Summary

• Since 2020's Host effectively reinvented the found footage genre and also received unanimous acclaim from critics, the new Blair Witch can learn a lot from its approach.
• Even if Blumhouse's Blair Witch Project does not entirely emulate Host's formula, it can at least adopt modern technology to resonate with contemporary audiences.
• Adopting new forms of technology for its found footage storytelling format might make the new Blair Witch even scarier.

To ensure its success, Blumhouse's new Blair Witch Project must tread the same path as another found footage horror film that has a 99% Rotten Tomatoes score. Although many horror remakes have emerged in recent times, it is hard not to be skeptical about Blumhouse's Blair Witch Project. The reason being that the original Blair Witch Project was primarily successful because it was a product of its time.

The people behind the original 1999 film were able to generate immense hype and intrigue surrounding the film by selling it as a documentary about real events. As this marketing strategy gained more momentum, more viewers got curious about the film and showed up to watch it in theaters. Adopting a similar marketing strategy is almost impossible in the present world, but the new Blair Witch can still perform well if it borrows some ideas from a highly acclaimed 4-year-old horror movie.

2020's Host Has The Perfect Storytelling Blueprint for The New Blair Witch Project

Host Effectively Reinvented Found Footage

2020's Host, which has an almost perfect Rotten Tomatoes critics score of 99%, adopts several familiar tropes and archetypes of the found footage sub-genre. However, at the same time, it also reinvents found footage and brings a fresh spin to it by unfolding through a Zoom call meeting throughout its runtime. Instead of going down the typical found footage route and using the shaky cam effect to enhance its realism, Host presents a relatable setting in which a group of friends meets over a Zoom call because the pandemic lockdowns prevent them from going out.

Even if Blumhouse's new Blair Witch does not entirely adopt Host's ideas, it can learn from it and explore the potential of modern video recording technology as a storytelling tool.

While Host is not bereft of typical jump scares, it cleverly introduces these by making good use of the negative spaces and blind spots on personal screens and also harps on the existing anxiety from the pandemic. Since Host's formula worked incredibly well, the new Blair Witch Project can take some pointers and borrow some of its ideas instead of attempting to emulate the original film. Even if Blumhouse's new Blair Witch does not entirely adopt Host's ideas, it can learn from it and explore the potential of modern video recording technology as a storytelling tool.

Adopting Host's Setting & Ideas Would Make The Blair Witch Scarier Than The Original

The Blair Witch's Central Threat Would Be Even Scarier

If, like Host, the new Blair Witch project unfolds over a video call and uses the internet as a narrative device, the overarching threat of the central witch would feel even more omnipresent. Like the characters from Host could not escape the tulpa they manifested through their virtual séance, the ones in the new Blair Witch will struggle to break free from the wrath of the witch that permeates the digital realm. This is only one of the many ways the new Blair Witch Project can redefine the found footage subgenre, honor the legacy of the original, and etch a unique identity for itself.