It is fair to say that Book of Shadows: Blair Witch 2 is the most hated horror movie sequel of all time. While not a complete box office flop, with it riding the success of the original upon its release, the film was still critically panned, and for years has been cast aside and looked down upon as a mostly-forgotten relic of 2000s slop. This reaction was fair, too…well, for the time, at least. The movie was nothing like the first, vying for a traditional teen horror film set-up, scrapping any semblance of found footage, nuance, subtlety, or experimentation that made the original so iconic.
Why Horror History Is Ready to Reevaluate Book of Shadows: Blair Witch 2
That being said, Halloween 3: Season of the Witch had the same reaction, as it was the first Halloween sequel without Michael Myers. Nowadays in the horror community, those three Silver Shamrock masks are iconic and instantly recognizable to any genre fan. It’s high time that Book of Shadows: Blair Witch 2 gets the same cult status treatment. While not in the same league as the original by any means, it still totally kicks ass in its own right as an alternative, paranoid horror mind-trip.
Although some hardcore horror fans might disagree, The Blair Witch Project is considered the first found footage horror movie, or at least the first one that’s entirely found footage (The Last Broadcast is a mockumentary, and The McPherson Tape is only an hour long. Shush). It’s been written about a million times, revolutionizing online movie marketing and ARG formatting, so there is not much to add upon except this one question: why oh why, after causing such a filmic revolution, would they make a sequel that is not found footage?
Why Book of Shadows: Blair Witch 2 Abandoned Found Footage
According to Bloody Disgusting, Artisan Entertainment wanted to jump straight into making a sequel as soon as possible. Director Joe Berlinger, who had no previous connection to the original, wanted to make something more conventional, with a more straightforward narrative approach. The movie is meant to be a bit of a commentary on the reaction of the original, and honestly, on rewatch…it actually works. People really thought the first film could have been real. The reactions and hysteria surrounding it were crazy, and this movie serves as a bit of an artistic reaction to said hysteria. It does not always work, but when it does, it proves why it deserves cult status. And additionally, it is pretty scary.
Despite my cocky previous claim that this movie is in fact scary, the plot outside of the scares is a little off the rails, and not in a great way at points. The cult fandom of the first film and conspiracy theorist plots are a little silly, even mildly chuckle-inducing. It creates even more questions on top of the vague first film as well, something that was probably not great for critical response. However, the horror concepts played with in Book of Shadows is something different than the original, expanding the meta-horror in an entirely new way.
Psychological Horror and Reality Distortion
The first movie is so successfully scary ( immersive marketing aside) because of how real it all is. It does not have any actual witch or visual threat in it, making it feel like you are actually watching the final footage of these unfortunate people. In the second one, however, it plays with this idea of grounded-yet-warped reality in a much more trippy, psychologically dread-inducing way. Throughout it, the gang of protagonists slowly becomes tricked through unknown means into committing horrific crimes and murders,with unseen forces gaslighting them and distorting their reality.
The shift from found footage to reality actually makes this idea scarier. While the grounded nature of the first film is unbeatable, there is a certain hopelessness in this film that is quite striking. Because of the found footage format in the first movie, it very well could be anything lurking in the darkness, causing the chaos. However, since we have the comfort of a more traditional narrative framework here, we can truly feel the madness of the characters. If this were a traditional horror film, we should be able to see the threat like any other horror movie-but no, the curse of the original witch is only discussed.
Bleak Horror and Hopelessness in the “Real World”
Additionally, since we have entered the “real world” from the video clips of part one, it gives a terrifying sense that Book of Shadows really is our world, and the evil from that footage has joined us. Cinematically and narratively, the movie also works to secure a tone of pure and utter hopelessness. Despite the fun aesthetics, this movie is bleak.
Goth Representation That Was Ahead of Its Time
The internet nowadays seems to be plagued with people, outside of alt subcultures, fetishizing people in said subcultures. Communities are bombarded with jokes demeaning goth girls, as well as the shallow aesthetization of depression, mental health issues, and/or the political roots of alternative subcultures being exploited. While Book of Shadows might be FAR from this intentional in its social provocations, it surprisingly addresses this problem way ahead of its time, paying homage to alternative cultures and music of the time.
The film is ahead of its time in its nuanced understanding of goth characters, one that does not fetishize them or make them the butt of any joke, a huge problem with films from the era. Kim Diamond is a badass, true-and-true. Additionally, besides the supernatural terrors of which there are plenty, there are the townspeople of Burkittsville. Kim is badgered, berated, and mocked by the townspeople for her style sensibilities-even told to take her makeup off by the Police. She is a great character, and a great representation of these social issues.
A Love Letter to 2000s Horror Aesthetics
In addition to Kim Diamond, the film is also a total 2000s throwback. If you’re a fan of horror flicks like House of Wax, Final Destination 2, Cherry Falls, or any other 2000s horror film that looks and feels like a nu metal or industrial music video, Book of Shadows can be enjoyed for that alone. Visually, musically, and overall stylistically, the film indulges in all of its turn-of-the-century, grunge-y trimmings.
Visually, the movie is catnip for fans of the time period. It’s heavily atmospheric, with phenomenal shots of isolated cemeteries, decaying buildings, and creepy, rural towns. While yeah, everyone loves modern day sleek nightmares like The Substance or any A24 arthouse flick, let’s be real. This era of movies gave you no question that you were watching a tried-and-true, capital “H” HORROR movie. Even on listicles discussing this era, Book of Shadows goes forgotten among fans.
The Iconic 2000s Soundtrack
Another great mark of the era is the soundtrack. As is typical with movies of this time, the music kind of made it. Book of Shadows boasts Dragula by Rob Zombie, Feel Good Hit of the Summer by Queens of the Stone Age, and other songs by Marilyn Manson, Nickelback, and System of a Down. It’s pretty iconic, and even if you don’t treat it as a legit sequel to the original, it is still worth watching.
Book of Shadows: Blair Witch 2 is far from perfect. It’s messy, often confusing, often too silly, and riddled with garishness that might not work for all. However, it is not your typical horror sequel. It is trying to do something vastly different and has a lot more on its mind than it might lead you to believe.