Well, at least it succeeded on one front -- Book of Shadows: Blair Witch 2 did scare me after all. As a matter of fact, I was so horrified by the bad acting and even worse story-telling I almost left the theatre mid-film.
Now, like it or not, you've got to give The Blair Witch Project credit. The little indie that could scared moviegoers with its unique and haunting approach to horror (show nothing, imply everything). It was a low-budget big grosser that shocked the movie industry by being non-conventional and understated.
Book of Shadows, on the other hand, doesn't offer anything new or worthwhile, but does have perhaps the most poorly executed storyline in recent history.
This catastrophe of a movie centers around a group of five young folks who embark on a tour of the Burkittesville, Maryland woods where the first film was recorded.
The players are: a psychic goth girl (Kim Director, who has amazing screen presence), a self-righteous Wiccan (Erica Leerhsen), a paranoid former mental patient (Jeff Donovan, who's a dead-ringer for Scream's Jamie Kennedy), an annoying researcher (Stephen Barker Turner) and his whiny girlfriend (Tristen Sklyer, one of the most irritating actresses to ever grace the silver screen).
The basic "plot" (and I use that term loosely) goes something like this: led by tour-guide Jeff, the group journeys into the woods to have the ultimate "Blair-Witch" experience, get stoned and drunk, nearly have an orgy then pass out. The gang wakes up to a horrible discovery: their camp has been destroyed and -- worse still -- they've all forgotten the past five hours of their lives.
Thoroughly creeped out, they retreat to Jeff's house in the woods to try and sort through the events of the previous night. Many weird occurrence follow (they experience collective hallucinations, hear scary sounds and discover creepy markings on their bodies).
In an attempt to mix things up a bit from the first one, the cinematography is brilliant, all special effects and striking camera work.
Also, I feel compelled to warn you that aside from the occasional references to The Blair Witch Project, Book of Shadows actually has very little to do with the original. And, where the first Blair Witch succeeded in scaring moviegoers by showing nothing, Book of Shadows fails by showing everything. And I do mean everything.
The gore factor is exceptionally high, and comes across as gratuitous and unnecessary at most points. For instance, did we really need to see former mental patient Jeff, strapped to a table and with massive tubes shoved into his body, while his mouth gushes white goo? And don't even get me started about the disembowelment scenes ...
Ultimately, though, the poor acting and writing are the grossest thing about Book of Shadows.
Grade: D-
(R, 90 minutes)
