NOTICE: I highly recommended you see 1990’s “The Blair Witch Project” if you haven’t already, for its cultural and cinematic history, and to get an understanding of the events that follow in “Blair Witch.” There was a rushed sequel in the early 2000s titled “Book of Shadows,” but we don’t talk about that.

Twenty years ago, Heather Donahue disappeared in the Burkitsville Woods while investigating the myths of the Blair Witch. Now, new video evidence of Heather’s encounter with the Witch has surfaced that inspires her brother, James, to enter the woods himself in the hopes that she is still alive.

Accompanied by three friends, two Burkitsville locals and their plethora of camera equipment, James leads the group into the woods, unbeknownst of the horrors that will ensue.

Cinematography 2/5

“Blair Witch” has a significantly larger budget than its predecessor. This helps and hinders the film. Because “Project” kick started the found footage genre of horror, it was the first of its kind opening the door for many imitations to follow. The low budget of the film added to the horror because the poor camera quality added to the reality of the whole thing. While “Blair Witch” looks great from a technical standpoint, it loses a lot of the effect and charm that the original had due to the high quality of cameras the characters use.

Director, Adam Wingard, directs in a style resembling that of Myrick and Sanchez, the directors of “Project.” In the end, the influx of bad found-footage films has numbed the senses to anything coming from the dying genre.

Effects 5/5

One of the core components that make the “Blair Witch” movies so effectively scary is that it tells instead of shows. Using off-screen sounds and the terrified reactions of the cast, this technique leaves it entirely up to the audience’s imagination to picture the horror that lurks beyond the camera.

This is where the big budget of “Blair Witch” does the movie well. Allowing more things to be shown, it not only raises the fear factor, but deepens the mythology of the Blair Witch.

As mentioned before, sound plays a huge part in the terror of this movie. And the sound mixing is incredible. Whether it be wolves howling the distance, thumps and bumps in the night or even just ambient wind noise, it all comes through crystal clear and immerses you in the heat of the moment.

Acting 2/5

As with most found footage horror, a majority of it is yelling, and shaking of the camera. “Blair Witch” does not skimp out on this feature.

While the larger cast of this sequel offers more victims for the Witch, it severely cuts down on the intimacy and growth the cast of three had in the original. Where those three were improv actors dropped in the woods and given directions and plot points along the way, there is clearly a script and experience from the cast that once again lessens the reality of the film. Besides fear, there really isn’t anything to empathize with in the cast. However, James Donahue’s (James Allen McCune) determination to find his sister was a plot point that wasn’t, thankfully, beat over the head or overacted.

Overall

Ultimately, “Blair Witch” is a good film. It is of better quality and direction than most found footages that are out nowadays. It just has the misfortune of following in the footsteps of a great film. And while it lacks the rough and original charm of “Project”, “Blair Witch” is still an effectively terrifying horror movie.