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Tell Others About This Page By Using This Button "BOOK OF SHADOWS: BLAIR WITCH 2" (2000) (Jeffrey Donovan, Kim Director) (R) Alcohol/ Drugs Blood/Gore Disrespectful/ Bad Attitude Frightening/ Tense Scenes Guns/ Weapons Heavy Extreme Extreme *Heavy Heavy Imitative Behavior Jump Scenes Music (Scary/Tense) Music (Inappropriate) Profanity Moderate Mild Extreme *Heavy Extreme Sex/ Nudity Smoking Tense Family Scenes Topics To Talk About Violence Heavy Moderate None Mild Extreme QUICK TAKE: Horror: Fascinated by the original faux documentary, "The Blair Witch Project," five people spend the night where that story supposedly took place and then try to recount the five hours they realize are now missing from their lives. PLOT: A year after the faux documentary film, "The Blair Witch Project," put its setting - Burkittsville, MD - on the map, hordes of fans and curiosity seekers regularly descend upon the town, hoping to grab a souvenir or memento and see the sights, despite the fact that the story was pure fiction and that the film wasn't even shot there. As such, various cottage industries have sprung up, including ones where local residents lead tourists on field trips to see the related sights and purported settings. Among them is Jeff (JEFFREY DONOVAN), a young man who was recently institutionalized in a mental hospital. Presumably cured, he's now leading a tour consisting of Stephen (STEPHEN TURNER) - who' s writing a book on the "Blair Witch" phenomenon - and his girlfriend, Tristen (TRISTEN SKYLAR), who isn't happy about her unwanted pregnancy. Joining them is Kim (KIM DIRECTOR), a young woman enamored with the Goth look and lifestyle, and Erica (ERICA LEERHSEN) a practicing Wiccan who wants the original Blair Witch to be her mentor. After a night of drinking, pot smoking and an encounter with another tour group, Jeff's group awakens to find their campsite and equipment wrecked and realizes that they can't remember what happened during five hours the previous night. Thus, they head back to Jeff's place inside a deserted factory where they watch their videotapes that rolled throughout the night. As they do - and as we see various flash-forwards to them being interrogated by Sheriff Cravens (LANNY FLAHERTY) for the murders of the members of that other tour group -- Jeff and his group try to figure out what really happened. WILL KIDS WANT TO SEE IT? If they're fans of the original "Blair Witch" film or horror films in general, they probably will. WHY THE MPAA RATED IT: R For violence, language, sexuality and drug use. CAST AS ROLE MODELS: Regarding the characters listed below, some of them engage in murderous behavior, but we're never sure if any of that's real or not. KIM DIRECTOR plays a young woman into the Goth look and scene, who smokes (cigarettes and pot), drinks and uses strong profanity. JEFFREY DONOVAN plays a local resident and former mental hospital patient who takes tours out to the Blair Witch setting. He also uses strong profanity and smokes pot. ERICA LEERHSEN plays a practicing witch who's into the whole Blair Witch scene and also uses strong profanity. STEPHEN TURNER plays a man writing a book about the Blair Witch phenomenon who reacts to everyone beginning to act strangely. He also uses strong profanity, drinks and smokes pot. TRISTEN SKYLAR plays his pregnant girlfriend who drinks, uses brief strong profanity, and doesn't want to keep baby (her accidental miscarriage takes care of that problem). LANNY FLAHERTY plays the crusty local sheriff who uses some profanity while interrogating various members of the group. CAST, CREW, & TECHNICAL INFO HOW OTHERS RATED THIS MOVIE Curious if this title is entertaining, any good, and/or has any artistic merit? Then read OUR TAKE of this film. (Note: The "Our Take" review of this title examines the film's artistic merits and does not take into account any of the possibly objectionable material listed below). OUR WORD TO PARENTS: Here's a brief summary of the content found in this R-rated horror film. Profanity is rated as extreme due to the use of at least 43 "f" words, while other expletives and colorful phrases are also present. Violence is also rated as extreme due to various instances of people murdering or injuring others (including a hanging and many views of people being stabbed or cut with knives), with the standard bloody results. Those responsible (and others) have varying degrees of bad attitudes. Those scenes and the overall supernatural aura might prove to be unsettling, suspenseful or scary to the youngest of viewers or those with low tolerance levels for such material (although older teens/fans of the horror genre probably won't). Some sexually related comments are made, while we see various brief instances (some of them fuzzy, at night and from a distance) of nudity (bare breasts and butts), making out and early stages of foreplay, and what looks like possible sex. We also learn that a girlfriend is pregnant, but she has a miscarriage (and didn't want to keep the baby anyway). Various characters drink, others smoke pot (on several occasions) and one smokes cigarettes. Finally, one of the women in the film is into the Goth look and lifestyle, while the other is a practicing witch. If you're still concerned about the film and its appropriateness for anyone in your home who wants to see it, we suggest that you take a closer look at our detailed content listings for more specific examples of what occurs in it. ALCOHOL OR DRUG USE Kim states that she needs some amphetamines, and Jeff replies that all he has is weed and that they're going to get beer (we then see them buying beer from the local market). Kim drinks a beer. The group members drink beer and whiskey straight from the bottle, and some of them smoke pot (Jeff from a pipe, the others sharing a joint). We see more footage of them doing that and note that Stephen looks rather stoned and/or drunk. Later, we see more drinking and Stephen asks Tristen how many she's had (she replies 5). We then see a montage of them drinking and smoking pot. Kim drinks a beer. She later states that she needs a drink and heads off into town to buy some beer. Kim drinks another beer. Stephen, Kim and Jeff share/smoke a joint. BLOOD/GORE We see Jeff foaming at the mouth during a scene from his time spent in a mental hospital. We see a needle being inserted into a person's arm. We see a brief flashback style image of a person's slightly bloody hand (this is seen several more times again in the film). We see a brief and disjointed flashback of a person holding a knife to someone's neck preparing to cut it (which we later see with bloody results) and then of someone knifing a person with lots of blood (as well as that of a bloody knife sticking out of a person's body). These are seen several more times during the film, with a latter one also showing an assailant covered in blood. We see other brief and disjointed flashbacks of a person being repeatedly struck on the face (with some bloody results). Tristen has a nightmare where she takes a wrapped up towel down into a body of water in the woods, submerges it and then all sorts of blood mixes in with the water and we then see a baby's limb. We see blood on Tristen's face and hand, and then see that her clothed crotch is also bloody (she's had a miscarriage). In what turns out to be a fantasy/hallucination, Erica scratches her nails across Stephen's chest and belly, leaving very bloody gashes (we later see another vision of that). Most of the characters show bloody scars/scratches on various parts of their bodies. We see some blood on the end of Kim's finger after she accidentally cut herself on a nail file (that's also a bit bloody). We see a brief vision of Kim with a bloody mouth holding a bloody owl she's just bitten into (all imagined). We see some black and white photos of murder victims whose bodies have been arranged in the shape of a pentagram. We see another one of a woman slumped over a counter with a pool of blood next to her head. We see black and white surveillance video footage of a woman killing another woman (the two of them are a bit of a distance from the camera) by stabbing her in the head or neck (and we see blood pouring out onto the counter next to her head). DISRESPECTFUL/BAD ATTITUDE Those who kill others obviously have extreme cases of both, although the motivation behind such acts (supernatural or not) isn't always clear. Various members of our group make fun of the locals and what they think is their backwoods ways. Some may not like Tristen's brief comments that she doesn't want to keep her pregnancy. It's suggested that Jeff has some "hot" goods in his place, but we never know if that's true or not. A clerk/manager is very rude to Kim in a convenience store as is an older woman who purposefully bangs her shopping cart into her. FRIGHTENING SCENES The young and those with low tolerance levels for such material may find much of what occurs as quite suspenseful and/or scary, while those who've seen other horror films (including the original "Blair Witch") probably won't find much, if any, of it that way. Scene listed under "Violence" and "Blood/Gore" may also be unsettling, suspenseful or scary to some viewers. Various flashbacks of violence (people being stabbed or cut with knives, etc.) may be unsettling, suspenseful or scary to some viewers. The group hears screaming off in the distance at night. Tristen briefly sees what looks like a young, dead girl standing by her bed in a hospital. At night, Stephen hears what sounds like kids crying/wailing and goes to investigate. He then sees a vision of the young dead girl (from above) standing on a bridge. Kim sees or imagines seeing a group of dead kids standing in the middle of a road at night (and then hears their cries off in the distance). Kim imagines seeing Jeff being electrocuted in his chair. A walkway bridge collapses and Stephen barely holds onto it. Jeff finds a woman (wearing just panties) standing in a closet, facing away from him. He slowly approaches and then turns her around, revealing her to be dead (her eyes have that dead look to them). A woman wraps a rope around her neck while up in a balcony/loft, acting as if she's going to hang herself. GUNS/WEAPONS Knives: Seen in flashbacks being used to stab people. Shotgun: Grabbed by Jeff to shoot at some menacing dogs, but when he returns, they're gone. IMITATIVE BEHAVIOR Phrases: "F*cked up," "What the f*ck (is going on/is this)?" "Those f*cking d*ckweeds," "You (paranoid) f*ck," "Oh f*ck," "F*cked her up" (nonsexual), "F*ck off," "You're all going to f*cking die," "That's f*cking bullsh*t," "Bullsh*t," "No sh*t," "You scared the sh*t out of me," "Don't give a sh*t," "Wipe that sh*t off your face," "You little sh*t," "Piss," "Karma's a bitch," "My ass," "What the hell is/was that (supposed to mean)?" "You little bitch," "Balls" (testicles), "Pissed (off)," "Freakin'," "A pain in this town's ass," "Chill out," "Shut up," "Chick" (woman), "Leave me the hell alone," "Get the hell out of here," "You're a d*ck," "Bastard," "What the hell are you talking about?" "You little twerp" and "Witch bitch." Kim is a Goth and thus dresses all in black with ghostly white facial makeup (accentuated with black elsewhere). Erica is a Wiccan (a witch), and thus thinks and behaves that way (she wears a pentagram necklace and seems to cast or try to cast spells, etc.). Kim gives "the finger" to a surveillance camera and then makes a devil face to it (fingers by her head like horns and flicking her tongue). Later, Tristen gives the finger to Stephen. JUMP SCENES The back window of a van suddenly breaks (the sound might startle some viewers). The sudden sound of an owl crashing through a window might also startle some viewers. MUSIC (SCARY/TENSE) An extreme amount of ominous, suspenseful and scary music plays during the film. MUSIC (INAPPROPRIATE) The few rock songs on the soundtrack had some lyrics that couldn't be understood, although it did sound like at least 1 use of the "f" word in one of them. PROFANITY At least 43 "f" words (1 used with "mother"), 28 "s" words, 3 slang terms using male genitals ("d*ck" and "pr*ck"), 17 hells, 5 asses (3 used with "hole"), 1 damn, 11 uses of "G-damn," 5 of "Jesus Christ," 3 of "Jesus," 2 each of "For Christ's sakes," "Oh God," "Oh Jesus," "Oh my God" and "Swear to Christ" and 1 use of "God" as exclamations. SEX/NUDITY Erica states that it doesn't make sense that the original three people (2 guys and 1 woman) from the first film didn't have sex when they were cooped up together in a tent (since she states that sex is the greatest stress reliever and that they had that right at their fingertips. Jeff then suggestively jokes that he's stressed (but nothing happens). We learn that Tristen is pregnant (she's Stephen's girlfriend and she later has a miscarriage). Stephen and Tristen make out. Someone makes a comment about being the answer to someone's "wet dreams." We see a fuzzy, small and jumpy video image of a naked woman dancing around a tree at night on Jeff's computer screen. Erica starts coming on to Stephen, starting with a back rub and then leading to her passionately kissing him on the neck and then the mouth. They start making out with her on top of him. He then picks her up and puts her down onto a table and we see/hear her scratching his back. She then undoes his shirt and starts working on his belt, but then scratches down his chest and belly with her nails, drawing a lot of blood (and we then see that it was only a fantasy/hallucination). We later see another vision of the end of that scene accompanied by what sounds like brief, female sexual sounds. We see a frozen video image of Erica on a video monitor that shows her bare breasts (she's topless). We see a brief video shot of a person's bare butt. Some townies taunt Kim because of the way she's dressed and one suggestively tells her that he's got something she can suck the blood out of. She then tells him to whip it out, but nothing else happens with that. We see Erica spinning around a tree wearing only bikini-style panties (we see her bare breasts). We then see her approaching the camera with her long hair hanging down onto her chest, mostly covering those bare breasts. Later, we see her in just that bikini bottom again. We see fuzzy video images of the various group members cavorting around at night. During this, we see the two women kissing; some of the women wearing just their bras (and the guys are shirtless); Erica topless once again and then sitting nude with something between her legs blocking our view of full frontal nudity; what looks like one of the men having sex with one of the women from behind her; and a man and woman running away from the camera, nude (we see their bare butts). An investigator asks a suspect if he killed a woman because she "wouldn't put out." We see surveillance video footage of Jeff's bare butt as he walks around. SMOKING (Beyond the pot smoking) Kim smokes more than 5 times and a doctor at a mental asylum smokes. TENSE FAMILY SCENES None. TOPICS TO TALK ABOUT People who become obsessed with stories that aren't real, but treat them like they are. Mental institutions/hospitals. Miscarriages. VIOLENCE We see a mental patient being hit with water from a fire hose. We see a brief and disjointed flashback of a person holding a knife to someone's neck preparing to cut it (which we later see with bloody results) and then of someone knifing a person with lots of blood (as well as that of a bloody knife sticking out of a person's body). These are seen several more times during the film. We see other brief and disjointed flashbacks of a person being repeatedly struck on the face (with some bloody results). These are seen several more times during the film. The group wakes up to find that all of their camera and video gear is broken and smashed. A woman purposefully runs her shopping cart into Kim's body. After a convenience store clerk/manager is rude to her, Kim briefly grabs her by the throat. Kim sees (or imagines seeing) that a rock was thrown through the back of Jeff's van that she's driving. She then crashes the van into a tree, but we see varying degrees of damage to the van, so we don't know which of them is real (if any). Kim imagines seeing Jeff being electrocuted in his chair. Kim pushes Jeff and he then pushes her back. From a news report, we learn that a small number of people were murdered. The group hears something crash through a window and then find a dead owl on the floor. We see a brief vision of Kim with a bloody mouth holding a bloody owl she's just bitten into (all imagined). Jeff finds a dead girl in his closet, but we don't know how she died. We see fuzzy video images of the various group members tearing up papers and trashing Jeff's video/photo gear. Tristen slaps Stephen. After wrapping a rope around her neck, a woman falls from a balcony/loft and hangs herself (breaking her neck and we then see her body dangling from the rope). We see some black and white photos of murder victims whose bodies have been arranged in the shape of a pentagram. We see another one of a woman slumped over a counter with a pool of blood next to her head. We see surveillance video footage of a woman killing another woman (the two of them are a bit of a distance from the camera) by stabbing her in the head or neck (and we see blood pouring out onto the counter next to her head). We then see the same of someone wrapping a rope around a woman's neck and then pushing her over the edge, killing her by hanging (breaking her neck). Reviewed October 13, 2000 / Posted October 27, 2000

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