By now we’ve all seen the stunning achievements of a little film titled “Paranormal Activity.”  Freshman filmmaker Oren Peli definitely made his mark with this movie, one that will be immortalized not only for its long and turbulent path to the big screen but also for the film’s low overhead and quality use of the docu-style format. In essence, Peli hit the jackpot.

The unavoidable comparisons between this film and its decade old shaky cam predecessor “The Blair Witch Project” have been fodder for many stories lately. But with news surfacing that Eduardo Sanchez and Daniel Myrick, original directors of TBWP are putting together a screenplay for another installment, possibly ignoring that a second ever existed, horror bloggers have to wonder…“Why?” Is a third “Blair Witch” a good idea? If so, would we rather see a sequel, a prequel, or something totally different? We asked around and while the answers varied, it does seem that if done right, the “Blair Witch” story could put some meat in the seats as they say. Check out what some bloggers opinions below and if you have a take on the debate be sure to chime in.


Justin, HorrorBid.com: Would I go see another “Blair Witch” film? The answer is probably not. What’s the incentive driving another film? Is it financial or creative motivation? Another “Blair Witch Project” should only happen if there is more story to tell and not because of the success of “Paranormal Activity.” However, “Blair Witch” co-director/co-writer Eduardo Sanchez has already revealed that work is underway on a third installment. One can’t help but link Sanchez’s recent statement with Paranormal’s phenomenal success. Would “Blair Witch 3” happen if “Paranormal Activity” had flopped in the box office? Would another sequel occur if “Paranormal Activity” didn’t even exist? If the answer is yes, “Blair Witch 3” couldn’t get here fast enough; however, current information leads us to believe this project is only being resuscitated to cash in. If that were the case I’d pass on another sequel.

More shaky-cam documentary-style movies could be too much of a good thing. Of course that depends on your point of view. If you’re the studios you see a good thing with films like “Paranormal Activity,” “The Blair Witch Project,” “Rec” and “Cloverfield.” This trend of film seems to perform steady numbers at the box office. Still, fans and the general audience often grow tired of the same old tricks after watching what appear to be similar movies with only character and title changes. After “Scream” was released it felt like every horror film centered on crazy plot twists with surprise endings. “Saw” sparked the torture trend. Will “Paranormal Activity” do the same?

Will another “Blair Witch Project” be the first of many shaky camera movies? For the love of God I hope not. Leave it to Hollywood to milk a once original idea and drain it to the point where it’s barely recognizable.
Bring back originality! Would it be asking too much for the filmmakers to capture lightening in a bottle twice? If it meant discarding the shaky-cam style and going in a completely different direction in order to accomplish what the original did, I could live with that. What I don’t want is repetition. Another lost in the woods storyline is just beating a dead horse. Less is more so keeping the film grounded in reality is a plus concerning the psychological aspect. Also, going with unknown actors seems to be vital to belief in the reality of the story and complete emotional immersion. So whatever they do, in order to warrant another “Blair Witch” sequel, these guys need to come up with something as revolutionary as they did with the original.

Andre Dumas, The Horror Digest: When I heard “Blair Witch” was coming back for a second attack (I say second because I also like to forget there was a movie called “Book of Shadows: Blair Witch 2”). I was at first a bit worried that the directors were just trying to cash in on more shaky camera goodness. With the raging success of “Paranormal Activity” I think the directors felt like people had forgotten the craze that also existed when “Blair Witch” came out. As someone who was impacted more by “Blair Witch” than “Paranormal,” I can say that I understand why the director's may want to strike back.

That being said I think this could either be a giant hit or a miss. I would see the sequel if there was a bigger concentration on the legend of the Blair Witch. The things that always got to me the most from the original were the people from the town retelling the legend. Especially that really horrid looking old lady. The illustrated pictures of the grotesque Blair Witch—her black wiry hair and her overall demonic looking presence always frightened me to a large extent. The legend of the kids being murdered at the rock, the story about how she undoes her robe to reveal a body entirely covered in hair are all synonymous with the Blair Witch.

The director's will be successful if they revisit some of these legends, and keep that overall fear of the Blair Witch alive—not hidden with special effects, CGI, and bad acting. It would have to be a prequel because anything after the Blair Witch is trekking back to old territory. The videotape from the first is the ultimate proof of terror in those woods. A prequel that showcases the legend I think could be beneficial to “The Blair Witch Project.” I wouldn't recommend going back to the shaky camera though. It's been done—and I can't stand another fad like “Saw” taking over the horror genre. The directors need to be original and avoid solely making this movie based on the increased interest in “Paranormal Activity.” If that's the case then I think a Blair Witch 3 would be highly successful, and beneficial for the history and future life of horror films.

Carl Manes, I Like Horror Movies: “The Blair Witch Project” was a groundbreaking film; regardless of any similarities it may have shared with “Cannibal Holocaust.” The advertising campaign alone was purely genius, but what sold the authenticity of the film were the shockingly realistic characters and events it depicted. Though the sequel was almost a complete reversal of the small Indie look and feel of the original, what it did offer was a critical look at the media blitz following the first film, while exploring the debate over whether horror films have a cathartic or catalytic effect on the viewer.

What could a third film now offer a decade later? There is no excuse for a remake at this point; not enough time has passed, and there is no shortcoming that could be expanded upon in a second take. A sequel could be promising, but how do you follow the original using the same stylism without having it fall back into a remake? Obviously, a prequel couldn't use the same “found footage” approach, since the film would be based in the early 1900s. Of the three options, though, I think there is infinite more potential in retelling the story of the Blair Witch and Rustin Parr in the traditional cinematic style. The tale is frightening enough on its own, and could finally allow for viewers that criticized the lack of action and visuals to experience the film they had hoped for in 1999.

Regardless of the direction the film takes, I will absolutely be in line opening night. The series is best left in the hands of its creators, and I look forward to anything else the Witch has to offer!


Unkle Lancifer, Kindertrauma:
I'd welcome another Blair Witch movie! I'm a fan of the original film's mythology and think that it could be a great springboard for a unique franchise. In fact, I have to admit that I found the sequel "Book of Shadows" to be, if not successful then at least, relatively interesting and original. I'm not sure if a prequel would be the way to go commercially, but I'm definitely up for visiting those creepy woods again.


Alison, Screamstress: I wasn’t in love with the first film and I never saw the second one, so I’m pretty indifferent about a third. Sanchez and Myrick seem a bit bitter and desperate in the press recently and aren’t going to win any fans with some of the statements they’ve made. The whole “true story” genre is one of extremes—people either love or hate it, so while there will be an audience for the new film, I don’t think they’re going to win any major points with their peers. Where have they been since 1999 and what have they done? Their work just hasn’t been consistent. Also, it’s pretty suspect to just pop up loudly after “Paranormal Activity” became a huge success. I wonder if the best thing they could do is work on something entirely different but maybe the pony is all out of tricks?

Matt, No Room In Hell: I would definitely go see a third “Blair Witch Project” film. Enough time has passed since “Book of Shadows: Blair Witch 2” that a third film does not seem like excess for the franchise. I thought the original was an immensely inventive film that launched a new sub-genre of horror. That said I'm somewhat apprehensive of the premise. Neither of the other “Blair Witch” titles really leaves room to continue their narratives. In fact, I think it would be a grave injustice to the first film to try to continue its narrative. The "unknown factor" of that movie is what makes it so good. I don't want to know what happened to the characters. I think a prequel might work best—maybe a tale of some encounter with the witch prior to Heather's experience or more about Rustin Parr.

I don't think that we've seen too many shaky-cam/documentary horror films yet and the ones we have seen are mostly good, namely “REC” and “Paranormal Activity.” When a genre gets overdone, I tend to notice it (like vampires right now) but I don't feel this way about docu-horror.


Theron Neel, Slammed & Damned: The Modern Day Horror Review: Actually, I would go see another “Blair Witch” film, because I enjoyed the original so much. For better or worse, “The Blair Witch Project” really did change the face of horror. Hell, it changed film period: It practically invented viral marketing and it paved the way for today’s shaky-cam, DV filmmaking, which has worked its way into every genre of film as well as network television. If the original creators revisit the Blair Witch mythos, I’d like to see them go back to the beginning and show us the actual Blair Witch herself. Let’s see where it all began. Punish some Puritans! Of course, Myrick and Sanchez are at a distinct disadvantage—anything they do will be compared to the first film (probably forever). While I think the sequel wasn’t great, I don’t think it’s as bad as people say. It just suffered from the success of the original flick. Can they make magic again? I doubt it, but I’d pay to find out.