Dark Film Review – Blair Witch (2016)
Review Written by Casey Douglass
The original Blair
Witch (The Blair Witch Project) came out in 1999, to the
fanfare of, if memory serves, some people finding it so intense that
they had to leave screenings. I have somehow managed to miss seeing
the original film, and in the intervening years between then and
2016, found footage films have become a more common cinematic device,
from the likes of V/H/S to Cloverfield. I do enjoy the
format, the shaky-cam adding a more visceral feeling to the events of
whichever film might be using it, even sometimes adding juice to the
jumps and scares. Blair Witch (2016) however, was a big, fat,
yawny experience for me.
The film follows the
story of James (James Allen McCune), documentary maker Lisa (Callie
Hernandez) and a couple of other friends, as they head into the woods
after a video emerges online seeming to show James’ vanished sister
(from the first film) Heather. They gear up with all manner of
expensive looking tech, from ear cameras with GPS to a neon lit
drone, in the hope of capturing some element of what is going on out
there, and ultimately, for James to hopefully find Heather. They meet
up with the guy who posted the triggering video and his girlfriend,
who want to tag along too. Thus the scene is set.
Before I start to pound
the film, the aspects that I did enjoy were the narrative and the
soundtrack. The narrative, while seemingly basic, did feature enough
twists and uncertainty, especially with relation to the video posting
couple, that it did cause me to have to sit and be suspicious of what
was really happening. This gets a big thumbs up from me.
The soundtrack was also
very enjoyable, especially from a dark ambient perspective. Ominous
rumbles, animal calls and creaking trees, backed up by lots of
crumping heavy footsteps did a wonderful job of setting the scenes
firmly in the environment. This proved a very good thing, as you will
soon suffer with tree fatigue when you watch Blair Witch.
Yes, I know Blair
Witch is set in the forest. I get it. If you like seeing blurry
trees with pixelated artifacts rush by as someone screams and pants,
you’ll bloody love Blair Witch. This is where the sound
became so important: there isn’t that much to look at a lot of the
time. The film seems to know this as well, using stupid people-based
jump-scares for large portions of time until things begin to
progress. Someone looking at a tablet in the dark, “jump-scare!”
yep, someone with absolute ninja skills just made them jump by
touching their shoulder. Open your tent because you hear something
outside, “jump-scare!” someone jumps inside having made no sound
on approaching and ignoring your fearful shouts. All I can say is
that the film seemed full of ninjas who were incapable of
saying “I’m coming!”, preferring to scare the shit out of their
victim.
Another positive for
the film though, is that I don’t feel it revealed too much of its
antagonist, The Blair Witch, which is something it should be
applauded for. Most of the time she is just a rumbling mass of
impending doom, and when you do get to see her, it’s for the merest
of glimmers.
On to the business of a
rating then. I didn’t think Blair Witch 2016 was terrible,
but it was far from brilliant as well. On a personal level, it didn’t
scare me or make me jump once, leaving me plenty of time to ponder
why someone with a fever suddenly seems to lose it, or what were they
thinking they would see using a drone in a dense forest besides a
tree canopy stretching as far as the eye can see?
Blair Witch is
worth watching but don’t expect much. I give it 2.5/5, and
really wonder how the reviewers quoted in the trailer managed to get
so much fear and enjoyment from it.
Blair Witch Images ©
Copyright Lionsgate
