A sequel to the excellent (but very dated) The Blair Witch Project might seem like a given in these days of franchises built on the backs of every successful film, but it has taken seventeen years for the follow-up to come along. Luckily, Blair Witch looks every bit as scary as its predecessor, and based on the latest trailer and poster for the film, it has a lot going for it.
Directed by Adam Wingard, Blair Witch sounds like a pretty standard sequel story, as a group of college students ventures back into the Black Hills Forest to uncover what happened to the original group of kids from the first film. Among them is James Donahue (James Allen McCune), the brother of Heather, one of the original characters to face that nasty witch. All mayhem breaks loose, as we knew it would, and the team faces yet another found-footage horror story.
This latest trailer for Blair Witch would look like standard found-footage fare, if it didn’t have the Blair Witch name attached to it. But it also looks pretty good for what it is, as terrified students run through the woods, crawl through muck, and face very scary things with a shivering camera capturing every minute.
Wingard’s presence elevates this film from “eh-maybe” to “must-see.” He’s the director responsible for The Guest and You’re Next, which alone makes Blair Witch an intriguing watch. Will he be able to revitalize the found-footage genre without resorting to the usual (and dull) tricks of the trade?
Maybe it will be fitting that the next great entry into the genre will be a sequel to the one that re-started the craze, all those years ago. Or maybe Blair Witch will be the death knell of a genre that should have died a long time ago. We shall have to wait and see.
Blair Witch opens on September 16. You can check out the new poster below.
