Actually, this phenomenon can be easily charted by scrolling through the reviews of the film found on either or. Of far greater interest actually is the arc the film traveled in terms of its critical and audience reception. In all the print that has been devoted to the original `Blair Witch Project,' most of the discussion has been centered around the remarkable advertising strategy that managed to parley a quirky, low budget independent film into a multimillion-dollar box office success story. The approach taken is commendable and rather brilliant, and it manages to establish an ever-increasing sense of oppressiveness that grows on the audience, which is the real catch here in my opinion-it is genuinely unnerving to watch, and that's something rare these days. It is not a rehash of the original film, and it never aims to be. Overall, "Book of Shadows: Blair Witch 2" has been harshly criticized by fans who it seems haven't taken the time to try and understand what it's attempting to do. The film plays its cards well and is careful in its subtlety, which leads to a downbeat and twisted conclusion. The score lends an oppressive tone to the movie, and it is steeped in an atmosphere of complete unease that grows more and more pervasive as the five characters bear witness to the inexplicable. The performances are top-notch, and the film is peppered with disturbing scenes and images, and some ghoulish scenarios. What is real, and what isn't? Where is the Blair Witch? Outside, lurking in the forest? Possessing one of the characters? Is she even there at all? These are the kinds of questions the script toys with, and the result is wildly engaging. Rather than approach a sequel with a rehash of the first film's material, co-writer/director Joe Berlinger offers something different: a narrative within a world in which "The Blair Witch Project" was real footage- a world inhabited by characters who range from unabashed believers to academic skeptics, to people who simply "thought the movie was cool." With a common interest, they set out into the woods to find some evidence-but all goes awry when one of the women suffers a premonitory miscarriage, and they are forced to retreat to the leader's home, which is where the film becomes a full-blooded psychological thriller. It's not nearly as terrifying as the original film, but it is ingenious in its own way. It was, and continues to be met with hostility from fans of the original, which still quite frankly baffles me. I'm just going to say it outright: I love this film. In a daze and confusion, they retreat to the group leader's warehouse- turned-home, where their individual psychological breakdowns lead them to a disturbing truth. The five camp out in the ruins of Rustin Parr's home, where the Blair Witch tapes were "found," and experience a mental blackout in which they each fail to recount several hours of the night. Among them are a mentally-unstable local a husband-and-wife team of graduate students studying the Blair Witch a self-proclaimed Wiccan and a depressive goth. "Book of Shadows: Blair Witch 2" follows a group of fanatics obsessed with the Blair Witch legend in the aftermath of the film's first release.
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