Tuesday, January 5, 2010

Book Of Shadows: Blair Witch 2

I can explain right now why this movie flopped: It wasn't made for fans of The Blair Witch Project.
Yeah, sure, "Blair Witch 2," whatever. It's called that because it uses the phenomenon that was The Blair Witch Project as a jumping off point.
The movie's about a formerly institutionalized fan of the movie leading a group of tourists to the places where Blair Witch was filmed. He calls his tour the Blair Witch Hunt.
The group consists of a couple writing a book about the Blair Witch legend (the guy thinks it's all fake, the woman thinks there's truth behind the folklore); an uppity, arrogant, condescending, pretentious, melodramatic, bitchy, malnourished Wiccan and the most realistic portrayal of a goth chick I've ever seen in a movie (surly but perfectly nice, and the most likeable person in the bunch).
The first night of their tour, the group plans to stay up all night, to catch them a witch or something (I guess).
Cut to: everybody waking up with no memory of the night before. The couple's book research has been torn up and scattered around and the tour guide's cameras have been destroyed. The tapes are unharmed, though, and they head back to his house (an abandoned glue factory) to find out what went on.
Most of the movie takes place in the house. Characters have disturbing visions, weird marks show up on their stomachs and shoulders and someone goes missing (I won't say who, but I will say I was not at all upset they were gone).
It's a stylish, impossible-plot-twist-filled, actually-fun-to-watch movie. The ties to Blair Witch are minimal, although it's not entirely unlike the first one. We've got endless arguments, a character disappears halfway through and one person just keeps on filming everything that happens.
It's just presented in a way that doesn't make me tired and angry.
Like I said, this movie wasn't made for fans of The Blair Witch Project. It was made for people like me.

End of line.
-Sally

No comments: