One of the most highly anticipated sequels in recent history, perhaps topped only by the Star Wars prequel The Phantom Menace, Book of Shadows: Blair Witch 2 was in somewhat of a strange predicament this past weekend. It was predicted that people would
go out and see this new film in droves, having loved the original. Alternately some thought that backlash from folks who got motion sickness seeing the first one in the theater would
stay at home, waiting for it to come out on video if they even saw it at all. Either way word of mouth, which helped elevate the original Blair Witch Project to blockbuster status, would be what the film lived or died by in its second week of release; people could kill the film’s chances if they hated it or bring moviegoers out in droves if the reviews were rave enough.
The first weekend is over, and now Artisan, the film company behind Book of Shadows, wait anxiously to hear the reaction from film audiences, hoping beyond hope that this sequel will somehow manage to fill the oversized shoes left by the original. Well
here’s the scuttlebutt: the film doesn’t live up to expectations. It surpasses them.
As all good sequels do, Book of Shadows retains the spirit of the original film but branches out in another direction. By now most people have realized that the first film, although dressed up as a true documentary compiled of footage discovered after the fact,
was pure fiction. So had the filmmakers of Book of Shadows attempted to make yet another “documentary” style film with the sequel, it would have failed miserably. Instead the movie recognizes and acknowledges the fact that it is just that: a movie, pure fiction.
The plot is simple and focuses on the hysteria that followed the release of the first film. People flocked to the real-life town where the movie took place, and several local residents attempted to cash in on the craze by selling “memorabilia” from the film. One night a tour group goes into the woods to the supposed site where the footage for the original film was found. When they wake up in the morning, their campsite is trashed and they realize they all have completely lost several hours of their lives. As they try to remember the events of the previous night, they slowly come more and more under the influence of an evil presence that has followed them back from the woods and haunts their
dreams.
The plot is really incidental, as it is mostly an excuse to loosely tie together hallucinations each of the five members of the tour group is having, the truly frightening parts of the film. These visions are gruesome and disturbing, usually catching the audience off-guard by seamlessly fitting into the action of the film. The delusions are then interspersed with brief and horrific footage of their night in the woods, as well as clips of
each character being interrogated by the police. This disjointed technique adds to the tension of the film, building the terror in our minds as we confusedly try to figure out what’s going on along with the characters of the film. When the end finally comes and all the pieces fit together, the resulting twists are even more terrifying that we might have imagined.
While the director’s methods add to the anxiety, what really sells the movie is the acting. Again composed of a cast of unknowns, Book of Shadows, like the original Blair Witch Project, is more believable because the characters aren’t portrayed by familiar faces. We buy the actors in their roles more readily, and the fear they display seems all the more real because of it.
Some critics would fault Book of Shadows for not sticking close enough to the original, even though in my opinion that would have been akin to box office suicide. Others state that the director of the film, best known for making documentaries on serious subjects, has sullied his record here. But taking his past into account is overly critical. Documentaries don’t pay for themselves; the money he made with this film will surely fund future, more serious efforts in filmmaking, so cut him some slack.
Perhaps the only flaw I found in Book of Shadows is occasional self-aggrandizing. Early in the film one of the tour group members, who is a Wiccan, takes a few moments to deliver her political message, that real witches are nothing like they’re portrayed in the media. Later the film takes brief potshots at the media frenzy over violence in films and its possible inspiration of real-life violence. These blatant attempts to make a statement to the viewer take away from the horror aspect of the film, but luckily they quickly fade into the background as the movie unfolds.
The studio heads at Artisan would be crazy to hope for a repeat of the fanaticism that followed the previous film. The Blair Witch Project was not only a pop cultural phenomenon, but also one of the most financially successful films of all time. If Book of Shadows can make half as much money as the original did, Artisan should be incredibly pleased. Luckily for them, the film is well-made and well-acted, so it actually has a chance. But what will make this movie work for audiences is based solely on their preconceived notions of the film. If you go into expecting a repeat performance of last year’s horror masterpiece, then you might not enjoy this movie. But if you simply want to be scared,
Book of Shadows will not disappoint.
