Vivid and lively film sketches about young people going on a dangerous weekend, during which all hell begins to happen, do not lose their popularity and relevance. Therefore, this topic does not cease to stir the creative minds of filmmakers for the past half century, a convincing example is the film âThe Witch of Blairâ (1999) and its sequel âThe Witch of Blairâ (2016).
Original tape
In the domestic box office, the ultra-low-budget ($ 22,000) and ultra-profitable ($ 248,639,099) horrors âThe Blair Witchâ received an adapted name with the subtitle âCoursework from the Other Worldâ. Perhaps the domestic distributor simply did not like the word "project". In the original, the picture was called âThe Blair Witch Projectâ.
Immediately after the release of the tape with a low rating of IMDb: 6.40, it received the status of a cult and was included in the list of the most successful horror, taking the honorable sixth position between âAlienâ and âRosemary's Babyâ. This fact caused an ambiguous reaction from the cinema community, since Blair Witch received mixed reviews. Aggressively-minded film critics characterized the work of young directors and screenwriters Eduardo Sanchez and Daniel Mayrik as not only practically not scary, but sometimes frankly boring.
Plot
The film âThe Blair Witchâ has a straightforward plot, according to which at the beginning of October 1994, three movie students Heather Donahue, Joshua Leonard and Michael S. Williams go to the dense thicket of the Maryland forest to film a documentary - term paper on a local legend. The legend is inspired by the life history of the witch from Blair. Since then, no one has seen the guys anymore, and only after a year have they found the films they shot, which, in fact, are offered to the attention of the viewer who came to the Horror Blair witch horror screening.
Reviews highlight the picture determined not by content, not by artistic merit, not by acting, but by the way of transmitting the terrible. According to the definition of cinema experts, it is not the visual series that is remembered from the picture, but the emotions that the beholder experiences, unconsciously putting himself in the place of the characters. That is why the horror "The Witch of Blair" (release date January 25, 1999) had a strong impact on the audience.
Missing
In the context of the advertising campaign, all performers involved in the production of the film on IMDB.com were marked as âmissing, presumably dead.â By the way, the acting ensemble of the film âThe Blair Witchâ received sympathy from respondents. Already a very heavy burden was placed on their shoulders by the creators of the project, far leading in their movie searches.
In addition to the fact that the performers had to act as operators, they had to constantly improvise. Several times during the shooting day, the directors wrote down their âwishesâ on separate sheets, carefully folded them and handed them to each actor so that the others did not suspect what was written from their colleagues. So the authors managed to achieve a stunning effect of confusion and loss among the characters of the horror âThe Blair Witchâ.
Feedback on such creative work techniques is very controversial. Some contributing authors, not appreciating the innovations of the directors, accused the actors of turning their characters into typical category B movie heroes who just run, scream loudly, fall, in general, go crazy in every possible way. Especially observant was the fact that in this atmosphere of fear and hopelessness, the characters calculatedly continue shooting, never once trying to get rid of the equipment.
Acting Ensemble
Despite the notifications of the authors about their tragic and sudden death, the actors of the film, bearing the same names as their heroes, subsequently actively starred in many films.
Heather Donahue, who gained worldwide popularity after participating in The Witch, subsequently starred in the projects Beyond the Possible, The Abducted, and The Morgue. Most recently, the performer was seen among the cast of the series âIt's Always Sunny in Philadelphia.â
Joshua Leonard before participating in the horror of Sanchez and Mayrik managed to take part in the production of The Blur of Insanity, after which he actively starred until 2005. His films include the following tapes: âMilitary Diverâ, âLive from Baghdadâ, âIt Never Happensâ, âHouse of Fearâ, âFraudâ, âAxâ and âGraduationâ. Then Leonard decided to try himself in the field of directing and shot the short film The Youth in Us, but still returned to the role of actor and played one of the main roles in the film âBoth Laughter and Sinâ (2009)
For Michael S. Williams, the Blair Witch debut was not a debut movie. Acting colleagues noted his professionalism. On the account of the performer of the tape âBattle in the Desertâ, âAliensâ, âWithout a Traceâ, âIn Short,â âSallyâ and others. After the filming of the Witch, he returned to the series Law and Order, which he left for the time of production.
Blair Witch (2016)
The fashion for pseudo-documentary in the genre of horror, mainly set by the authors of The Witches of 1999, is now inexorably coming to naught. The directorâs technique, called found footage, frankly annoyed the viewer and doesnât seem so original anymore, which creates a sense of reality for the audience. However, the patient is more likely alive than dead, and after 15 years a new word was nevertheless said in the franchise - the 2016 âBlair Witchâ appeared with the subtitle âNew Chapterâ.
Third in a row
Formally, the new âWitchâ is the third part, although only individual film gourmets currently remember the second criticized to the last, so the 2016 film in terms of plot is a completely independent product that does not require additional knowledge from the first tapes. At the same time, the brightest young horror-maker of our time Adam Wingard (âYou are finished!â, âGuestâ, âZ / L / Oâ), showing an enviable creativity, courage and ingenuity, manages to insert a lot of references to the original horror into the picture, but they very thin, not conspicuous. But, despite the accuracy and professionalism of the creators, âBlair Witch: A New Chapterâ received a low IMDb rating of 5.40 and a lot of criticism from professionals and average people.
Second in meaning
On the semantic background, the new horror is a direct continuation of the original picture.
In 2015, James Donahue (James Allen McCune), watching a video from a witchâs hut on Youtube, notices in one of the frames a mirror with a reflection of her missing sister. For many years, the guy has been looking for any clue to go on the trail of the sister who disappeared in the woods (the main character of the first picture). James immediately decides to go looking for her, accompanied by his girlfriend, film student Lisa (Calista Hernandez), and best friend Peter (Brandon Scott) with his girlfriend (Corbin Reid). Upon arrival at their destination, their expedition is replenished with two more participants - specialists in local beliefs (Wes Robinson, Valory Kerry), acting as guides.
Advantages of the painting
Among the advantages of the film âBlair Witch: A New Chapterâ, casting was most often called critics. All the young talents who took part in the production of the project are little familiar to the audience. In the famous paintings, only Valory Kerry was seen playing the secondary role of a vampire in Twilight. Therefore, during viewing, the viewer does not have an associative plan and the impression that the heroes of other paintings are running through the forest. At the same time, all actors lack professionalism, they behave appropriately and realistically both in everyday episodes and in critical moments. Therefore, the characters in the film evoke sympathy, if not sympathy, then sympathy.
Summary
The authors of the new âWitchâ know very well how to make the viewer afraid: there are twice as many teenage heroes and their cries are heard twice as strong. In addition, the new film significantly expands the mythology of the sinister witch, the beholder receives new information, although the finale brings the viewer more questions than answers. Maybe the authors leave the trilogy a chance to become quadrology? Time will tell.