It’s Saturday and that means only one thing, time to look at another horror film. This one’s a sequel, the first film became somewhat of a cult classic that divided opinion. So without further ado here’s my Blair Witch Blu-ray review.
- Blair Witch (2016)
- Genre: Horror
- Written by Simon Barrett
- UK Rating 15
- Discs: 1
- Released By Lionsgate
- Blu-ray Released: 23 January 2017
- Starring James Allen McCune, Callie Hernandez, Brandon Scott, Valorie Curry, Corbin Reid, Wes Robinson
Plot
Set in 2014, James Donahue is the brother of Heather, the woman who went missing in the wood near Burkittsville in the first film. He finds footage that appears to show his sister posted online. The video was said to have been found in the woods near Burkittsville.
James decides to go and meet the guy whom posted the video and has him show him the exact location the video was found.
This time James accompanied by three friends goes with GPS, walkie talkie, flash lights, head cams and a drone.
Once in the woods they start to experience strange things with weird noises happening at night. When they awake there are strange stick figures in the trees. Just what is going on? Is this a repeat of the first film or is someone playing an elaborate prank?
Style / Direction
The film is directed by Adam Wingard with the cinematography handled by Robby Baumgartner.
Blair Witch follows the same hand held camera style from the 1999 film The Blair Witch Project but brings it up to date with the use of head cams. This if anything makes for easier viewing but the same problems remain when the terror scenes become frantic it becomes quite difficult and uncomfortable on the eyes.
Music / Audio Effects
The music is provided by Adam Wingard, good sound design means it sounds and feels like the first film which is a huge plus in my opinion.
Acting / Characters
No stand-out performances but on the whole everyone does a good enough job.
Conclusion: Blair Witch (2016) Film Review
It’s a sequel and to be fair it’s a pretty good one. It takes the best parts of the first film and runs with. To this end the sound design plays a key role in creating most of the terror and it works well. This is the way to make a Blair Witch film unlike the second film which completely missed the point of why the first film became such a hit. This new film corrects that mistake finally giving fans the sequel they deserve.
I’m generally not a huge fan of the handheld camera films as I find them uncomfortable on the eyes. Add to the fact the overuse tends mainly to hide the lack of budget and sometimes camera skill. Filmmakers will claim it adds to the frantic tension but it’s just ends up being annoying. That said it does kind of work here and overall I would say if you enjoyed the first film then you will almost certainly like this one.
It’s definitely worth a watch for any horror fan.
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Conclusion: Blair Witch Blu-ray Review
Clearly the picture and sound are outstanding as it’s a brand new film but what else do you get when you purchase the Blu-ray version?
Extras
- Audio Commentary with Director Adam Wingard and Writer Simon Barrett
- House of Horrors: Exploring the set
- Never-ending Night: The making of Blair Witch (6 Part Documentary)
If you love the Blair Witch the extras have you covered with behind the scenes content lasting way longer the film itself.
Popcorn Cinema Rating: Blair Witch (2016)
MOVIE RATING: WORTH WORTHING
BLU-RAY RATING: GOOD
Blair Witch (2016) Blu-ray is available now from Amazon.
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Blair Witch (2016) Film Trailer
For those of you yet to see the film I’ll leave you with a little taster with trailer…
Clip not be representative of the Blu-ray version
Summary: Blair Witch (2016) Blu-ray Review
Movie title: Blair Witch (2016)
Duration: 89 mins
Director(s): Adam Wingard
Actor(s): James Allen McCune, Callie Hernandez, Brandon Scott, Valorie Curry, Corbin Reid, Wes Robinson
Genre: Horror
- Movie Rating
- Blu-ray Rating
Summary
A more fitting sequel that remembers what the first film did right and runs with it.
