It's All Fiction, right? Blair Witch 2**

 

Most of us are as confused as much as they are.

Companion piece to Book of Shadows: Blair Witch 2

I looked back at my review for Book of Shadows: Blair Witch 2 (2000), and I don't remember devoting such extensive word vomit to the film. Nonetheless, I was mulling over when to watch this. Initially, I was planning to watch it back early October, as I watched "The Blair Witch Project" (1999) on October 1st. But that was right before a weekend at the cabins on a little trip into the woods for some rest and relaxation. I still have the same problems with the film as I have in the past. All the inserts (which do look like studio interference) and "what is real?" theme has actually led to a cult following for the film. I do think perhaps this sequel, despite being pooh-poohed on by the likes of me back upon its release--yes, we were expecting something akin to "The Blair Witch Project"--will continue to get a little love. 

Because "The Blair Witch Project" also polarized audiences, some considering it a masterpiece, others bewildered at the critical response, "Book of Shadows: Blair Witch 2" was that shit-upon sequel that was destined for re-evaluation and a new look. I have looked on YouTube for how the sequel is spoken about, even visiting Letterboxd to research how the sequel is viewed now as opposed to 2000 screenings. Well, on Letterboxd, it currently sits on *½, so its still a big ouch. And on the IMDb, the rating is 3.9, so "Book of Shadows: Blair Witch 2" still remains rather ill-favored among many. I do recall back on the IMDB Horror Message Board (and you can find favorable reviews and user comments for the film) some good buzz accumulating when the film was brought up some time around 2006. 

While I personally find myself on the negative side of the film, I continue to feel there is flashes of greatness. That the entire group seemed to endure a mass delusion, brought up even in conversation, perhaps brought on by the Blair Witch (or not), the direction never lets up on that to the very end. I just wish the film wasn't such a botched mess. Considering what this sequel followed, the film's muddled narrative structure and weird, fucking characterizations seem to have not ingratiated "Book of Shadows" (a title that itself is puzzling, as others in the past have mentioned never factors into the film) to a large contingency of supporters. Its the vocal few that continue to bang the drum for the film...not entirely enough to help lift the film's reputation out of mediocrity. 

It is just too confusing, but basically, in a nutshell, those following a local guide into the Black Hills of Maryland supposedly (or do they?) encounter "something" that seems to manipulate what they see, experience, feel, while they commit acts they have no recollection of. And the film goes out of its way to include all those interrogation scenes with that grumpy, foul-mood sheriff so that the point is well made that they did very bad things. And when we see those bad things on video, perhaps what happened before was but a delusion we ourselves shared with the characters. At least the film has a kick-ass soundtrack. I remember seeing this in the theaters and so that feeling of disappointment afterward hasn't necessarily dissipated. 

What we got at the very beginning, with residents living near where the first fictional documentary film was set, is still such a hoot, though. I think the cast isn't bad, and maybe a structured documentary might have worked considering the director has made a career in that field, but the direction gets us lost in its lack of translation. Those who like that the film might enjoy how it bobs and weaves when trying to grab hold to the narrative, while others like me remain frustrated. Still when they finally watch the missing footage, and that lost 90 minutes is recovered...that unease about forgotten behavior, the fog of their memory cleared by what they supposedly see on the recording, is palpable.

***I still to this very day listen to the soundtrack, especially Poe and Godhead, and I love the nutty camera moving through the Black Hills during the closing credits***