8 Sequels Ruined By Idiotic Changes To The Original Concept
2. Blair Witch 2: Book Of Shadows Dropped Found Footage
While we have since been inundated and suffocated with films of the found footage genre, it is easy to forget how groundbreaking the original Blair Witch Project was, making many young filmmakers lament that they hadn’t thought of the idea first.
The found footage format worked on many levels. It allowed the audience to embody the characters' journey into the woods; made a shot into the dark as scary as hell and ensured that we never camped again.
The other benefit that the found footage concept utilised (and one that is quite underrated in this format) is the ability to cover for the limited acting skills of the low cost talent available. Any poor acting in the original film wasn’t much of a problem as the actors weren’t really acting, instead playing heightened versions of themselves. That’s exactly what the film set them up as and it absolutely worked for the audience.
The same, unfortunately, cannot be said for the sequel, which despite having the same writers and quite literally 100 times the budget of the first film, bombed in every way imaginable. In fact, it was the increased budget that may have been a contributing factor for the producers to move into a more standard film format, special effects and all.
The acting is quite deplorable and while this is often the case with low budget horror films, the fact that the actors were ‘playing’ characters totally broke the illusion of real life that made the original Blair Witch film and found footage format so engaging. There was also no build up of suspense, no shaky cam to immerse you in the characters’ experience and absolutely no runny noses… although maybe that was a small mercy.
What made the decision to change the premise all the more strange, was that the found footage format could so easily have been applied to the sequel and actually added more gravitas and investment for the audience. Had the concluding scenes inside the police station with our protagonists being interrogated by the police been shot in VHS, then the film would have lent itself greater authenticity. Sadly, it wasn't to be.