Blair Witch 2 : Le Livre des ombres

Rewatched Blair Witch 2: Book of Shadows last night for the first time in like 20 years. I remember liking it when I was a kid, but was kind of shocked at how much I enjoyed it.

I definitely think this is an unfairly maligned film and don't quite understand the hate or the 4.0 imdb user rating.

Don't get me wrong, it's far from a masterpiece, but at least Book of Shadows tried to do something different with the Blair Witch lore. A solid attempt was made to preserve and integrate all the faux "history" into the story. Yes, there are plot holes, and some ridiculous scenes, but overall the cast and acting are above average for a horror film, and I thought it did adequately carry a fair bit of suspense throughout.

Having seen both recently, I think Book of Shadows is a far superior film to 2016's "Blair Witch", which I thought was a pretty shallow rehash of the original with no original ideas or even the most minimal attempt to expand upon the given mythology.

Wow, I really don't get all the bad reviews. It's not a blockbuster movie or is it anything like the original Blair Witch Project. It's more like playing off of it with a set storyline about a group so fascinated and intrigued by the original Blair Witch movie, they all decide to go search for it. That is until they find something worse than the Blair Witch.

The twist to the story is unexpected and the acting is pretty tolerable for a movie like this. As a matter of fact, i'd say the acting is pretty damn good for a horror movie.

This movie is one of my favorite movies to watch during Halloween. I saw it when it first came out and was surprised how good it actually was.

People expecting to see some top notch production, direction, acting, plot, storyline, etc is going to be let down big time because that it is not. It's a simple horror movie playing off another that was hyped up with it's own story. That's it.

Just go in with no expectations and intentions to enjoy a horror movie. You will enjoy it.

An interesting movie that played well with test audiences was then ruined by studio execs who bizarrely decided to change the movie based on a tiny minority of the same test audience. Any subtlety or nuance is ruined by cliché after cliché and completely misplaced gore, jump scares and the worst CGI you've ever seen. Out on the Internet, there exist some fan edits that get closer to the director's original cut. I suggest you seek one of those out... they all improve upon this mess.

The first Blair Witch was both a phenomenon commercially and creatively. Book of Shadows had the same potential, but was ultimately was let down by its high aspirations. The director could not decide if he wanted to make a straight documentary or a straight movie. In my eyes, the combination of the two cost this movie. The choppy editing had a huge factor in this as well. If only the first hour had been as carefully assembled as the last half hour, this would have been a true masterpiece. All in all this is not a super bad movie and is worth a viewing - just not multiple times. Bottom line: Good story, poor execution. My score: 4/10!

"Book of Shadows: Blair Witch 2" follows a group of fanatics obsessed with the Blair Witch legend in the aftermath of the film's first release. Among them are a mentally-unstable local; a husband-and-wife team of graduate students studying the Blair Witch; a self-proclaimed Wiccan; and a depressive goth. The five camp out in the ruins of Rustin Parr's home, where the Blair Witch tapes were "found," and experience a mental blackout in which they each fail to recount several hours of the night. In a daze and confusion, they retreat to the group leader's warehouse- turned-home, where their individual psychological breakdowns lead them to a disturbing truth.

I'm just going to say it outright: I love this film. It was, and continues to be met with hostility from fans of the original, which still quite frankly baffles me. It's not nearly as terrifying as the original film, but it is ingenious in its own way. Rather than approach a sequel with a rehash of the first film's material, co-writer/director Joe Berlinger offers something different: a narrative within a world in which "The Blair Witch Project" was real footage— a world inhabited by characters who range from unabashed believers to academic skeptics, to people who simply "thought the movie was cool."

With a common interest, they set out into the woods to find some evidence—but all goes awry when one of the women suffers a premonitory miscarriage, and they are forced to retreat to the leader's home, which is where the film becomes a full-blooded psychological thriller. What is real, and what isn't? Where is the Blair Witch? Outside, lurking in the forest? Possessing one of the characters? Is she even there at all?

These are the kinds of questions the script toys with, and the result is wildly engaging. The performances are top-notch, and the film is peppered with disturbing scenes and images, and some ghoulish scenarios. The score lends an oppressive tone to the movie, and it is steeped in an atmosphere of complete unease that grows more and more pervasive as the five characters bear witness to the inexplicable. The film plays its cards well and is careful in its subtlety, which leads to a downbeat and twisted conclusion.

Overall, "Book of Shadows: Blair Witch 2" has been harshly criticized by fans who it seems haven't taken the time to try and understand what it's attempting to do. It is not a rehash of the original film, and it never aims to be. The approach taken is commendable and rather brilliant, and it manages to establish an ever-increasing sense of oppressiveness that grows on the audience, which is the real catch here in my opinion—it is genuinely unnerving to watch, and that's something rare these days. 8/10.