10 Horror Movie Sequels We Didn't Want (But Got Anyway)
6. Blair Witch (2016)
When it was announced that Adam Wingard's The Woods was actually the third Blair Witch film, horror fans were divided. Some welcomed another chapter in the franchise, feeling it perfect for the current market whilst others felt too much time had passed.
Blair Witch ignores the second film and picks up in 2014. Heather Donahue's younger brother takes a film crew into the Maryland woods to investigate his sister's disappearance and the Blair Witch legend.
Expectations for the sequel were high upon its 2016 release as horror had dominated the box-office that year. The Conjuring 2, Don't Breathe and Lights Out had all made a killing at the Box-Office and Lionsgate hoped for similar results. Unfortunately, Blair Witch failed to live up to expectations, falling $11 million behind the studio's predicted $20 million opening weekend.
When all was said and done, the picture grossed a scant $24 million at the domestic box-office and garnered a mixed to negative reaction. The consensus was that Blair Witch failed to recapture the dread, paranoia and eerie nature of the original, opting instead to fall back on found-footage style jump scares and gross-out gore. Critics felt the filmmakers were trying a little too hard to impress, leading to a rather unimpressive reliance on CGI and creature effects.
Sadly, in the years since, audiences and fans alike would rather forget Blair Witch and appreciate the original as a stand-alone film.