BOOK OF SHADOWS: BLAIR WITCH 2 (2000) / *** 1/2
Directed by Joe Berlinger. Screenplay by Dick Beebe and Berlinger. Starring Jeffrey Donovan, Kim Director, Stephen Barker Turner. Running time: 90 minutes. Rated R for offensive language throughout by the MFCB. Reviewed on October 30th, 2000.
By SHANNON PATRICK SULLIVAN
It comes as little surprise that "The Blair Witch Project"'s phenomenal success in 1999 -- building up from film festival hype early in the year, through to its box office domination in mid-summer -- would lead to a rapid sequel. Unusually, Daniel Myrick and Eduardo Sanchez, the masterminds behind the first film, had little to do with "Book Of Shadows: Blair Witch 2" (they serve as executive producers only). Instead, the reins have been turned over to documentarian Joe Berlinger.
What Berlinger has crafted is a film as unlike "The Blair Witch Project" as that movie was from its horror/thriller ancestors. There are key similarities -- all the actors are relative unknowns who play characters with their own names; amateur camerawork plays an important role, although here it is more a plot device than a stylistic ploy; and the ending is perhaps even more maddeningly ambiguous than the original, leaving audiences again wondering just what it was they witnessed.
But while "The Blair Witch Project" was mostly an exercise in atmospherics, playing upon primordial fears of being lost in the woods, the curiously-titled "Book Of Shadows" (no such artefact appears in the movie) favours a more conventional horror storyline to comment upon its themes. "Video never lies," claims one character early on. "Book Of Shadows" asks the question, what if a video (or film, or whatever) differed from your own recollections? In a way, then, "Book Of Shadows" deals with a very modern fear, but one whose roots are ancient -- the paranoia of knowing you are innocent even if all the evidence suggests your guilt. Berlinger ties this into an undercurrent about the supposition that violent media breeds violent people, as well as some wry commentary on the success and saturation of "The Blair Witch Project" in general.
Much like the original movie played with the conceit that it was Heather Donahue's "actual" footage (and convinced millions that it was a depiction of actual events), "Book Of Shadows" picks things up as hordes of fans invade Burkittsville, the hamlet which, according to "Blair Witch" mythology, stands on the site of the original Blair township. "Book Of Shadows" muddles reality here -- many of the Burkittsville residence are steadfast that "The Blair Witch Project" is just a movie and yet such hallmarks as the ruins of Rustin Parr's house (where Heather Donahue and Mike Williams met their final recorded fate) actually exist.
The first five minutes is a hilarious spoof of the "Blair Witch" frenzy. One woman, for example, explains how she used to sell "Blair Witch" stick figures from her home and on the Internet, until one day a man dropped by and also wanted to buy rocks from her back yard. So now she sells stick figures and rocks -- but the rocks don't sell so well online "because rocks cost more to ship". But this sequence almost threatens to undermine the tension right off the bat, and a humorous vein running throughout the movie is poorly conceived and unnecessary.
We next meet Jeffrey Donovan, a "Blair Witch" fan who is just starting up a tour of the Black Hills forest called the Blair Witch Hunt. His first customers include Stephen Turner and his pregnant girlfriend Tristen Skyler, who are researching a book about the "Blair Witch" hysteria; Erica Leerhsen, a Wiccan who sees Elly Kedward -- the purported Blair Witch -- as a tragic, misunderstood figure; and Kim Director, a Goth who seems to possess telepathic abilities. Things start to get weird almost from the word go when, upon reaching the foundations of Rustin Parr's house, they discover an enormous tree has sprung up in its midst.
Despite this spooky occurrence, the five settle in for a night of carousing, interrupted only by a confrontation with another tour group which tries to lay claim to the Parr ruins. They vow to party all through the night, but awaken the next morning with the realisation that they cannot account for five hours. More mysterious still, all the recording equipment Jeff brought him has vanished -- except for the tapes themselves, which are discovered in the same hollow as Heather Donahue's tapes some years earlier. They return to Jeff's home in a dilapidated broom factory to view the tapes and find out what happened during their blackout. But eldritch visions haunt them, and they slowly realise that something may have returned with them from the Black Hills.
Like the first movie, "Book Of Shadows" manages to coax decent performances from its essentially unknown cast. While none of the leads in the sequel enjoy quite so powerful a moment as Heather's "I'm so sorry" soliloquy -- and the improvisational feel of the original is sadly absent -- there is still some good work here, especially from Skyler and Turner. Director is fun, but doesn't really enjoy a lot of range. Leerhsen, although very charismatic, is defined by her religion and never really moves beyond that. Donovan, unfortunately, fails to establish a consistency of portrayal, and is not helped by being saddled with the picture's most puzzling character -- his status as a former mental patient is constantly referred to, but this never really comes into play, and hangs like a loose end.
Berlinger paces the movie well, piling on the strangeness without letting the movie descend into utter confusion. Make no mistake: the actual chain of events is not clear, and this may frustrate some viewers. But this is by design, not accident, and is the reason "Book Of Shadows" provides almost the same level of psychological trauma as its predecessor. It is true to say that Berlinger makes some missteps -- his portrayal of the Burkittsville locals, including a farcical sheriff, is downright insulting at times, and his failure to develop the "Blair Witch" mythos in any meaningful manner is disappointing. Nonetheless, "Book Of Shadows" is an effective and worthy successor to "The Blair Witch Project". Now you'll never think of camping or camcorders the same way again.
Copyright © 2000 Shannon Patrick Sullivan. Archived at The Popcorn Gallery, http://www.physics.mun.ca/~sps/movies/BlairWitch2.html
_______________________________________________________________________ / Shannon Patrick Sullivan | "We are all in the gutter, but some of us \ | shannon@mun.ca | are looking at the stars." - Oscar Wilde | \___________________________|__________________________________________/ | Popcorn Gallery Movie Reviews www.physics.mun.ca/~sps/movies.html | | Doctor Who: A Brief History of Time (Travel) /drwho.html |
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