NECROCITY TIMES - Issue #1 - HALLOWEEN SPECIAL

REVIEW - Blair Witch movie

Hello there, dear readers. Let me introduce myself: I am the Witch in the Attic, Director of Inhumane Resources here at the WPRS. But, you may also call me Shimaira.

Considering my nature, it's probably obvious that I feel the need to watch every movie that revolves around witches—be it genuine, good or evil, pagan or satanic. I have an open mind when it comes to the fictional take on witches (and yes, I don't shy from wearing a pointed hat and a fake nose with a wart on the tip at certain themed parties).

The Blair Witch Project (1999) is a movie I adored as a kid. When it aired on TV here, it ended abruptly. No credits, nothing. It added extra mystique to this relatively new type of horror which later became known as the "found footage" kind.

I still remember how I searched the internet for more info and if there was any truth behind it. It had felt real enough for me to even consider that, can you imagine that feeling?

If you've seen any of the more recent found footage movies, I'm guessing you do not. (Or I'm just such a hardened horror fan I'm no longer as easily phased...)

For what The Blair Witch Project had, the majority of movies that tried its recipe for success did not even get close to.

I personally always try to act like the sequel, Book of Shadows: Blair Witch 2 (2000), never even happened. So let's continue doing that, for the new movie Blair Witch (2016) doesn't acknowledge its existence either.

Now, when it comes to the new movie I went to the theater hoping they had finally made a worthy sequel (meaning, at least half as good as the original). Considering my final score for the movie is a 7 out of 10, I guess you can say I'm not too disappointed. But, damn it, it could have been so much better.

So what was good about it?

Basically: the overall picture. The plot, the acting, the area it was shot in were all good (though they couldn't really mess up the latter, right?).

What went wrong?

For me, the most important thing with a found footage type movie is that it must feel realistic. The monsters are chasing you? The killer is coming after you? Are you seriously going to take the effort to turn the camera their way? No.

Luckily, Blair Witch had a very smart solution to this: little earpieces that came with a camera and a GPS. The fact that the camera is located so close to the hair and that said hair is supposed to cover it during various scenes... Yeah, let's not talk about that. (Or am I just being picky here?) Still, I don't recall seeing even a single strand pass the lens.

But, another thing I feel really broke the realism of the found footage was the fact that it felt edited. Camera shots would swap around often, even to the extent of having the visual of the drone camera (yes, they carried a drone) whilst having the audio of one of their earpieces.

Also, I'm fairly certain that the background sounds/music was not something generated by the forest—I would have expected someone to remark on the eerie noises coming out of the surrounding woods if it had. These little extra sounds/music might not even be noticed by the average viewer, but for me it really destroyed the found footage vibe.

So when it comes to immersion: they failed in my opinion.

What about the plot?

The plot was decent. Brother goes to look for his long lost big sister (Heather from the original movie). You learn a lot more about the Blair Witch and the folklore, which I enjoyed.

One plot line seemed to have been made simply for some scare/gross out. After the "let the viewers squirm" scene, that entire bit of the plot was abandoned. Pity, because it had a lot of potential if you ask me. Now it made no sense at all and just felt out of place.

What about tropes?

As with most horror movies, it fell for several tropes. Luckily, it also went avoided several.

"Oh, you think this is going to happen? Nope. Or, well, maybe. Just not from that side."

One of the most common (and annoying) tropes (!!! SPOILER !!!) they did do was the "black guy goes first". I mean, come on already! At the start of the movie there were several hints at racism from characters and how this was perceived by the others. One would then expect them to not fall for the old cliche trope. But, alas.

The overall atmosphere of the movie was good with plenty of scenes most people would find scary or creepy. (Saying "most people" as there—sadly—aren't many horror movies that will frighten me anymore these days.) Still, I have to admit there was one jumpscare that got even me to jerk in my seat, so points for that. (Then again, Zootopia managed to make me spill water all over myself, so it might not be as special as it seems—timing is everything.)

Final judgement:

It was an entertaining movie with a lot of good, tense scenes. The plot was enjoyable despite the loose ends. If it hadn't been a found footage type movie, but a "standard" one, it would have scored higher for me.

If you're not as picky as I am on the realism of found footage type movies, I would definitely recommend watching it. (Tip: you might want to pack some earplugs if you go to the cinema... In certain scenes the screaming was awfully loud—at least it was in the theater I went to.)