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!

Other 27 October Birthdays & Releases

Filmmakers

• Leif Erickson (1911-1986): Actor best known as the mean dad in Invaders From Mars.
• Harry Saltzman (1915-1994): Producer of most of the James Bond films from the 1960s through early 1970s.
• Carolyn Craig (1934-1970): Actor best known for House on Haunted Hill.
• John Cleese (1939-): Actor and screenwriter of Monty Python and Fawlty Towers. He also wrote and starred in two excellent feature films, A Fish Called Wanda and Fierce Creatures.
• Ivan Reitman (1946-2022): Producer of many weak comedies but also some great stuff like Shivers and Animal House.
• Bernie Wrightson (1948-2017): Perhaps the greatest horror comic book illustrator ever. He also co-created Swamp Thing.
• Roberto Benigni (1952-): Writer, director, and actor of The Little Devil, Johnny Stecchino, and more.
• Jeff East (1957-): Actor known for Huckleberry Finn and Pumpkinhead. He was also the teenage Clark Kent in Superman.
• Patrick Fugit (1982-): Actor known for Almost Famous, Wristcutters: A Love Story, and others.

Films

• Rebel Without a Cause (1955): “You’re tearing me apart!”
• Die, Monster, Die! (1965): A meteorite creates evil plants.
• Baron Blood (1972): A young man accidentally brings his murderous ancestor back to life.
• The People Who Own the Dark (1976): Rich people survive a nuclear attack because they are at a party in a castle.
• Tenebre (1982): A serial killer is stalking his favorite novelist.
• The Dead Pit (1989): An evil doctor long entombed in an abandoned wing of a mental hospital is released.
• Masque of the Red Death (1989): Slasher at a costume party. Not much related to the original story.
• Shocker (1989): A serial killer comes back from the dead.
• Copycat (1995): Cops search for a copycat serial killer.
• Haunted (1995): A skeptic debunker is haunted.
• Vampire in Brooklyn (1995): A lady cop becomes a half-vampire.
• The Little Vampire (2000): A little boy befriends a little boy vampire.
• Boo! The Movie (2002): Teen investigate a 20-year-old drowning.
• Bloodlust (2004): When a vampire kills her brother, a young woman seeks vengeance.
• Shock-O-Rama (2005): zombie horror anthology.
• Apartment 1303 (2007): A string of people kill themselves while living in this apartment.
• 2012: Supernova (2009): A scientist tries to put a blast shield between a supernova and Earth.
• Dead Air (2009): Terrorist viral attack from a radio station.
• Stalked at 17 (2012): A boyfriend threatens murder when his girlfriend considers ending the relationship.
• Zombie at 17 (2018): You know…

Book of Shadows: Blair Witch 2 poster via Wikipedia under Fair Use.