View source for Blair Witch (film)


{{distinguish|The Blair Witch Project{{!}}''The Blair Witch Project''}}
{{Use American English|date=December 2024}}

{{Infobox film
| image              = Blair Witch 2016 poster.png
| alt                = Stylized in red with a plain black background, tree branches surround a stick-figure with human bodies shown within.
| caption            = Theatrical release poster
| director           = [[Adam Wingard]]
| writer             = [[Simon Barrett (filmmaker)|Simon Barrett]]
| producer           = {{plainlist|
* [[Roy Lee]]
* Steven Schneider
* [[Keith Calder]]
* Jess Calder
}}
| starring           = {{plainlist|
* [[James Allen McCune]]
* [[Callie Hernandez]]
* [[Brandon Scott (actor)|Brandon Scott]]
* Corbin Reid
* [[Valorie Curry]]
* Wes Robinson
}}
| cinematography     = Robby Baumgartner	
| editing            = Louis Cioffi
| music              = Adam Wingard
| studio = {{plainlist|
* [[Lionsgate Films]]
* [[Vertigo Entertainment]]
* Room 101
* Snoot Entertainment
}}
| distributor          = Lionsgate Films
| released             = {{Film date|2016|7|22|[[San Diego Comic-Con]]|2016|9|16|United States}}
| runtime              = 89 minutes<!-- Theatrical runtime: 89:03 --><ref>{{cite web|url=https://bbfc.co.uk/releases/blair-witch-film|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160819225240/http://www.bbfc.co.uk/releases/blair-witch-film|url-status=dead|archive-date=August 19, 2016|title=''BLAIR WITCH'' (15)|work=[[British Board of Film Classification]]|date=August 17, 2016|access-date=August 18, 2016}}</ref>
| country              = {{plainlist|* United States
* Canada<ref name="LUMIERE">{{cite web|url=https://lumiere.obs.coe.int/web/film_info/?id=67903 |title=Film: Blair Witch |website=[[Lumiere (database)|Lumiere]]|access-date=March 13, 2019}}</ref>}}
| language             = English
| budget               = $5 million<ref>{{cite web|last1=Doty|first1=Meriah|title=Will 'Blair Witch' Beat 'Bridget Jones's Baby' in Box Office Battle of Long-Delayed Sequels?|url=https://thewrap.com/blair-witch-bridget-jones-baby-box-office/|website=[[TheWrap]]|date=September 13, 2016 |access-date=September 13, 2016}}</ref><ref name=BOM/>
| gross                = $45.2 million<ref name="BOM">{{cite web |url=https://boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=woods2016.htm |title=Blair Witch (2016) |website=Box Office Mojo |access-date=December 17, 2016}}</ref>
}}

'''''Blair Witch''''' is a 2016 American [[Found footage (film technique)|found footage]] [[supernatural horror film]] directed by [[Adam Wingard]] and written by [[Simon Barrett (filmmaker)|Simon Barrett]]. It is the third film in the ''[[Blair Witch]]'' series and a direct sequel to the 1999 film ''[[The Blair Witch Project]]''. It ignores the 2000 non-found footage follow-up ''[[Book of Shadows: Blair Witch 2]]'', whose events comprise a [[play within a play|film within a film]].{{efn|name=BookOfShadows|In the 2000 tie-in "[[Mockumentary|documentary]]" to ''Book of Shadows: Blair Witch 2'', ''Shadow of the Blair Witch'', the events of ''Book of Shadows: Blair Witch 2'' are presented in-universe as a film adaptation based on the "Black Hills murders" that took place shortly after the events of ''The Blair Witch Project''. This documentary presents the events of ''Book of Shadows: Blair Witch 2'' as a film within a film. ''Shadow of the Blair Witch'' follows the "real" Jeff Patterson’s defense team as the case prepares for trial and as the public reacts to plans to fictionalize the case’s events for the big screen from the defense's point-of-view. Protests of the film ''Book of Shadows: Blair Witch 2'' are discussed within the documentary coming from both the families of those involved with the case and from the Wiccan community as a whole. Rachel Moskowitz and Andre Brooks respectively portray the "real" Kim Diamond and Jeffrey Patterson within the documentary.}} It stars [[James Allen McCune]], [[Callie Hernandez]], [[Brandon Scott (actor)|Brandon Scott]], Corbin Reid, [[Valorie Curry]] and Wes Robinson. The film follows a group of college students and their local guides who venture into the Black Hills Forest in Maryland to uncover the mysteries surrounding the prior disappearance of [[Heather Donahue]], the sister of one of the characters.

Development of the film began in 2009, when creators of the franchise [[Daniel Myrick]] and [[Eduardo Sánchez (director)|Eduardo Sánchez]] announced their intent to produce a third ''Blair Witch'' film. It was to be a sequel to the first film, whose cast it could feature in some context, and not refer to any of the events from ''Book of Shadows''. In 2011, Sánchez remarked that further development on a sequel depended on getting [[Lionsgate Films]] to approve the idea and for his and Myrick's schedule to match up. The film went into [[development hell]], and later the script was thrown aside. In 2013, a third ''Blair Witch'' film was again in talks, with Wingard and Barrett being hired to work on a new script. Initially, the film's connection to the ''Blair Witch'' franchise was kept secret, having been shot under the fake title ''The Woods''. Its true title was revealed at the 2016 [[San Diego Comic-Con]].

''Blair Witch'' premiered at San Diego Comic-Con on July 22, 2016, and was screened at the [[Toronto International Film Festival]] on September 11, before being theatrically released by Lionsgate on September 16. The film received mixed reviews, with critics noting it as an improvement on ''Book of Shadows'', although they criticized its writing. The film grossed $45.2 million against a budget of $5 million.

==Plot==
<!-- Per WP:FILMPLOT, summaries must be generic and CANNOT EXCEED 400-700 WORDS. IT IS STRONGLY RECOMMENDED NOT TO EXTEND THE SUMMARY ANY FURTHER.-->
In 2014, James Donahue finds a video on [[YouTube]] containing an image of a woman he believes to be his sister [[The Blair Witch Project#Cast|Heather]], who [[The Blair Witch Project#Plot|disappeared in 1994]] near [[Burkittsville, Maryland]], while investigating the legend of the [[Blair Witch]]. Wanting to find out the truth, he travels to the woods with friend Peter Jones, Peter's girlfriend Ashley Bennett and film student Lisa Arlington, who wants to film James' search as a documentary, ''The Absence of Closure''.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/891264965/the-absence-of-closure/posts/1665045/ |title=The Absence of Closure by Lisa Arlington |website=Kickstarter.com |date=May 12, 2014 |access-date=January 7, 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://absenceofclosure.tumblr.com/ |title=The Absence of Closure |website=Absenceofclosure.tumblr.com |access-date=January 7, 2017}}</ref> Locals Talia and Lane, who had uploaded the video to YouTube, say they will show the group the location of the tape only if they can join.

Ashley injures her foot while crossing a river. Upon setting up camp for the night, Lane and Talia discuss the disappearance of Heather and her crew, the 1940–41 Rustin Parr murders and other mysterious occurrences, which they ascribe to the Blair Witch. Lane explains the witch had not been abandoned on a tree to die, instead tied high up with weights on her limbs to act as a makeshift torture rack.

Strange noises ensue during the night. Everyone awakes at 2 p.m. and sees strange stick figures hanging from trees. Upon Lisa noticing twine in Lane's backpack, he and Talia admit to creating the figures to convince them to believe in the curse. However, they are not able to give explanations for the prior incidents. Upset at their lies, James and his associates banish Lane and Talia from the group and head out of the woods.

After hours of walking, the four have circled back at their original campsite. Ashley's wounded foot and overall health have worsened, which forces the group to stay at the site. Lisa pilots a [[Unmanned aerial vehicle|drone]] to obtain their location, but from its vantage point they see no way out of the forest. When Peter inspects Ashley's foot, the wound spasms, indicating a potential parasite inside. Peter leaves to collect firewood before being chased by an unknown entity. A tree falls on him and he is dragged away off-screen.

Lane and Talia appear, claiming they have been wandering for five days without a sunrise. Lane, believing the camp to be a hallucination, runs off and leaves behind the disheveled and ravenously hungry Talia. Lisa and James awake at 7 a.m., seeing that it is still dark outside and that larger stick figures have been strung around camp. Talia sees clumps of her hair tied to one of the figures. Ashley accuses her of crafting them and snaps the figure in half; Talia is snapped in half. An unseen force lifts their tent into the sky and the group is separated.

Ashley climbs a tree to recover the drone, but is pushed out and falls to the ground. An unknown entity drags her away. A rainstorm begins. Lisa and James stumble across Rustin Parr's house, despite James stating it had been burned down. James, thinking he hears Heather's screams inside, enters without Lisa. He chases after a teleporting disheveled figure, believing it to be Heather; after it vanishes, he barricades himself.

Lisa, terrified after seeing a tall, pale, long-limbed creature, runs inside the house. A hostile Lane traps her in a tunnel, insisting she listens to what "she" tells her. After Lisa escapes, Lane attacks her and she stabs and kills him. The creature emerges from the tunnel and chases her. She runs to the attic with Lane's camcorder, passing a mirror that shows Heather, revealing the tape found by Lane was being recorded by Lisa, creating a [[bootstrap paradox|paradox]] video that lured them all into the woods.{{efn|name=ParadoxExplained|Early on in the film, as the group makes its way into the woods, Lisa asks Lane about his camera, an older model that she notes uses the exact same tape as the one he claims to have found. The footage Lisa records on Lane's camera while running through the shack is the same footage Lane found in the woods before the group ever actually went there, implying that they have been caught in a [[time loop]].}}

She reunites with James in the attic as a bright light shines from outside the building. James tells Lisa to face the corner, frantically apologizing before something barges into the room. The being tricks James, using Heather's voice to make him turn around, and he vanishes from sight. Lisa realizes looking at the creature will ensure her death, so she uses Lane's camcorder to look behind her. She catches a glimpse of the creature behind her and starts walking backwards. The creature uses James' voice, stating, "Lisa, I'm so sorry", and Lisa turns, immediately getting snatched away. Her camcorder falls to the ground and gives out.

==Cast==
* [[James Allen McCune]] as James Donahue 
* [[Callie Hernandez]] as Lisa Arlington
* [[Brandon Scott (actor)|Brandon Scott]] as Peter Jones
* Corbin Reid as Ashley Bennett
* [[Valorie Curry]] as Talia
* Wes Robinson as Lane

==Production==
===Development===
While promoting ''[[V/H/S/2]]'' (2013) at the [[Sundance Film Festival]], director [[Adam Wingard]] and writer [[Simon Barrett (filmmaker)|Simon Barrett]] ran into original ''[[The Blair Witch Project]]'' (1999) co-filmmaker [[Eduardo Sánchez (director)|Eduardo Sánchez]] and producer [[Gregg Hale (producer)|Gregg Hale]], and asked them why there were not any more ''Blair Witch'' films. Although nothing came of the meeting at the time, a few months later, Wingard and Barrett were asked to meet with [[Lionsgate Films]] to potentially work on a secret project.<ref name="storybehind">{{cite web|title=[Interview] The Story Behind the 'Blair Witch' Revival|url=https://bloody-disgusting.com/exclusives/3404167/interview-story-behind-blair-witch-revival/|website=[[Bloody Disgusting]]|date=September 6, 2016 |access-date=September 8, 2016}}</ref> Barrett recalled that, in the initial pitch meeting, Lionsgate had already crafted a story for a new ''Blair Witch'' film, and simply asked if they would be interested in making it. Barrett said that the "only thing I really pitched was the other characters; they'd originally conceived the film as more similar to the first film, following its narrative fairly closely, with only three or four characters, I think, but I wanted more characters to give us more scare sequences. I also wanted a unique dynamic within the group from the start, so I pitched the idea of introducing some Burkittsville locals to the group".<ref name="storybehind"/>

Barrett would later note that the team found the [[found footage (film technique)|found footage]] genre more challenging, as they have only previously worked with it on the [[Anthology films|anthology]] [[V/H/S (franchise)|''V/H/S'' films]].<ref name="scaryshoot">{{cite web|title=[Interview] 'Blair Witch' Was Just as Scary to Make, Explains Writer Simon Barrett|url=https://bloody-disgusting.com/exclusives/3404168/interview-writer-simon-barrett-says-making-blair-witch-just-scary-make/|website=Bloody Disgusting|date=September 7, 2016 |access-date=September 8, 2016}}</ref> Barrett noted that with the ''V/H/S'' series, there was an inherent entertainment value, where the segments "were never meant to feel entirely real", an element that did not work for the ''Blair Witch'' series.<ref name="scaryshoot"/> Speaking on the issue to [[Bloody Disgusting]], Barrett said that "even if our scares didn't work in ''V/H/S'', hopefully people would still be entertained, and if they weren't, well, another short would start in a few minutes"; he added that if a scare did not work in ''Blair Witch'', "we'd have nothing to fall back on, we'd just have failed completely, and publicly". To prevent this from happening, Barrett and Wingard extensively went over each "scare" to discover why it was scary and how the audience would react to it. For some sequences, multiple approaches were tried differently, to give them options in the editing room.<ref name="scaryshoot"/>

===Filming===
Principal photography took place in the spring of 2015, in a set of woods in [[British Columbia]] in Canada. Scenes taking place in the famous Blair Witch House were shot in a sound stage where the House was entirely rebuilt.

===Connections to ''The Blair Witch Project''===
Prior to the film's premiere at the 2016 [[San Diego Comic-Con]], the fact that the film was a ''Blair Witch'' sequel remained a closely guarded secret,<ref name="blairwitchindiewire">{{cite web|last1=Calvario|first1=Liz|title=''Blair Witch'': How Filmmakers Were Able to Keep the Sequel Under Wraps for Three Years|url=https://indiewire.com/2016/07/blair-witch-filmmakers-keep-sequel-secret-adam-wingard-1201709261/|website=Indiewire|date=July 23, 2016 |access-date=August 31, 2016}}</ref> as the film was shot under the title ''The Woods''.<ref name="blairwitchindiewire"/> According to the film's writer, Barrett, the film's secrecy was done to prevent backlash among Internet commenters, who the filmmakers felt would react negatively to news of a [[reboot (continuity)|reboot]].<ref name="blairwitchsecret"/>

Prior to the official premiere, Lionsgate went as far as to release a trailer for the film incorporating actual footage, while still keeping the film's lineage a secret.<ref name="blairwitchindiewire"/> The film was still publicly known as ''The Woods'' at Comic-Con, prior to its first screening, with ''[[io9]]'' reporting that the initial theater for the screening was filled with posters for the fake film. After the screening (during which audiences realized that the film was a sequel), all the promotional material in the theater was changed to reflect the film's actual title.<ref name="blairwitchsecret">{{cite web|last1=Lussler|first1=Germain|title=Why the New ''Blair Witch'' Movie Had to Be Kept Secret|url=http://io9.gizmodo.com/why-the-new-blair-witch-movie-had-to-be-kept-secret-1786017592|website=io9|date=September 2016 |access-date=September 2, 2016}}</ref>

==Release==
''Blair Witch'' premiered at San Diego Comic-Con on July 22, 2016, and was screened at the [[Toronto International Film Festival]] on September 11, before being theatrically released on September 16, by Lionsgate Films.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://thewrap.com/toronto-film-festival-adds-movies-by-leonardo-dicaprio-werner-herzog-marlon-brando/|title=Toronto Film Festival Adds Movies by Leonardo DiCaprio, Werner Herzog, Marlon Brando|website=[[The Wrap]]|first=Steve|last=Pond|date=September 9, 2016|access-date=August 9, 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://deadline.com/2016/05/lionsgate-nerve-the-woods-release-dates-1201752448/|title=Lionsgate Moves YA Title ''Nerve'' Into Summer, Schedules ''The Woods''|website=[[Deadline Hollywood]]|first=Anita|last=Busch|date=May 10, 2016|access-date=July 23, 2016}}</ref>

==Reception==
===Box office===
''Blair Witch'' grossed $20.8 million in North America and $24.4 million in other territories, for a worldwide total of $45.2 million, against a production budget of $5 million.<ref name=BOM />

In the United States and Canada, the film was released on September 16, 2016, and was initially projected to gross at least $20 million with a chance to get as high as $26 million in its opening weekend, from 3,121 theaters.<ref name="VVV">{{cite web|url=https://variety.com/2016/film/news/box-office-sully-blair-witch-bridget-jones-1201859604/|title=Box Office: 'Blair Witch' Looks to Scare Off 'Sully', 'Bridget Jones's Baby'|author=Dave McNarry|work=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]|date=September 13, 2016|access-date=September 14, 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://pro.boxoffice.com/weekend-forecast-blair-witch-bridget-joness-baby-hillsong-let-hope-rise-snowden/|title=Weekend Forecast: 'Blair Witch', 'Bridget Jones's Baby', 'Hillsong – Let Hope Rise' & 'Snowden'|work=pro.boxoffice.com|date=September 14, 2016}}</ref> Lionsgate's expectations were more conservative, however, with a projected $15–18 million opening, although rival studios were predicting significantly higher numbers, noting how horror films saw solid performances throughout 2016, including ''[[Lights Out (2016 film)|Lights Out]]'', ''[[The Conjuring 2]]'', ''[[The Purge: Election Year]]'', ''[[The Shallows (film)|The Shallows]]'' and ''[[Don't Breathe]]''.<ref name="VVV"/> After grossing $765,000 from its Thursday previews and $4.1 million on its first day, opening projections were lowered to $10 million. It ended up grossing $9.7 million in its opening weekend, below expectations and the lowest opening weekend of the series.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://deadline.com/2016/09/bridget-jones-blair-witch-snowden-sully-weekend-box-office-renee-zellweger-1201820827/ |title='Sully' Burns 'Blair Witch', 'Bridget Jones' & 'Snowden' At The Box Office Stake – Friday Evening Update |work= [[Deadline Hollywood]]|date=September 18, 2016}}</ref> The film was considered a box office disappointment by analysts.<ref name="auto">{{cite magazine|first=Owen|last=Gleiberman|author-link=Owen Gleiberman|url=https://variety.com/2016/film/columns/blair-witch-is-the-found-footage-horror-film-over-1201864069/|title=As 'Blair Witch' Flops, Is the Found-Footage Horror Film Over?|magazine=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]|publisher=[[Penske Media Corporation]]|location=Los Angeles, California|date=September 18, 2016|access-date=October 1, 2016}}</ref>

The film received a day-and-date release in many countries in conjunction with its North American debut.<ref name="DEADproj">{{cite web|url=https://deadline.com/2016/09/sully-glides-in-with-1-35m-for-warner-bros-thursday-box-office-1201815274/|title='Sully' Lands At $35M, 'Bough' Breaks With $14.2M – Monday B.O. Final|author=Anita Busch and Anthony D'Alessandro|website=[[Deadline Hollywood]]|date=September 12, 2016|access-date=September 13, 2016}}</ref>

The film cost $5 million to produce, with an additional $20 million spent on promotion, advertising and marketing costs.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://deadline.com/2016/09/blair-witch-bridget-joness-baby-sully-box-office-preview-1201819332/|title=Can 'Sully' Crucify 'Blair Witch' At The Weekend B.O.? – Preview|author=Anthony D'Alessandro|website=[[Deadline Hollywood]]|date=September 14, 2016|access-date=September 14, 2016}}</ref>

===Critical response===
''Blair Witch'' received mixed reviews, with critics noting it as an improvement on ''Book of Shadows'' while criticizing the writing and special effects.<ref name="ew">{{cite magazine|url=https://ew.com/article/2016/09/19/blair-witch-2-director-defends-movie/|title=Blair Witch 2 director defends his movie after new sequel stumbles |author=Nolfi, Joey |magazine=[[Entertainment Weekly]] |date=September 19, 2016 |access-date=September 23, 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2016/09/blair-witch-gets-lost-in-the-woods-again/500276/|title=Blair Witch Gets Lost in the Woods (Again) |author=Orr, Christopher |website=[[The Atlantic]] |date=September 16, 2016 |access-date=September 23, 2016}}</ref><ref name="rock">{{cite web |url=http://rockrivertimes.com/2016/09/20/blair-witch-lacks-any-real-scares/ |title=Blair Witch lacks any real scares |author=Simpson, Thomas |website=[[Rock River Times]] |date=September 20, 2016 |access-date=September 23, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160922124317/http://rockrivertimes.com/2016/09/20/blair-witch-lacks-any-real-scares/ |archive-date=September 22, 2016 |url-status=dead}}</ref> On [[Rotten Tomatoes]], the film has an approval rating of 38% based on 226 reviews, with an average rating of 5.30/10. The site's critical consensus reads: "''Blair Witch'' doles out a handful of effective scares, but aside from a few new twists, it mainly offers a belated rehash of the original – and far more memorable – first film".<ref>{{cite web|title=Blair Witch (2016)|url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/blair_witch/|website=[[Rotten Tomatoes]]|publisher=[[Fandango Media]]|access-date=April 1, 2021}}</ref> On [[Metacritic]], the film has a weighted average score of 47 out of 100, based on 41 critics.<ref>{{cite web|title=Blair Witch reviews|url=https://metacritic.com/movie/blair-witch-2016|website=[[Metacritic]]|publisher=[[CBS Interactive]]|access-date=September 22, 2016}}</ref> Audiences polled by [[CinemaScore]] gave the film an average grade of "D+" on an A+ to F scale.<ref name="CinemaScore">{{cite web |url=https://m.cinemascore.com |archive-url=http://webarchive.loc.gov/all/20170916153548/https://m.cinemascore.com/ |url-status=dead |archive-date=September 16, 2017 |title=CinemaScore |work=cinemascore.com |access-date=January 12, 2020}}</ref>  According to ''[[Entertainment Weekly]]''{{'}}s Joey Nolfi, while ''Blair Witch'' is generally regarded as an improvement over ''[[Book of Shadows: Blair Witch 2]]'', "moviegoers and film journalists essentially told [''Blair Witch''] to stand in the corner... critical reviews and audience exit polling... are still some of the worst of any 2016 release thus far".<ref name="ew"/>

Michael Roffman of ''[[Consequence of Sound]]'' wrote that "nothing [about the film] is scary, nothing is remotely disturbing, and there's this boring familiarity to the proceedings, namely because it's more or less a beat-by-beat remake of the original".<ref>{{cite web|url=https://consequence.net/2016/09/film-review-blair-witch/|title=Film Review: Blair Witch |author=Roffman, Michael |website=[[Consequence of Sound]] |date=September 14, 2016 |access-date=October 14, 2016}}</ref> ''[[The Hollywood Reporter]]''{{'}}s Leslie Felperin criticized the film, commenting that it is "a dull retread rather than a full-on reinvention", enlarging the cast numbers this time but sticking to the same basic beats.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://hollywoodreporter.com/review/blair-witch-review-927536 |title='Blair Witch': Film Review TIFF 2016 |author=Felperin, Leslie |website=The Hollywood Reporter |date=September 11, 2016 |access-date=September 15, 2016}}</ref> Scott Tobias of ''[[GQ]]'' felt that the makers of ''Blair Witch'' made a poor decision by making the film less subtle than the original.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.gq.com/story/blair-witch-review |title=Blair Witch Review: It's No Blair Witch Project |author=Tobias, Scott|website=[[GQ]] |date=September 13, 2016 |access-date=October 14, 2016}}</ref> Thomas Simpson of the ''[[Rock River Times]]'' said that the film "lacks any real scares" and that, after watching it, "you shouldn't have any issues turning the light off at night".<ref name="rock"/>

Josh Kurp of [[Uproxx]] gave the film a mixed review, saying that "''Blair Witch'' is scary, but it lacks surprise, and without surprise, you're left with a bunch of kind-of annoying people shakily filming themselves wandering the woods and reacting to loud noises".<ref>{{cite web|url=https://uproxx.com/movies/blair-witch-review/ |title='Blair Witch' Is Too Afraid To Do Anything New |work= [[Uproxx]]|date=September 13, 2016}}</ref> [[Mark Kermode]] gave the film three out of five stars in a review for ''[[The Guardian]]'', calling it efficient but unadventurous.<ref name="guardian">{{cite news | last = Kermode | first = Mark | title = Blair Witch review – efficient horror sequel | work = [[The Guardian]] | date = September 18, 2016 | url = https://www.theguardian.com/film/2016/sep/18/blair-witch-new-film-review-mark-kermode | access-date = October 14, 2016}}</ref> ''[[Vanity Fair (magazine)|Vanity Fair]]''{{'}}s Jordan Hoffman felt that the film was inferior to ''[[You're Next]]'', a previous film by Wingard and writer [[Simon Barrett (filmmaker)|Simon Barrett]], and said that ''Blair Witch''{{'}}s "jump-scares [will] make for a fun night at the movies, but it's like chomping on [[White Castle (restaurant)|White Castle]] hamburgers—when this creative team has previously served us a prime rib".<ref name="fair">{{cite news | last = Hoffman | first = Jordan | title = Blair Witch Has Scares, but It Never Quite Gets Out of the Woods | work = [[Vanity Fair (magazine)|Vanity Fair]] | date = September 12, 2016 | url = https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2016/09/blair-witch-2016-review | access-date = October 14, 2016}}</ref>

Conversely, ''[[IGN]]'' reviewer Chris Tilly declared that ''Blair Witch'' is "so good it'll make you forget that ''Book of Shadows'' ever happened".<ref>{{cite web|url=https://ign.com/articles/2016/09/12/blair-witch-review |title=Blair Witch Review |author=Tilly, Chris |website=IGN |date=September 12, 2016 |access-date=September 15, 2016}}</ref> Mark Eccleston of ''[[Glamour (magazine)|Glamour]]'' wrote that the film has "genuine, jarring scares... and an unsettling late surprise that makes it well worth popping to you nearest multiplex to have the holy crap scared out of you".<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.glamourmagazine.co.uk/news/celebrity/2016/09/16/blair-witch-movie-review |title=FILM REVIEW: Just how scary is the new Blair Witch? |author=Eccleston, Mark |website=[[Glamour (magazine)|Glamour]] |date=September 16, 2016 |access-date=September 23, 2016 |archive-date=September 24, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160924015810/http://www.glamourmagazine.co.uk/news/celebrity/2016/09/16/blair-witch-movie-review |url-status=dead}}</ref> [[Bloody Disgusting]]'s [[Brad Miska]], who had previously produced the film ''V/H/S'' which Wingard co-directed, was positive to the film and gave it a 4.5 out of five rating,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://bloody-disgusting.com/movie/3399467/review-blair-witch-the-woods-horror-game-changer-will-completely-wreck/ |title=[Review] 'Blair Witch' |author=Miska, Brad |publisher=Bloody Disgusting |date=July 22, 2016 |access-date=September 15, 2016}}</ref> and included it in his list of the "Best Horror Films of 2016".<ref>{{cite web|url=https://bloody-disgusting.com/editorials/3415487/mr-disgustings-top-horror-films-2016/2/ |title=Mr. Disgusting Picks the Best Horror Films of 2016! |author=Miska, Brad |publisher=Bloody Disgusting |date=December 26, 2016 |access-date=January 3, 2016}}</ref>

==Soundtrack==
{{Infobox album
| name       = Blair Witch (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)
| type       = studio
| artist     = [[Adam Wingard]]
| cover      =
| alt        =
| released   = September 16, 2016
| recorded   = January 23, 2016
| venue      =
| studio     =
| genre      = Stage & Screen
| length     = 32:20
| label      = [[Lakeshore Records]]
| producer   =
| prev_title =
| prev_year  =
| next_title =
| next_year  =
}}

The soundtrack was released on September 16, 2016, via [[Lakeshore Records]], concurrent with the film's release. The score was composed by director Wingard and produced by electronic music producer [[Robert Rich (musician)|Robert Rich]].<ref>{{cite web|last1=Calvario|first1=Liz|title='Blair Witch' Soundtrack: Listen to Director Adam Wingard's Creepy Ambient Music|url=https://indiewire.com/2016/09/blair-witch-soundtrack-listen-adam-wingard-score-1201727806/|publisher=[[indiewire.com]]|access-date=October 28, 2016|date=September 17, 2016}}</ref>

# "Black Hills Forest"
# "Rustin Parr"
# "Camp Fire"
# "Panic Attack"
# "Blair Witch"
# "Lane and Talia"
# "The Project"
# "Invocation of Evil"
# "No Trespassing"
# "The House in the Woods"

;Additional music
# "Hakmarrja" – N.K.V.D<ref name="what-song.com">{{cite web|url=https://www.what-song.com/Movies/Soundtrack/2053/Blair-Witch |title=Blair Witch (2016): Soundtrack and Complete List of Songs |publisher=WhatSong |date=September 16, 2016 |access-date=October 1, 2016}}</ref><ref name="lgukpublicity.co.uk">{{Cite web |url=http://www.lgukpublicity.co.uk/uk/images/Prodnotes/BLAIR_WITCH_UK_Production_Notes_FINAL_050916.pdf |title=Blair Witch Production Notes |access-date=September 17, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160920163255/http://www.lgukpublicity.co.uk/uk/images/Prodnotes/BLAIR_WITCH_UK_Production_Notes_FINAL_050916.pdf |archive-date=September 20, 2016 |url-status=dead}}</ref>   
# "Pagan Dance Move" – [[Arnaud Rebotini]]<ref name="what-song.com"/><ref name="lgukpublicity.co.uk"/>
# "Rien à Paris" – Liz & László<ref name="what-song.com"/><ref name="lgukpublicity.co.uk"/>

==Future==
In April 2022, Lionsgate announced they were considering a reboot of the series.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://screenrant.com/blair-witch-project-reboot-lionsgate-development-report/|title=Blair Witch Project Reboot Reportedly Being Considered at Lionsgate|work=[[Screen Rant]]|last=Jones|first=Mike|date=April 18, 2022|access-date=April 19, 2022}}</ref>

==See also==
* [[List of films featuring drones]]

==Notes==
{{notelist}}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
* {{Official website|http://www.blairwitch.movie/}}
* {{IMDb title|1540011|Blair Witch}}
* {{Rotten Tomatoes|blair_witch|Blair Witch}}
* {{mojo title|woods2016|Blair Witch}}
* {{Metacritic film|title=Blair Witch}}

{{Blair Witch}}
{{Adam Wingard}}


{{DEFAULTSORT:Blair Witch (film)}}
[[Category:2010s supernatural horror films]]
[[Category:2016 films]]
[[Category:2016 horror films]]
[[Category:American sequel films]]
[[Category:American supernatural horror films]]
[[Category:Alternative sequel films]]
[[Category:Blair Witch|3]]
[[Category:Camcorder films]]
[[Category:Films about drones]]
[[Category:2016 English-language films]]
[[Category:Films about death]]
[[Category:Films about film directors and producers]]
[[Category:Films directed by Adam Wingard]]
[[Category:Films set in 2014]]
[[Category:Films set in forests]]
[[Category:Films set in Maryland]]
[[Category:Lionsgate films]]
[[Category:Films about witchcraft]]
[[Category:Films produced by Roy Lee]]
[[Category:Films produced by Keith Calder]]
[[Category:Films with screenplays by Simon Barrett (filmmaker)]]
[[Category:Films scored by Adam Wingard]]
[[Category:Vertigo Entertainment films]]
[[Category:2016 American films]]
[[Category:English-language horror films]]

{{Wikipedia attribution|original_title=Blair Witch (film)|access_date=2026-02-27}}