【TIFF16】Moreisdefinitelynotbetter:BlairWitch

AsanoddlyrecentfanoftheoriginalBlairWitchProject(havingwatcheditabouttenyearslate,inmyhorrorfilmclassjustlastmonth),IwalkedintoBlairWitchwithmuchexcitement,andhighoptimismfoundedontheravereviewsfromhorrorfilmreviewsitessuchasBloodyDisgusting:quot;BlairWitchwon’taffectseasonedhorrorfans(asmuch),butrestassuredthatitwilldestroyeveryoneelse.Thisfilmwillhurtpeople.It’stheemotionalexperiencethattranscendstraditionalnarrativestorytellingandascendstoaplaceofNirvana.”Perhapsitispartlytodowiththiselevatedexpectation,butBlairWitchreallydidnotliveuptothehype.WhileAdamWingardkeptthingsmovingwithsomethingliterallyjumpingeverytenminutes(andemphasizedbyasoundtrackthatwasamixbetweentheMGMlionlogoonrepeatandsomeonedroppingabowlingballonthefloorabovealsoonrepeat)orso,andthereweremomentsofhilariousgenreself-reflexivity,BlairWitchultimatelywentnowherenew,andcertainlydoesnotstaywiththeaudience.Thestoryismuchthesameastheoriginal,exceptthistimeitisHeather’sbrother,James,whoisheadingintothewoods.Hebelieveshehasfoundevidencethathissisterisstillalive,inthewoods,andtakesthreefriends(Lisa,Ashley,andPeter)withhimtotrytofindher.Thetwolocalswhoweresupposetobetheirguidesalsoendsuptaggingalongforthetrip.Inthiscase,moreisnotbetter—retellingthe“lostinthewoods”storywithdoublethecast,andmuch,muchbetterfilmequipment(theyevenbringadronewiththem)meantamuchfullerscreenexperience(moreangles)andamuchfasterpace(morethingshappeningcrammedintothesamehourandahalfallotment)meansthattherhythmofthefilmbecomesrushedandutterlylackingintherestraintthatwasthebestpartabouttheoriginal.Andtheadditionofthenewcameraanglesandhighlyexaggeratedsoundtrackonlyexacerbatesthisflawfurther.Insteadofaslowbuild-up,thefilmramsintohighgearalmostassoonastheyenterthewoods,andthejumpscarescontinuerighttotheend,withalmostnovariation.Thereareafewgemsinthefilm,suchasthemetahumourinthescenewhereafteryetanotherpersonpopsontothescreenaccompaniedbyaninexplicablyloudsoundeffect,Lisaexasperatedlyexclaims:“Everyonestopdoingthat!”Therearealsosomefairlyinventivehorrormoments,suchastheeventssurroundingAshley’sfootwound,whichsimultaneouslyinvokesproperbodyhorrorandcamp,andtheclaustrophobicshotsofLisatryingtoescapethehouseviaaverytightundergroundtunnel.Butthesemomentsdonotmakeupfortheincessantandverycheapjumpscaresthatcomprisethebulkofthefilm.Thestoryisalmostanexactretellingoftheoriginal,butwithnoneoftheelegance.本文版权归作者やま所有，任何形式转载请联系作者。