After trying and failing to capitalize off the success of the original Blair Witch Project, Blumhouse has confirmed that a new reboot of the series is on it’s way. Given how much money that The Blair Witch Project made during it’s original run in 1999, it’s not surprising that studios refused to give on trying to milk all the money it can from this franchise. However, it’s been 25-years since the series has been a pop culture sensation that freaked out audiences worldwide.
The Blair Witch Project: Book of Shadows and Blair Witch were critical and commercial failures. In fact, it isn’t just that The Blair Witch Project is a cold product, but the found-footage sub-genre is currently on it’s last legs. Still, Blumhouse is going through with this sequel, so here are the several issues that the upcoming reboot needs to avoid.
Blumhouse Needs To Remember Why The Blair Witch Project Became Such A Pop Culture Phenomenon
This is a problem that neither sequel seems to understand. Though there were found footage films prior to The Blair Witch Project, those were few and far in-between. The genre was still new around this time, but several others key factors played a crucial role as well. We currently live in an age of leaks and the internet itself; the internet was still new during this time as well. What was so clever about The Blair Witch Project was the brilliant marketing. The advertisement made this found footage film seem legit. In fact, the actor’s parents got cards from people sending their condolences.
People believe that this was REAL. The Blair Witch Project itself was good, but the marketing is the reason so many people brought a ticket to see this film. You can’t pull that same marketing in this day and age because the internet isn’t new, movie leaks are rampant, and the found footage concept is tired at this point. The sequels failed because it didn’t have the same freshness as the original.
Blumhouse needs to study the campaign and figure out how to sell people on this reboot. This is a remake, so there’s no way they can pull off the same marketing stunt. I don’t particularly know how they can cleverly advertise this reboot to get audiences excited again, but Blair Witch proven that modern audiences just don’t have the same love for the series as fans did back in the 90’s. A great film and brilliant market is a MUST if they truly want for this reboot to succeed.
It Can’t Be The Same Blair Witch Project As The Original
That said, Blumhouse can’t tell the same story again. Even if most of the modern audience didn’t see the 1999 film, Blair Witch was essentially the same movie with a few new wrinkles here and there. That film ultimately turned out to be a commercial flop because audiences are over the found footage concept. I don’t think that The Blair Witch Project should get rid of it, but the reboot needs to find a way to make the concept seem fresh again.
Telling the same story over again just won’t cut it, even if the new director does an excellent job of recapturing the story for modern audiences. There should be a new story that honors the series name, but explores a new avenue that subverts expectations. It won’t be an easy task, but films like Paranormal Activity and V/H/S have found clever ways to use the found footage gimmick differently, so it’s not impossible.
The Story Needs To Add Some New Mythology To The Series
It isn’t enough that the new film has to be great. The new Blair Witch Project has to justify it’s existent. This is something sequels and reboots tend have a problem dealing with. Despite a rich lore, The Terminator series has failed to live up to the expectations that Terminator 2: Judgment Day set. Terminator: Dark Fate wasn’t even a bad film; it was just a rehash of what the first two Terminators did, minus John Connor. Alien, Transformers, and Predator are just some of the films that has failed in the current age as well.
It goes back to the previous paragraph, it can’t be the same as the original, but it also has to bring some new to the table. Terminator: Dark Fate is different, yet it doesn’t add anything new to the mythology of the franchise. We don’t have to see the Blair Witch itself. Nor does all the questions about the legend need to be answered as the mystery surrounding the villain is an important component that made the first film so scary. There needs to be a few wrinkles that opens up the lore and proves that there’s more story to tell within the Blair Witch concept.
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