your skin. BW2, though clever at times, falls victim to the scariest monster of all: Horror movie clichés.
The coolest thing the makers of the new Witch movie do is not only acknowledge the existence of the original, but actually play off of its overwhelming hype. Try to follow us here: BW2 is a dramatization of real events that took place after the fake original. You see, the real residents of Burkittsville were besieged with tourists after the release of BW1 and, while most despise the limelight, some try to make a buck off it. So one guy creates the Blair Witch Hunt, a walking tour of the fake murder sites seen in the original, and takes some campers into the woods for some creepy fun. They drink, they pass out, and they awake with their camp site in ruins, unable to account for five hours of their lives. Scary things ensue.
First, the good: By integrating the hype of the original, BW2 succeeds in simultaneously taking the piss out of the hype machine, while also using it to kick-start the plot of the new installment. The melding of real and fake, though a bit confusing, is key to the success of the Blair Witch myth. But, alas, there is the bad: Once the plot gets set in motion, the director misses the key ingredient that made the first one so goodsuggestion. Too many boo scaresnothing that gets under your skin. They rely on tired horror movie techniques that dont fit when discussing the Blair Witch. The original worked because it flaunted all convention. This one doesnt totally work because it follows too many conventions. But, hey, flip-flopping between clever and lame is better than just being lame (which so many post-Scream horror movies are). So BW2 is good for a jolt or two, but you wont need a nightlight afterwards.
The coolest thing the makers of the new Witch movie do is not only acknowledge the existence of the original, but actually play off of its overwhelming hype. Try to follow us here: BW2 is a dramatization of real events that took place after the fake original. You see, the real residents of Burkittsville were besieged with tourists after the release of BW1 and, while most despise the limelight, some try to make a buck off it. So one guy creates the Blair Witch Hunt, a walking tour of the fake murder sites seen in the original, and takes some campers into the woods for some creepy fun. They drink, they pass out, and they awake with their camp site in ruins, unable to account for five hours of their lives. Scary things ensue.
First, the good: By integrating the hype of the original, BW2 succeeds in simultaneously taking the piss out of the hype machine, while also using it to kick-start the plot of the new installment. The melding of real and fake, though a bit confusing, is key to the success of the Blair Witch myth. But, alas, there is the bad: Once the plot gets set in motion, the director misses the key ingredient that made the first one so goodsuggestion. Too many boo scaresnothing that gets under your skin. They rely on tired horror movie techniques that dont fit when discussing the Blair Witch. The original worked because it flaunted all convention. This one doesnt totally work because it follows too many conventions. But, hey, flip-flopping between clever and lame is better than just being lame (which so many post-Scream horror movies are). So BW2 is good for a jolt or two, but you wont need a nightlight afterwards.