The Blair Witch Project began the endless onslaught of found footage horror in 1999, and here's how it and its two sequels stack up, worst to best. The highly controversial 1980 Italian film Cannibal Holocaust was arguably the first found footage movie, albeit with parts not seen through that lens. That said, it definitely wasn't until The Blair Witch Project arrived to break down box office profit records that Hollywood as a whole, and most of the moviegoing population, really took notice of the format.
Just when it seemed like there might be an end to the found footage tide, Paranormal Activity hit in 2009, making similar profits to Blair Witch, and seemingly cementing the sub-genre as a permanent horror fixture. That's not to say that all found footage movies are bad, or that they don't have lots of fans. The main problem is that found footage, by its very nature, allows for horror movies to be made super cheaply, leading to filmmakers without any discernible talent contributing many torturously terrible entries into the mix.
Thankfully, The Blair Witch Project itself remains a great movie over two decades after its release, at least in the eyes of most. There will always be people who reject the found footage style as a rule, but as far as the format goes, Blair Witch sits near the top of the mountain. However, its sequels are a different story.
3. Book of Shadows: Blair Witch 2 (2000)
To call 2000's Book of Shadows: Blair Witch 2 a disappointing sequel would be a massive understatement. After the surprise success of The Blair Witch Project, Artisan Entertainment couldn't wait to capitalize, rushing out a follow-up. With celebrated documentary filmmaker Joe Berlinger directing, and future notables like Jeffrey Donovan and Erica Leershen in leading roles, Book of Shadows could've been a winner. Unfortunately, its pointlessly convoluted plot in which The Blair Witch Project is a fictional film in the world of the sequel proved to be highly uncompelling. Book of Shadows isn't unwatchable, but it's far from necessary viewing.
2. Blair Witch (2016)
When the film at that point titled The Woods was revealed at San Diego Comic-Con 2016 as being a secret Blair Witch Project sequel, the horror community went wild. Unfortunately, that stroke of marketing genius was much more thrilling than the actual film. To be sure, Blair Witch 2016 is much better than Book of Shadows, but it still feels like nothing more than a retread of the original with modern technology and time travel elements thrown in. There are some good scenes and creepy moments, but it just doesn't have much reason to exist, and the ending CGI monster - which may or may not be the witch herself - looks absolutely awful.
1. The Blair Witch Project (1999)
Serving as a testament to the fact that budget limitations are rarely a death knell for horror films, the original Blair Witch Project remains easily the best of the franchise, even though its two sequels had so many more resources to work with. While it's doubtful anyone still thinks the movie's events really happened, The Blair Witch Project is still probably the best example to date of realism in a found footage film, as it remains entirely possible to buy Heather, Josh, and Mike as three bickering college students going through the worst time of their lives. There's no CGI monstrosities here, only unexplained sounds, unsettling stick structures, and a disorienting filming style.