Summary
When horror fans sawThe Blair Witch Projectin theaters in 1999, they assumed that it was a true story. Thanks to the documentary-style, found footage filmmaking, it seemed like the college students really did find a dangerous and mysterious entity in the woods. AlthoughBlumhouse’sBlair Witch Projectwill miss the original’s pointsince everyone knows the movie was actually fictional, it’s still intriguing to imagine what the remake could be like. Knowing thebackground of the originalBlair Witchmakes this news even more interesting.
Blumhouse should find inspiration inBook of Shadows: Blair Witch 2.While the horror sequel has been criticized and has a 14% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, it does one interesting thing that Blumhouse’s new movie should consider. The remake should definitely be more creative than a straightforward retelling or a more traditional sequel.
Blumhouse’s Blair Witch Project Should Copy The Book Of Shadows Sequel’s Meta Narrative
Book of Shadows: Blair Witch 2has a meta narrative of an in-universe movie, which would be a clever and compelling approach for Blumhouse’sBlair Witch Project. In the horror sequel,TheBlair Witch Projectis a real movie that the main characters have seen and obsess over. Kim Diamond (Kim Director), Tristen Ryler (Tristine Skyler), Erica Geerson (Erica Leerhsen), and Stephen Ryan Parker (Stephen Barker Turner) go on a tour of Burkitsville, Maryland where the original movie was filmed.The sequel is set in November 1999, which is a little while after thescary ending ofThe Blair Witch Project.
Blumhouse’sBlair Witchshould also take place after the events of the first movie. It should also focus on fans of the original 1990s horror movie who are looking to find out more about the terrifying figure at the heart of the story. While many would say thatBook of Shadowswas ahorror sequel that was unnecessary, copying this aspect of the sequel would make for an engaging and cool narrative.
Since Blumhouse’sBlair Witchwill take place in current times, the existence of iPhones and social media could be incorporated into the story. Fans of the original movie could make their own documentary or reality series about visiting the place where theBlair Witchwas filmed. Perhaps they will go viral for what they discover, which would be a fun storyline. There’s a lot of opportunity for smart social commentary here.
While not everyone agrees that horror sequels, remakes, or reimaginings should happen, Blumhouse’sBlair Witchwill be successful if it copiesBook of Shadowsbecause it willremind fans of what made the original movie special. Instead of telling a straightforward story aboutthe Blair Witch monster, which wouldn’t be that scary or make much of an impact, it should lean into the excitement and hype surrounding the original film. The marketing and discussion of how the found footage movie seemed to be real is what made it so enjoyable to watch.
In an interview withYahoo! Entertainment, director Joe Berlinger discussed why he was interested in making the sequelBook of Shadows: Blair Witch 2. He explained that he was inspired by the fact thatBlair Witchbecame a topic of conversation in pop culture. He said:
“Heather, Josh and Mike [stars of the first movie] were on the cover of Time - how can you continue the found footage technique? I pitched my own idea of doing a sequel to the phenomenon itself because I was fascinated that some people walked out of the theatre and, despite seeing all the press coverage that this was a hoax, still went down to the woods to see if it was real. Instead of doing a found-footage sequel, I wanted to imbue it with a documentarian’s concerns.”
What Is Known About Blumhouse’s Blair Witch Project?
Whilethere are no details about Blumhouse’sBlair Witch Projectmovieat this time, Variety reported that Blumhouse and Lionsgate are teaming up for the film. Horror fans should know that the companies plan to make several other remakes of popular horror movies. Consideringhow beloved many Blumhouse movies are, these new versions sound intriguing.
According toVariety, Adam Fogelson, the Lionsgate Motion Picture Group chair, talked about working with Blumhouse and Jason Blum. Fogelson said:
“I have been incredibly fortunate to work with Jason many times over the years. We forged a strong relationship on ‘The Purge’ when I was at Universal, and we launched STX with his film ‘The Gift.’ There is no one better at this genre than the team at Blumhouse. We couldn’t be more pleased to be working with them on this and other projects we look forward to revealing soon.”
