Blair Witch 2: Recut

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Blair Witch 2: Recut
Faneditor Name:
Original Movie Title:
Genre:
Fanedit Type:
Original Release Date:
2000
Original Running Time:
90
Fanedit Release Date:
Fanedit Running Time:
80
Time Cut:
10
Available in HD?
Brief Synopsis:
Removed all the unnecessary gore imposed by the studio and placed some scenes in their intended order to restore director Joe Berlinger's original vision. Also took some liberties and removed a few scenes that looked kind of cheap in my opinion. Because of the changes I had to move a few scenes around and trim down some others.
Intention:
To restore director Joe Berlinger's original vision.
Special Thanks:
The man himself, director Joe Berlinger, who saw an early stage preview of my reworked intro and said it looked close to what he did in his cut, users ghostprints and BlackHillsHermit from the BlairWitch.net forum thread, who provided me more info about Jeff's past.
Release Information:
Digital
Cuts and Additions:
- Inserted some title cards during the opening interviews with more info about the Blair Witch phenomenon and some background information about character Jeff.
- Removed all scenes of Jeff in the mental institution.
- Removed all the gore that intercuts with the opening credits. Opening music changed to Frank Sinatra's "Witchcraft".
- Removed all the murder flashbacks that play thru the film.
- Removed Kim staring at the horrible CGI owl at the foundation.
- Removed Tristen's vision of the drowned little girl at the hospital (cheesy and not scary at all)
- Removed the white flash of the Coffin Rock bodies appearing in the footage and Stephen saying bored it "reminded him of Coffin Rock". Makes no sense since they never videotaped the murders there.
- Removed Stephen's vision of the little girl walking backwards on the bridge (same reason, cheesy and not scary). Instead he only hears the shriek and gets startled but when he looks again it's gone.
- Removed Erica clawing Stephen's stomach. Instead the hallucination ends after she asks him about his markings.
- Removed rednecks throwing rocks at the van because of that blaring rock music that completely kills the mood of the subsequent scene when Kim sees the kids walking on the road. Kept the kids but changed the soundtrack to Carter Burwell's score.
- Removed Kim finding the bloody nail file in the beer bag as it gives away what happened at the store.
- All the flashbacks of Jeff drooling that white liquid were replaced by other moments of him in the hospital. The drool looks tasteless and stupid in my opinion.
- Removed child Erica staring at Stephen hanging from the broken bridge saying "You know who it is" as it makes no sense.
- Removed the owl crashing the window as it's just out of the blue and adds nothing to the plot.
- All the interrogation scenes were moved to the end of the film.
- End credits music replaced by "10538 Overture" by Electric Light Orchestra. I like Poe's "Haunted" but hated all the blaring rock music that played afterwards during the shaky camera footage, and Poe's song wouldn't work in that footage, so I've chose a song that would fit the whole ending credits sequence.
Trailer


Intro Comparison

User reviews

5 reviews
Overall rating
 
8.9
Audio/Video Quality
 
8.8(5)
Audio Editing
 
8.6(5)
Visual Editing
 
9.0(5)
Narrative
 
9.0(5)
Enjoyment
 
9.2(5)
Overall rating
 
8.6
Audio/Video Quality
 
10.0
Audio Editing
 
9.0
Visual Editing
 
9.0
Narrative
 
7.0
Enjoyment
 
8.0
The theatrical cut of Book of Shadows: Blair Witch 2 is quite possibly one of the worst sequels and horror films I've ever seen. This edit that attempts to bring the film closer to Joe Berlinger's original vision, with a linear narrative and little of the studio-mandated gore, is stunning in how much better it is. Sure, the acting still isn't the strongest, but the ambiguous descent into madness story works so much better when it's put in linear order and really fits the tone Berlinger went for: starting off as a light-hearted, fun romp but getting darker and darker as it goes on and on. This also makes Berlinger's social commentary on the blurred line between what's real and what's not, as well as on fanaticism and obsession, much less confused and more focused. So, yeah, consider me pleasantly surprised. Also, the addition of ELO's 10538 Overture as the end credits song is a stroke of genius.

User Review

Do you recommend this edit?
Yes
Format Watched?
Digital
Report this review Comments (0) | Was this review helpful? 0 0
Overall rating
 
9.4
Audio/Video Quality
 
9.0
Audio Editing
 
8.0
Visual Editing
 
10.0
Narrative
 
10.0
Enjoyment
 
10.0
Oh man, was this a great edit! Re-cutting the film into the director's original vision payed off beautifully! This version of the film plays out more like a psychological thriller rather than a quick cash grab bastard of a sequel. The film is so much more intense and surprising in its's intended form, watching these people slowly fall apart and grow to distrust and resent each other keeps you guessing (that is if you don't already know what happens). The slow melting of their psyches makes the payoff at the end way more devastating and impactful. The only issue that I noticed (which may have just been an issue on my end) was that the video lags behind the audio by a fraction of a second around the 14 minute mark. Other than that, the edit was beautiful! Huge improvement over the original release!

User Review

Do you recommend this edit?
Yes
Format Watched?
Digital
D
1 reviews
Report this review Comments (1) | Was this review helpful? 1 0
Overall rating
 
8.6
Audio/Video Quality
 
8.0
Audio Editing
 
8.0
Visual Editing
 
8.0
Narrative
 
10.0
Enjoyment
 
9.0
Great edit! I love the original version - even with it's inherent problems - but this new edit will be my go-to version when I watch this movie in the future. I'd compare this to Spicediver's Exorcist III edit... With no new footage, a movie has been improved upon simply by intelligently re-editing to more closely match the original directors vision. Well done Agent Sam!

User Review

Do you recommend this edit?
Yes
Format Watched?
Digital
B
1 reviews
Report this review Comments (1) | Was this review helpful? 1 0
Overall rating
 
9.0
Audio/Video Quality
 
8.0
Audio Editing
 
9.0
Visual Editing
 
9.0
Narrative
 
9.0
Enjoyment
 
10.0
A/V Quality - Good but slight pixelization, especially in dark scenes.

Visual Editing - Seamless expect for one transition.

Audio Editing - Same as above. Loved the music choices bookending the film. Witchcraft by Sinatra cracked me the fuck up!

Narrative - What Sam has done is amazing. He's taken a disjointed, subpar film and made it great. By reordering the scenes chronologically, the story now unfolds as a mystery. And by removing the over-the-top and ridiculous, it's a more psychological and serious film.

Enjoyment - I loved it! This is the definitive cut!

Thanks Agent Sam Stanley! :]X

User Review

Do you recommend this edit?
Yes
Format Watched?
Digital
A
Top 500 Reviewer 20 reviews
Report this review Comments (1) | Was this review helpful? 0 0
Overall rating
 
9.0
Audio/Video Quality
 
9.0
Audio Editing
 
9.0
Visual Editing
 
9.0
Narrative
 
9.0
Enjoyment
 
9.0
Very nice. I just miss a few original seconds (Treacle), but it scared the h*** out of me (again). Good work.

User Review

Do you recommend this edit?
Yes
Format Watched?
Digital
Z
1 reviews
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