Details
Movie Description
BOOK OF SHADOWS: BLAIR WITCH 2 is the sequel to the 1999 thriller THE BLAIR WITCH PROJECT. The first film's famously effective horror was created in large part with its faux authenticity. Shot on handheld video, the film presented itself as the genuine footage of three students' fatal search for the mysterious Blair Witch. BOOK OF SHADOWS: BLAIR WITCH 2, which purports to be a "fictional reenactment of real events," complicates the original's illusion of reality. Tourists have flocked to Burkittsville, Maryland to see evidence of the original film and its underlying mythology. Four of these visitors--Tristan and Stephan, a couple researching a book; Erica, a Wiccan; and Kim, a Goth--join up with town troublemaker Jeff for his inaugural Blair Witch Hunt tour. When they wake up after a night of partying, most of their possessions have been destroyed and they are unable to account for a large block of time. As they piece together memories, inexplicable events spiral to a terrifying climax. Director Joe Berlinger, an acclaimed documentarian making his first foray into dramatic film, creates a disorienting otherworld in which video clips, flashbacks, and visions are indistinguishable from the reality of the present. BOOK OF SHADOWS: BLAIR WITCH 2 illustrates the often blurry and always terrifying line between truth and fiction.
Film Notes
DVD Features:
Notes: Side one of disc features the movie BOOK OF SHADOWS: BLAIR WITCH II, which is recorded as a DVD and playable on any DVD player. Side two of disc features the soundtrack, which is recorded as a CD and playable on any CD player or CD-compatible DVD player.
Side One: Feature Film
Region 1
Keep Case - Sensormatic
Widescreen - 1.78
Single Side - Single Layer
Audio:
Dolby Digital 5.1 - English
Additional Release Material:
Audio Commentary - 1. Joe Belinger - Director, Carter Burwell - Composer
Featurette - 1. THE SECRET OF ESREVER
DVD-ROM Features:
Weblinks
Side Two: CD Soundtrack
Theatrical release: October 27, 2000
The film was shot in Baltimore, MD.
The characters of Erica and Kim collectively represent Damien Echols, the subject of Joe Berlinger's acclaimed documentary PARADISE LOST: THE MURDERS AT ROBIN HOOD HILL (1996). Damien, who was convicted to death (on extremely shoddy evidence) for the murder of three little boys, seems to have been framed by the police based on his propensity for black clothing and admission to being a Wiccan.
BOOK OF SHADOWS was named after a book of witchcraft that police found in Damien Echol's possession. This book was used against him in his trial.
As in the first film, the characters have the same first names as the actors who play them.
Joe Berlinger names Stanley Kubrick's THE SHINING and Roman Polanski's ROSEMARY'S BABY as influences.
Erica Leerhsen (Erica) studied witchcraft with a Wiccan to prepare for her role in the film.
Eduardo Sanchez and Daniel Myrick, the directors of the first film, could not oversee this project because they were working on a romantic comedy. They both approved of the choice of Berlinger for director.
The Blair Witch Webfest (at www.blairwitch.com) ran from October 18, 2000 to October 20, 2000 and featured interviews with director Berlinger and all of the stars, as well as horror movie experts including Fangoria Magazine's editor and EXORCIST Linda Blair.
Industry Reviews
"...[Cleverly] riffs on the Blair Witch juggernaut....[Slips in] visual homages to everything from THE OMEN to THE NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD..."
New York Times - p.E15 - Stephen Holden (10/27/2000)
"...Very clever....[The] rippling hallucinatory tricks leave you with little idea as to what will spring from the screen next..."
Total Film - p.86-7 - Simon Crook (12/01/2000)
"...There are interesting ideas throughout....There's a lot of classy talent behind the follow-up..."
Sight and Sound - p.42 - Kim Newman (12/01/2000)
"...Berlinger gives the woods of Burkittsville, Maryland a burnished glow that evokes both beauty and terror..."
Rolling Stone - p.137 - Peter Travers (11/09/2000)
"...Its writing contains subtlety and wit....A nifty essay on mass hysteria..."
Hollywood Reporter - p.5-36 - Kirk Honeycutt (10/25/2000)
Quotations
"Perception is reality." Tristan (Tristan Skylar) to Stephen (Stephen Barker Turner).
"Get out of the woods and go home. There is no goddman Blair Witch." Sheriff Craven (Lanny Flaherty) to tourists.
"You don't understand. Something happened in the woods. Something evil." Kim (Kim Director) to police officer.
"People think because I dress in black I'm some murderer or something." Kim (Kim Director) to Erica (Erica Leerhsen).
"Violent art has inspired real life violence." Newscaster.
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