Artisan Entertainment released Book of Shadows: Blair Witch 2 on 27 October 2000.
Imagine that you are one of the filmmakers who created The Blair Witch Project. And you know you need to produce a sequel. But how?! There is nothing to go on. Find another group of filmmakers who get lost in the woods? That’s pretty lame.
Thankfully, the filmmakers decided to go in a totally different direction. They decided to make a normal (non-found footage) film. It features a group of obsessed fans.
But there was a problem. Critics and fans alike will hate this. They can (and did) complain that the film was too different from the original. Of course, they would have complained regardless. They would all scream, “Why didn’t they do something new!”
Damned if you do; damned if you don’t. I just hope they all made a lot of money.
I love the original film. And I love this film. But I don’t think the filmmakers could have won in these circumstances. The first film succeeded largely because of an advertising campaign. I love it for other reasons, but people connected with the film because they thought the story was true. The only option for the filmmakers was to not make anything at all. And that would have been fine.
I don’t think Book of Shadows: Blair Witch 2 is a great film. But it’s good. It’s enjoyable. And most of all: it isn’t just a retread of The Blair Witch Project. And that’s important. Because I can (and do) rewatch the original. I don’t need another film like it.
(But like most people, I do have an idea for a sequel that I think would work well. Filmmakers go back into the area to find the lost filmmakers. And they find a cult living there with the three part of it. Kind of like The Ritual. But I like Book of Shadows: Blair Witch 2 more than I do that film.)
Now is a great time to watch it! And then you can tell me why I’m wrong. I’ve already had plenty of people do that. And they were all wrong just as you will be. But it’s worth a try!
Book of Shadows: Blair Witch 2 poster via Wikipedia under Fair Use.
