‘Blair Witch’ Warns Evil Is Still Hiding In The Woods [Video]

Now that the secret is out and everyone knows that Adam Wingard is, in fact, giving us the Blair Witch Project sequel we’ve all been waiting for, the film’s September release date can’t get here fast enough. For fans of The Blair Witch Project franchise, there can be no greater event for 2016, and while the wait for the full film may seem unbearable, Wingard and Lionsgate have given fans one more taste to keep audiences satisfied until that terrifying theatrical premiere, or perhaps they’re just taunting us with this chilling glimpse into the world of the Blair Witch.

A New Blair Witch Trailer Reveals That The Woods Are As Creepy As Ever

It has been said that younger generations can never know the terror of watching 1999’s The Blair Witch Project on the big screen and believing it to be a true story, but, as Entertainment Weekly reveals in sharing the latest trailer, this year’s Blair Witch may come very close to duplicating that feeling. Even before the world heard the name Blair Witch, A.K.A. Elly Kedward, wandering around in the woods at dusk or later was one of the most unnerving experiences of life and the new sequel goes a long way in contributing to that anxiety of being lost in an uncharted forest.

Blair Witch is a direct sequel to The Blair Witch Project in that it follows another group of college students, led by Heather’s brother (James Allen McCune), as they explore the Burkittsville woods in the hopes of finding out what happened to the previous filmmakers. Before long, this new group regrets taking on the investigation, as they become marked and hunted by the Blair Witch.

Simon Barrett, who wrote the screenplay, says the idea to make this sequel sprouted from a deep appreciation and love for The Blair Witch Project.

“We were just such fans of the original film and its mythology,” Barrett says. “It was like, ‘We can’t let anyone else do this.’ We were refusing to let another filmmaker mess with it, because it was something that we really loved.”

Eduardo Sanchez Says Blair Witch “Blows The Doors Off” The Original

Often, when Hollywood reboots an iconic film franchise, devoted fans want to know what the original filmmakers think of the new version, as if their approval or disapproval will somehow affect the pleasure derived from viewing the recreation. In the case of Blair Witch, Hit Fix reveals that fans have their wish, because Eduardo Sanchez recently shared his views on the new sequel. Surprisingly, Sánchez, who co-directed and co-wrote The Blair Witch Project with Daniel Myrick, feels that the new film “blows the doors off” of the original film.

“It just turns it up to 11,” Sanchez told hosts Boss Butcher and Michael Steinberg on the Found Footage Files podcast. “It’s just full-blast Blair Witch. It’s really creepy and the last third is just crazy. It’s just all over the place. It just does not let you go, you know? I’m really happy to have been a part of it… it kind of progresses the found footage genre a little bit which I think is really cool.”

Eduardo continued, telling listeners of the podcast that they would have the best experience by going into Blair Witch with an open mind and little preconceived ideas about what is to be expected. Even so, he adds that fans of the original The Blair Witch Project will really enjoy it, suggesting that this sequel is grounded in the lore of the first film.

“…it’s almost like you’ve been, like kind of a deja vu, but then it turns into just a — like I said, it kinda takes our film and blows the doors off and goes nuts with it, in a really really good way.”

Blair Witch, starring Corbin Reid, Wes Robinson, and Valorie Curry, opens in theaters on September 16.

[Image via Lionsgate]