If you were too young to see The Blair Witch Project when it was first released in theaters in 1999, now's your time. Blair Witch , the super secret, surprise sequel to the 1999 horror classic is coming to theaters on Sept. 16, and, while it isn't the first Blair Witch Project-inspired tale, it is largely considered that film's one true sequel. Blair Witch, previously billed by Lionsgate as The Woods, emerged in July with a terrifying trailer, shocking Blair Witch Project fans. But the promising trailer also gave fans hope that another Blair Witch movie will come after this one.
Blair Witch was made with utmost secrecy — Lionsgate's Jason Constantine described it to Entertainment Weekly as "CIA-level security" — so it shouldn't come as a surprise to find out that plans for future Blair Witch movies remain pretty tightly under wraps. Still, in a time full of horror franchises — The Purge, The Conjuring, etc. — it would be foolish not to assume that Lionsgate is hoping to reboot a franchise, future installments included. This was confirmed by the series' new creative team, writer Simon Barrett and director Adam Wingard, both of whom did not work on the original film. "We know where we would take it if there is a sequel," Wingard told Entertainment Weekly in July. In that same interview, Barrett added that, for now, the pair is focusing on making Blair Witch a hit.
If Blair Witch does launch a new series of films, it's unlikely they will all have the same connection to the original film. Taking place years after the events of The Blair Witch Project, Blair Witch follows the adventures of James, a young man who goes into the Black Hills Woods searching for his sister, Heather, the star of the original film. Given the, uh, lack of survival of the original Blair Witch Project characters, it seems unlikely any of the new characters from Blair Witch will be able to cary a torch in another sequel. And, the old "looking for my family member" plot device can only be used so many times. Who knows what the next Blair Witch movie will be about.
No matter what direction future Blair Witch movies take, a few things are certain. Any film in this series will be terrifying, and it will be shot in the found footage style The Blair Witch Project perfected.
Images: Lionsgate
