Blumhouse’s New Blair Witch Movie Can Break A 25-Year Franchise Curse

Summary

• The Blair Witch Project was a critical and commercial success, having grossed almost $250 million.
• The sequels to The Blair Witch Project received poor critical reception and box office results.
• Blumhouse Productions is working on a new Blair Witch movie tat will hopefully break the franchise’s disappointing trend.

A new Blair Witch movie is in the works, eight years following the release of the last one, and the upcoming film has the ability to (finally) break one of the franchise’s most frustrating curses. The horror film series dates back to 1999 when the first installment — The Blair Witch Project — premiered and changed the course of cinema. The movie’s usage of found footage is iconic and inspired a plethora of other projects, including Paranormal Activity, Cloverfield, Project X, and many more. Plus, the horror movie was so scary that many left their theater early, cementing its legacy.

The Blair Witch Project grossed almost $250 million against an estimated $200,000–750,000 budget, setting the record for the highest-grossing found footage movie. It revolved around three student filmmakers setting out in the Black Hills in Maryland to make a movie about the Blair Witch, a local myth. However, things go awry, and by The Blair Witch Project‘s ending, no one is sure what is real and what is fake, which is what drew so many to the theaters to see it. Due to its success, two sequels were released, but neither was as good as the original story.

Blumhouse’s New Blair Witch Movie Must Break The Franchise’s Disappointing Trend

The Blair Witch Sequels Received Poor Rotten Tomatoes Scores

While The Blair Witch Project grossed almost $250 million and received positive reviews (with an 86 percent Tomatometer score on Rotten Tomatoes), its sequels were not nearly as triumphant. The horror franchise’s second installment — Book of Shadows: Blair Witch 2 — got negative reviews from critics (it has a 14 percent Tomatometer score on Rotten Tomatoes) and made $47.7 million at the box office. Meanwhile, the third film — Blair Witch — was released in 2016 and was slightly better than its predecessor. But Blair Witch still received a 38 percent Tomatometer score on Rotten Tomatoes and only grossed $45.2 million.

The second and third movies essentially did a poor job of rehashing
The Blair Witch Project
, making them predictable and forgettable.

The Blair Witch film series evidently has a curse of bad sequels that hasn’t been broken for 25 years. Nothing has lived up to the legacy of the 1999 supernatural horror movie, but that has not deterred people from trying. Blumhouse Productions will be the next production company to take a crack at developing a good follow-up to The Blair Witch Project and ending the franchise’s frustrating trend. However, only time will tell if Blumhouse Productions is successful, or if the next Blair Witch project will just be another disappointing sequel.

What To Expect From Blumhouse’s Blair Witch Movie

Blumhouse Announced The New Film At CinemaCon

Blumhouse Productions’ new Blair Witch movie was confirmed by Lionsgate film chair Adam Fogelson and Blumhouse founder and CEO Jason Blum during Lionsgate’s presentation at CinemaCon in Las Vegas, Nevada, on April 10, 2024. Unfortunately, not many details surrounding the upcoming film were revealed, as it appears as though Blumhouse Productions is keeping information close to the chest. However, during the presentation, the project was described as a “new vision” of the Blair Witch franchise, which could be interpreted in many ways. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Fogelson’s exact quote was:

“We are thrilled to kick this partnership off with a new vision for
Blair Witch
that will reintroduce this horror classic for a new generation.”

It is unclear whether Fogelson’s quote indicates that the upcoming Blair Witch project will be a reboot of the franchise or a sequel to Blair Witch and the other previous installments in the series. Nevertheless, another story in this universe is exciting, especially if it is done right and is worthy of following in The Blair Witch Project‘s footsteps. Fans have been waiting 25 years for a sequel that is comparable to the 1999 supernatural horror movie, and hopefully, Blumhouse Productions can deliver one. Unfortunately, a release date, cast, or any plot details are unknown as of the writing of this article.

Blumhouse Productions produced the 2007 supernatural found footage horror film
Paranormal Activity
.

Why None Of The Blair Witch Sequels Have Been As Good As The Original

Nothing Has Lived Up To The 1999 Film

Many factors can explain why Book of Shadows: Blair Witch 2 and Blair Witch were unsuccessful and not as good as The Blair Witch Project. For starters, both sequels have been accused of copying and pasting what worked in the original film, but this tactic epically failed as audiences saw right through it. The second and third movies essentially did a poor job of rehashing The Blair Witch Project, making them predictable and forgettable. Plus, The Blair Witch Project was able to trick audiences into thinking it was a true story, but viewers knew better the second and third times around.

All three movies in the
Blair Witch
franchise —
The Blair Witch Project
,
Book of Shadows: Blair Witch 2
, and
Blair Witch
— are available to stream on Amazon Prime Video.

Critics commended the 2016 film for being a step up from Book of Shadows: Blair Witch 2 by incorporating twists and a handful of exciting scares. However, Blair Witch was still not nearly as memorable or iconic as the first installment in the franchise and many questioned whether it was necessary or not. Overall, nothing has beaten the original, but Blumhouse’s upcoming Blair Witch movie has the potential to be the film series’ curse.

Source: Rotten Tomatoes, The Hollywood Reporter