Tuesday 26 July 2016

Blair Witch (2016) - Horror Film News and Trailer


Usually I only cover horror news if I'm personally contacted about it, for Blair Witch though I am making a strong exception. Adam Wingard (V/H/S, You're Next) was known to be directing a horror called The Woods, but a few days ago it was fantastically revealed that this was a fake name and that the film he had directed was actually to be the third film in the Blair Witch series!

The Blair Witch Project was the first 'found footage' horror I ever saw, I still remember leaving the cinema in a state of dumb shock, a feat that with the exception of the first Paranormal Activity has never been repeated in the now stagnant genre. I have seen it a few times since and still enjoy watching it though it certainly loses some impact on repeated viewings.

The sequel; Book of Shadows: Blair Witch 2 is perhaps my favourite horror film of all time, with an average score of 4.0/10 on IMDB you could say it should be a guilty pleasure but I'm unrepentant in my love for that master class of film making. Even the director Joe Berlinger detests what happened with that film, his directors commentary is full of anger at how his vision was ripped to shreds in the editing room. With a sublime score by Carter Burwell, a great soundtrack that introduced me to the likes of Marilyn Manson, Queens of the Stone Age, and Disturbed, as well as a plot that is heavily open to interpretation (with some great twists) Blair Witch 2 is stunning.

The trailer for the new film (included below) suggests this is a sequel to the first film in the series. It follow the brother of Heather Donahue; one of the trio of characters in part 1, he has gone to the woods with a search party of sorts to try and find out what happened to his sister there all those years ago. From the well edited trailer it seems him and his group encounter the same sort of horror that has been seen there before, though this time it seems to have far more action and a much higher budget. Even if there is no reference at all to the events of the second film I am locked in here. Blair Witch is due for release by Lionsgate Films on September 16th this year, so not long to wait. I so hope this is a great horror!


 

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