Review of Book of Shadows: Blair Witch 2 (2000) by Timothy S — 05 Oct 2014

There may indeed be another story to tell about the Blair Witch, but "Book of Shadows: Blair Witch 2" is not it. This will go down in history as one of the worst sequels ever, a follow-up that no one asked for and only exists to cash in on the wildly successful original. But while that remains one of the most original and scariest horror films of all time, this is conventional in every way.

There's great evidence of tampering by the studio to make this more commercial, but all they've succeeded in doing is making an incoherent mess of a movie that is so bad it tarnishes the reputation of the first film. There's absolutely nothing even remotely scary about this film, as the most it can muster are a lot of shocking images that turn out to be hallucinations anyway.

Gone is the imagination and suggestiveness that made the original so special. Instead, it's replaced by a lot of ridiculous and unnecessary gore that doesn't even make sense within the context of the film. The sequel sets up an intriguing premise that is founded on the basis that the first movie was just that; a movie. What would happen if fans of that movie try to prove its authenticity? But that premise is forgotten about after the first twenty minutes and what follows is an excruciatingly boring and talky film with only the most threadbare connection to its predecessor. And as perhaps a sign of the studio's desperation, the title is completely meaningless. There is no "Book of Shadows" in "Blair Witch 2", as well as no scares, logic or a coherent story. This may very well be the worst film of the year.