In 1999, The Blair Witch Project hit theaters, becoming one of the most successful films of all time. It was made on a miniscule budget, featured actors that no one had ever seen before, and several people were convinced that it was compiled from real footage. The movie was, after all, just a movie, but its sequel, Book of Shadows: Blair Witch 2, plays off the fact that some people do really believe in the Blair Witch. In the first couple of minutes, it looks at the hype that was The Blair Witch Project... And then becomes a piece of crap. Whoever at Artisan Entertainment didn't realize that The Blair Witch Project was a one time thing, that it couldn't possibly be pulled off again, that a sequel would be an utter flop, not to mention a stop movie, should be shot. It was so completely obvious that this movie would suck that there was no point for it to be made in the first place. Amazingly, Book of Shadows is even worse than what I predicted. The movie could have been good if three things had been changed. First, do not make Book of Shadows a sequel to The Blair Witch Project. Make it its own movie - it is possible - and avoid all the negative buzz of a cheesy sequel. Second, get a good script. This movie has one of the worst scripts ever created. I bet it was written a day after The Blair Witch Project premiere, on a cocktail napkin. Finally, get good actors. None of the people in this film are even remotely believable, unlike those three that were in the first movie. The characters need some work, too. We have an ex-mental patient who is obsessed with the Blair Witch, a gothic who wears white makeup and who has psychic abilities, and a good 'witch' who goes around complaining how all witches get bad raps. Yes, isn't this movie believable? It also doesn't help that Book of Shadows resembles soft porn. It doesn't have much nudity, but it still seems obsessed with sex, as the movie takes several minutes to watch the characters get drunk and high, and then, later on, a sex orgy is revealed. Erica Leerhsen spends half the movie running around naked for no reason whatsoever. None of the movie makes sense. It is confused, non-scary, and completely lame. The acting sucks, the script sucks, and the whole idea sucks; there is no reason why this movie should be made. If you liked The Blair Witch Project, it doesn't matter, because within the first couple of minutes you'll realize just how horrible Book of Shadows really is.

Review by Erik Samdahl unless otherwise indicated.