Film review: Blair Witch (2016)

Directed by: Adam Wingard

Written by: Simon Barrett

Starring: James Allen McCune, Callie Hernandez, Brandon Scott & Corbid Reid.

Spooked

My pal really wanted to see Blair Witch at the cinema, horror is an acquired taste and unfortunately for Bob he struggled to drum up any interest from friends to go with him. I have never been in a rush to dip into my wallet and see a horror movie at the cinema, that been said Bob and I previously studied The Blair Witch Project (1999) at school (media class) and I remember being intrigued by the original cult film and was interested to see the sequel. So I searched high and low for that cinema gift card I received last Christmas and agreed to see a late showing with my friend.

So, Blair Witch in brief (without spoilers). James and his friends document their time in Burkittsville Woods, Maryland as they investigate the mysterious disappearance of James’ sister Heather. Heather and her friends went missing in 1994 as they attempted to film a documentary on the legend of the Blair Witch.

The movie as you would expect begins in a similar vein as its predecessor, the concept and direction is the same with some 21^st century gimmicks such as earpiece cameras and a drone to map the forest. No doubt Blair Witch delivers on the ‘jump out of your seat’ front however this is often because the characters bump into each other during intense moments, bum clenching nonetheless. This as it may, there is an underlying feeling throughout the film that it is very much relying on the uniqueness of the Blair Witch Project released some 17 years earlier, the first in the franchise earnt its place in the horror hall of fame due it’s low budget originality. In comparison, the sequel appears to be on the face of it nothing new. With regards to accepting most horror films (or any film for that matter) the audience has to take a leap of faith, not everything on screen will reflect reality, real human emotions or decisions; so enjoying with a pinch of salt comes to mind. I feel the plot in the Blair Witch was so close to the original it made the characters look somewhat foolish, you end up asking ‘why are they going into the woods?’, ‘you may need to pee, but why are you leaving the camp alone?’ – it’s true, as a viewer you are confused by the decisions the characters make, they are aware of the legend of the Blair Witch, they’ve also seen the original documentary tapes from 1994, so why on earth are they doing the exact same thing?

I feel that I’m not selling this film at all and that’s certainly not my intention, Blair Witch achieves what it sets out to do. The fact that there’s a predictable and lurking sensation that the characters are looking for trouble for the most part can be ignored. Due to the documentary style filmography Blair Witch inevitably remains terrifying, unsupported by a musical score the film relies on the point of view perspective to suture the audience into the intensity of each scene. Dramatic night scenes leave the audience yearning for the respite comfort of a day time scene. And when the day scene never arrives you find yourself exhausted by the uncertainty of the darkness. In the interest of transparency, I have to mention that my friend Bob and I did adopt the foetal position as we watched the final 15 minutes of the film through our hands, I can’t deny that I felt a little pathetic as I glanced over my shoulder to see the calm composure of the row behind.

With this in mind I think it’s important to note that I am a coward and I do scare easy. Perhaps you’ve seen the Blair Witch and you have a different view, feel free to leave a comment on this post, I would be intrigued to hear your thoughts.