The Witch is Back
For better or worse, The Blair Witch Project introduced the world to the concept of the "found footage" horror movie (it didn't invent the genre, but I don't think anyone will dispute that it was what put it on the map) when it came out in 1999. What was innovative and experimental at the time is old hat now, after a string of films including Paranormal Activity, Cloverfield, V/H/S, and REC. If nothing else, we can thank the makers of Blair Witch for sparing us a drawn-out viral marketing campaign and opting instead to spring the sequel/remake on the public at the last minute.
Blair Witch met my expectations - which is to say it was exactly what I thought it was going to be. A cheap imitation of the original, with some obligatory updates in technology - in this installment the documentary crew goes into the woods with GoPros, GPS, and drones in addition to camcorders. But the tension and sense of dread conveyed in the original is no where to be seen in this film, which the filmmakers seem to have realized, as they rely on a comical number of jump scares to carry the "horror" element - to the point that it seems like the only way the characters interact with each other is by sneaking up on each other and screaming.
Jump scares aren't the only trope that the movie relies on, however. Some "lore" about the Blair Witch is thrown in there (she was killed on a makeshift rack for suspicion of practicing witchcraft), there's some random shit about a serial killer mentioned, one of the characters appears to be possessed at one point, the Witch is apparently able to manipulate time and space (an aspect which is treated even more illogically than I have time to put into words), and at one point it looked for all the world like a UFO was about to land. And there's a significant call-back to the "standing in a corner" scene form the first movie, that doesn't really make a whole hell of a lot of sense.
But on the other hand, the good news is that the acting and dialogue is also pretty shitty. One character (whose sister was a part of the original documentary team, and has gone into the woods in hopes of finding trace of her) is established as being haunted by the disappearance of his sister, but his acting suggests that he's the most positive and upbeat member of the party. And that's just one example - at every turn, the reactions displayed by the actors is mismatched with what they should be feeling.
There are at least a couple of things which Blair Witch gets right. The house in which the film's climax takes place was well designed, pretty well perfectly evoking the house from the first film. And proper restraint was shown concerning the Witch itself - you only catch a glimpse or two of it (although it does looks kind of retarded).
Going into the film, as I said, I knew exactly what to expect, and that's really the most problematic issue. There was no tension to get the viewer invested in the story, and a horror movie without palpable tension is by definition, a misfire. Although, in true Blair Witch fashion, the movie has already made it's movie back due to a relatively small budget. So, despite seemingly disappointing box office performance and largely negative critical reviews (including this one), it's not outside the realm of possibility that we'll be seeing more of the Blair Witch in the future....God help us all.
