Blair Witch

This review may contain spoilers!

This isn't the best sequel to The Blair Witch Project but it's certainly a well done homage. I would give Blair Witch a 6.5/10.

You have to give it to Blair Witch, it remains intensely scary even if it's a very different type of scary than what we've seen in the original film. Within the original horror was created from a careful narrative build, atmospheric tension and brilliant acting; whereas in this film it's loud sound editing and some of the greatest jump scare horror I've seen all year. When it comes to the story what works best is how the characters discuss and explore the lore behind the Blair Witch; sure it's a lot of exposition but it's all kind of fascinating to listen to. The cinematography also looked pretty good albeit not quite as good as the original film, I really enjoyed how technical advancements in camera technology was incorporated to explore new ways of capturing the horror genre.

Callie Hernandez, who played Lisa Arlington, gave one of the most genuine performances of the whole cast; she was charismatic with the group while portraying desperation and terror incredibly and also crafting an empathetic quality towards McCune's role.

However the best performance came from Brandon Scott, who played Peter. When it comes to horror films these days I enjoy seeing performances that feel real as opposed to stereotypical. Scott brings forth this very charismatic jokester who really brings a lot of spirit to the first act. Yet Scott doesn't play up his role as the 'clown' instead there are a few layers to this character; his aggression towards Robinson's role and his concern for Reid's are good examples of this. The blind terror we get out of Scott when he becomes the first victim of the Blair Witch sets the bar for the rest of the film.

Just as there's some great work at capturing what was so good about The Blair Witch Project, there are also several moments within the film that reflect upon everything that's wrong with the horror genre today. Firstly the Blair Witch is actually shown, a move that felt admittedly cheap and a bit scornful of the predecessor. The characters themselves weren't developed or given much depth; most of the cast seemed unnecessary or stereotypical. Blair Witch tried to create these teen romance subplots and conspiracy theorists turned evil henchmen subplots that felt extremely out of place in the context of the film; absolutely a bid to create a feature length run time. The editing was also a bit lazy, the cuts were primed towards setting up jump scares and you could see this visually. There wasn't really so much a score to speak of nor anything really resembling a soundtrack.

James Allen McCune, who played James, was such a bland protagonist; at a point his role maniacally descends into searching for his sister and it feels like a very forced transition. Corbin Reid, who played Ashley, came across as the generic ditzy primadonna who isn't really suited to the woods; Reid's character goes through so many pointless plot points like the creature inside of her skin or even her death scene where she's trying to get the drone. Wes Robinson, who played Lane, felt like a very over the top conspiracy theorist character; his role only got worse and more confusing as the film went along. Valorie Curry, who played Talia, had no purpose in this film whatsoever; I find there's usually at least one unnecessary role in a film and Curry just happens to be it in Blair Witch.