Blair Witch 2: Book of Shadows

Dir: Joe Berlinger

Did I say The Prophecy? Oh I meant this sequel.

There are some films where you can admire the idea more than you can admire any of the content, and for me, this sequel is one of those things.

Rushed into release by an eager studio, Book of Shadows presupposes the idea that the original film was just that, but that hasn't stopped flocks of people turning up at Burkittsville hoping to either get a look at the Blair Witch, or just steal some stuff featured in the film. Interestingly that was indeed what happened after the release of the original film. No matter how many times people stated the film was fiction, someone would always steal a sign, more than likely to sell on Ebay.

So a group of people turn up to spend the night in the 'Haunted' woods, and they black out. They find their recordings are hidden in some foundations (Just like the tapes from the original film) and when they return to view them, they realise they weren't acting themselves, and that something else has influenced them...

I remember when this film was first released, excited not only by the prospect of further Witchin' adventures, but by the fact that the Writer/Director Joe Berlinger was at the helm. Berlinger is a noted documentary maker who not only made the stunning Paradise Lost, but the Metallica documentary Some Kind of Monster  (Highly recommended even if you don't like Metallica, which I don't). Listening to his audio commentary I can see why Berlinger was excited too. He'd turned in a script that was largely psychological horror, and there's certainly something in the idea that a group of people can effectively 'black out' over the course of the night and not remember their actions, no matter how deranged. But the studio took the finished film, re edited it and threw in a ton of gore shots to appeal to the kids.

Now without the tinkering of Artisan do I think the film would've been THAT much better? It's hard to say, though I certainly think it would be remembered more fondly than what it is. The film, in its current state, does contain some effective chills and I did like the constant nods to the original film and the mythology. And if Berlinger is to be believed, then the original film would've contained an air of ambiguity all the way through (Drawing parallels with his Documentary roots). Still, there's a lot of clunky dialog here, and one or two supposedly big 'scares' that just don't work at all. But despite all that there's still glimpses of Berlinger's original script that make it through, particularly a scene later on where the group turn on each other, climaxing in a nasty neck break. The idea of suspicion turning people into a group of rabid witchunters (Natch) isn't new, but the scene gets extra depth when you recount Berlinger's earlier documentary.

Still, I don't know what it is about this film that has me returning to it. I certainly can't disagree with anyone who lists the film's flaws. I can see them but they don't bother me. There's just something ABOUT Book of Shadows that keeps me coming back every year or so, and you know what? I'm perfectly happy to.