The season is upon us. As the leaves fall off their trees, the weather whooshes in a welcomed cold breeze, the accustomed costumes come out of their storage, and the pumpkins, along with the scented candles, beers, lattes and what-have-you, make their way into the public’s affection, it swiftly becomes none other than the season of the witch. And what a glorious time of the year that can be — particularly for us horror fans.

Continue reading 20 Of The Best, Most Spellbinding Witch Movies at The Playlist.

Horror movie fans don’t have it easy and their love of horror franchises can be like being stuck in an abusive relationship. The first installment of any horror movie, the ones crystallized into the canon as classic anyhow, is often like a wonderful honeymoon where everything is new and rosy. But as the marriage goes on and the bloom falls of the rose, horror movies can yield some seriously painful diminishing returns that can mar a franchise.

Continue reading The Essentials: The Best Horror Movie Franchises Ranked at The Playlist.

Adjust Your Tracking is back to talk about cult movies and the often tepid results from attempting to catch lightning in a bottle again. While the box-office and critical reception for “Blair Witch” was underwhelming, to say the least, we still find other aspects around the film and the franchise to dig into. All of which nicely ties into the latest edition of our special segment HOLD UP: “Donnie Darko.”

READ MORE: ‘Blair Witch’ Can’t Capture The Mystique Of The Original

My co-host Joe von Appen and myself have often championed the work of director Adam Wingard and screenwriter/producer Simon Barrett (we’re big fans of “The Guest” and “You’re Next“).

Continue reading Podcast: Adjust Your Tracking Talks Cult Franchises, ‘Blair Witch’ & Looks Back At ‘Donnie Darko’ & ‘Southland Tales’ at The Playlist.

Director Adam Wingard isn’t someone that likes to rest easy, directing 6 movies in the last 7 years, prime among them the cult genre hits “The Guest” and “You’re Next.” His latest, a sequel to 1999’s “The Blair Witch Project” entitled “Blair Witch,” had its debut a week ago at the Toronto International Film Festival and opened in cinemas this past weekend.

Continue reading Adam Wingard Talks Taking Audiences On “Rollercoaster Ride” With ‘Blair Witch’ & More at The Playlist.

This weekend, “Blair Witch,” a sequel to “The Blair Witch Project” and an attempt to reboot the franchise, arrived in cinemas and flopped. Hard. Earning $9.6 million, it was nearly double the budget of the $5 million movie, but it was the worst opening in the series history, and it also took a beating from critics and audiences (who tagged it with an abysmal D+ Cinemascore). And the occasion led to filmmaker Joe Berlinger, who helmed “Book Of Shadows: Blair Witch 2” over fifteen years ago to equally disastrous results, to hit Twitter with what some could perceive as a #hottake:

READ MORE: ‘Blair Witch’ Can’t Capture The Mystique Of The Original [Review]

.

Continue reading Joe Berlinger Dispels Myth That ‘Book Of Shadows: Blair Witch 2’ Was A Failure at The Playlist.

This summer, audiences didn’t always come running when Hollywood served up sequels and movies built on brands, and that trend continues into the fall. This weekend saw two franchises return to cinemas after years-long absences, but time didn’t make the heart grow any fonder as moviegoers instead kept the tale of an American hero at the top of the box office.

Clint Eastwood‘s “Sully” took the top spot for the second straight weekend, with the Tom Hanks-starring picture only seeing a 37% drop from week one, and hauling in $22 million.

Continue reading ‘Sully’ Flies Over ‘Blair Witch,’ ‘Bridget Jones’s Baby,’ & ‘Snowden’ To Win Second Straight Weekend [Box Office] at The Playlist.

I carry mixed feelings towards 1999’s “The Blair Witch Project.”

Much like 2009’s “Paranormal Activity,” I respect the craft, ingenuity, and low-budget dedication found throughout the $60,000 production. I like how it sparked viral marketing as we know it today, and I also ultimately appreciate its longstanding contribution to not merely the horror genre, but film in general, and I recognize and often admire the commitment given by directors Eduardo Sanchez and Daniel Myrick, as well as actors Heather Donahue, Joshua Leonard and Michael C.

Continue reading ‘Blair Witch’ Can’t Capture The Mystique Of The Original [Review] at The Playlist.

A new “Blair Witch Project” movie is out on Friday. Two months ago, we didn’t even know there was a new “Blair Witch Project” movie — instead, we thought that “You’re Next” and “The Guest” director Adam Wingard had made a found-footage horror film called “The Woods.” But it was this summer when Lionsgate actually revealed at Comic-Con the movie was “Blair Witch,” a sequel/reboot to the original 1999 pic, and one that reportedly does far more justice to it than 2000’s ‘Book Of Shadows‘ did (look for our review tomorrow).

Continue reading The 15 Best Found Footage Horror Movies Ever at The Playlist.

While this past summer at the movies has been rough by most accounts (though August had a slight surge of quality films), we now find ourselves at that near-180-degree switch that amounts to the fall festival season. With reviews already coming from our writer on the ground at the Venice Film Festival, and the Telluride Film Festival and the Toronto International Film Festival right around the corner, it’s an exciting time to visit The Playlist.

Continue reading 13 Films To See In September at The Playlist.

At this summer’s San Diego Comic Con, the secret behind Adam Wingard‘s previously titled “The Woods” was let out of the bag —it will actually be a sequel to the found footage, contemporary horror classic “The Blair Witch Project.” It was definitely a big surprise for horror fans, and while I wonder how much cooler it would’ve been had audiences learned that reveal in cinemas, it’s a minor miracle that Lionsgate was able to keep the true nature of the movie secret for so long —and promoting it initially under that different title— before revealing it as the successor to “Blair Witch.” And it required ensuring everyone involved stayed mum, which couldn’t have been easy.

Continue reading Return To The Woods In New Trailer For Adam Wingard’s ‘Blair Witch’ at The Playlist.

Let’s face it, 2016 has so far been sort of a crappy year for movies. It’s been a particularly bad summer blockbuster season, with almost everything coming up short. But even the indie world has been quieter than usual, with some dizzying highs — “The Witch,” “Embrace Of The Serpent,” “Green Room,” and “The Lobster” are among featured on our list of the best of the year so far — but some disappointments too.

Continue reading The 50 Most Anticipated Films Of The Fall Season at The Playlist.

When the first trailer for Adam Wingard‘s “The Woods“ dropped this year, some were unimpressed by what looked like another run of the mill horror flick set in the forest. Did we really need one of those? Well, last night at San Diego Comic Con, a screening of the film revealed it to be a sequel to “The Blair Witch Project.” But the question still is: do we really need one of those?

Continue reading ‘Blair Witch’ Is Back In Surprise Trailer For Adam Wingard’s New Horror Film at The Playlist.