Filmology Rating: 2 out of 4 

A group of friends venture into the Black Hills to uncover the mystery of his missing sister (first films main character). At first the trip is going well but during the night, things take a dark turn. Events unfold that makes them realize that the legend of the Blair Witch could be very much real and even more evil than anyone could’ve thought.

First things first, let’s talk about the original 1999 Blair Witch. This is a much debated film to whether or not it is good or not. You either really like it and admire how groundbreaking it was or you think it was boring because nothing really happens. I personally am on the side of liking the original. This was really the start of horror movies that had this handheld shaky camera style to it. (It was done really well actually. Sooo many new movies that try and imitate this style turn out so horribly) This handheld style added a really authentic feeling to it and was so believable that many people actually thought these were real events and not just a movie.

So what does that have to do with the newest Blair Witch film? Well I said all that to say this; if you are a fan of the original, then you will be a fan of the newest one and enjoy yourself but if you weren't, well then I wouldn’t suggest seeing this movie. The newest Blair Witch is essentially a copy and paste of the old film with a slightly updated plot and new characters of course. This is my biggest issue. I was hoping that after 17 years, and a really crappy sequel, that they would be able to bring something a little more original to the table. That however was not the case. There really is only one new thing that they brought and that was in the grand finale last 20 minutes of the film that I won’t spoil for any of you.

My second biggest issue was the jump scares….. JUMP SCARES ARE NOT HORROR! Now there is a difference between a good job scare and a bad jump scare. A good jump scare is when there’s a lot of tension being built up either through the camera moving in a certain direction slowly to take its time to build a scene, a change in the tone of the music, facial expressions from the actor/actresses that slowly change, and much more. These things make up a good jump scare. A bad jump scare is a loud sudden noise, an image popping up out of nowhere, a bird or animal jumping out, etc. THESE THINGS AREN’T SCARY! Yes they might make you jump but a jump isn’t horror. It’s the human body reacting to a sudden movement or sound which is something the body can’t really control. Anyway, sorry for the rant…. This Blair Witch movie had a lot of pointless jump scares that were laughable. Horror movies need to stop using this cheap tactic to add “horror” to a film.

Now there were some things that I liked such as another great cast of people. Each one did a great job and really showed genuine and authentic emotion given the circumstances. They also had a great chemistry between them that added some humor to the story as well. Also as I had mentioned before, the finale is intense just like the first Blair Witch. However, for me these few things that I like just weren't really enough to tip the balance into me really liking the film. I left thinking that it was ok. Me being the movie nerd I am, I go see a lot of movies. However, if you aren’t really one who does that and weren't dying to see this film, then I’d suggest waiting to rent it or even skip it all together.

Rating: Rent It 

-Nick