Sticks and stones may break your bones but the return of Blair Witch will continue to lurk you. Chandeliers of wooden havoc are now hanging over the disappearance of Heather Donahue once again. The curiosity of her brother James (James Allen McCune), who was only four years old when she unfathomably perished, has been awakened. 17 years later a lost video tape seems to summon him and a small group of friends into the same Black Hills Forest in Burkittsville, Maryland that his sister and her film student friends wandered into to make a movie about the tale of Blair Witch. What he discovers gives him a slither of hope on her whereabouts. Could she really still be out there or is it the Blair Witch myth alluring his judgement on a deep rooted search?
With the expanding of technology since the release of “The Blair Witch Project” in 1999, that engaging lens is an upgraded eye seeking to unveil a mystery. The newly found footage binds the legacy of this witch hunt together ten-fold. The presence of the camera has always been like a leading character creeping through each scene allowing us to hike along and peek into the unknown.
Director Adam Wingard and writer Simon Barrett (known for thrillers such as You’re Next, V/H/S and The Guest to name a few) stirred just enough of the documentary style that is synonymous with this franchise (created by Eduardo Sanchez and Daniel Myrick), brewing a bigger budget into a more refined appearance. They wanted to stay as true in linking “Blair Witch” with the original. The chase of the evocative shadows and sound effects is still the curse put on such a tense spine-chilling plot.
It was a potent move to cast rising stars who are not yet Hollywood elite. It conjured the campy experience of an 80’s horror film with magnetic raw performances. Every second of witty humor could mutate into the most spellbound terror that jumps out of the dark and grabs you. It didn’t need any blockbuster perks, because the name “Blair Witch” already has the magic to draw people in based solely on its pop culture phenomenon. It is the same fascination that spawned many film makers to follow this distinct ground breaking formula (including the “Paranormal” trilogies). The interest in knowing if this story is real or fabricated still lingers because legend has it that the Blair Witch occult was once a real haunting that could easily make you disappear.
What started off as a top secret in the making is now 1 hour and 29 minutes of psychological horror produced by Lionsgate simply entitled “Blair Witch”. It was released September 16th 2016 and is now playing in theaters nationwide.
Samantha Hollins, aka Ghetto SongBird, is a multi-talented singer/songwriter, guitarist, poet/writer, photographer and all around creative soul, who passionately enjoys sharing her positive artistic energy and harmonic vibes. You can follow her, and get additional information about her next tour date, on her Facebook page here.
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