Just saw the new Blair Witch movie · 4:07am Sep 16th, 2016
Real quick thoughts on the first movie. I saw it when I was 13 or 14, and while I wasn't scared by it, I could definitely recognize and appreciate its merits, even if it wasn't my preferred style of horror.
When I heard about this new movie and saw the trailer, I came up with the idea to make a bingo game out of it, with the conditions for points being modern day horror movie cliches. For example, one of the marks was 'reference to social media'. I did indeed get a bingo (free space included), but all the same, I'd still say this new movie is worth your time if you're a fan of the original/a horror movie fan in general.
Just like The Force Awakens and Star Trek 2009, Blair Witch is a soft reboot, wherein it continues the story after the previous one, but is still able to stand on its own. It keeps in tune with the original while also upping the ante, both in terms of content and on the technical side of things, which is ideal for a sequel of any kind. One thing this new movie has over the original is a supercharged chilling atmosphere and more creepy visuals. Of course, the familiar stick figures and rock piles return, but some questions about them are answered, like what their purpose is, while also raising new questions. We get a much better sense of what the Blair Witch is capable of in this new movie, and it all serves to create a foreboding atmosphere that I honestly believe I would've found terrifying had I not been desensitized to horror after watching so much J-Horror.
All in all, I totally recommend it.
One last thing: yes, they do explicitly show the Blair Witch. For a half second. Execution is what maters, of course, and it was done well here.
