(Joshua Gilmore-Staff Writer)
It’s time to return to Burkittsville, but first we have to take a detour through the woods and take a look at one of the biggest cinema surprises in a very long time. As this year’s San Diego Comic Con becomes a memory, one of the event’s more shocking moments came from an unlikely source.
That was the teaser trailer for a movie known as “The Woods” and this movie could easily have been swept under the rug, but there were a few things that quickly stood out. First, the soundtrack and the tone that was set. “Every Breath You Take” is an iconic song, it’s a song that can have dozens of meaning and that depends on the listener. Also, the meaning could be taken to a different level by the performer and this interpretation was brought to a fitting level in the world of horror cinema.
The next aspect of this teaser trailer would lead the most wayward horror fan to see that there was going to be more to “The Woods” then just another camping trip and I’m talking about the critics comments, as the trailer begin you are quickly met with the glowing praise of this movie. The praise all says the same thing and it’s the start of something huge in the genre.
Now, this brings us to the 2016 San Diego Comic Con and a special screening of “The Woods.” The reality of the screening was revealed before the projector even warmed up, leaving the select members of the media and a few lucky Comic Con attendees pleasantly surprised. As the screening’s guests waited to enter the theater, crew members took down the promotional posters and banners for “The Woods” to replace them with the real title of the movie.
The long rumored return of the Blair Witch was a reality and it was kept off the radar of the normally spoiler fueled Hollywood. This movie was written by Simon Barrett and directed by Adam Wingard, both having blood on their hands from the V/H/S film series and modern horror classic “You’re Next”.
“Blair Witch” follows a group of college kids into the woods, as James wants to know what happened to his sister 20 years earlier and the group quickly realize the reality of this legend. As the screening proceeded and word spread, the internet was hit with a new trailer for this cult classic’s sequel.
As a fan of the original, I am excited to see the Blair Witch return and this new movie seems to stay faithful to the classic. The concept of found footage movies have become such a common place in cinema, that the scare factor has been erased and this movie looks to change that.
The critical praise seems to be legit and everyone should be ready to jump in their seats, when “BLAIR WITCH” comes to theaters September 16th