10 Horror Franchises Where The First Movie Is NOT The Best
8. The Blair Witch Project
The best instalment: Blair Witch (2016)
Alright, this one is going to be controversial. The Blair Witch Project is an important piece of horror film history for sure; it put the found-footage horror subgenre on the map, and its marketing campaign is one of the best in movie history.
Unfortunately, without the marketing (which made many contemporary viewers think that the film was real) and with the found-footage gimmick having been used by so many films since, The Blair Witch Project does not hold up. This will become painfully clear to anyone who's attempted to sit through lately.
2016's Blair Witch contrasts with that original film in the best sort-of way. It's a fast-paced, thrilling found-footage horror with solid performances and sturdy set-pieces; not only is it a far more entertaining film than the first film, but it's also, at the very least, populated by characters who are actually likable.
This also works reasonably well as a legacy sequel; it was a nice move to make the lead character the younger brother of the original's protagonist, and by being a bigger and more intense outing that does actually show the Witch this time (if only briefly), this succeeds as an evolution on the original film.
It got mixed reviews at the time, but the 2016 film has a lot going for it, and there's an argument to be made it will hold up better than the original film has done.