Blair Witch, the highly anticipated sequel to 1999's The Blair Witch Project (the first sequel, Book of Shadows: Blair Witch 2, released to not so good reviews in 2000, doesn't count), is hitting theaters faster than you can say "Don't go into those woods!" The film, set 20 years after the original, follows James (James Allen McCune) Donahue, the now grown-up little brother of Heather Donahue, the protagonist of The Blair Witch Project who disappeared in the Black Hills Forest while filming a documentary on the legend of the Blair Witch. Desperate to find out what happened to his sister, James leads a new group of friends into the Black Hills Forest. Fans of the original can probably guess the ending of Blair Witch , but in case you've never seen The Blair Witch Project and you want to be spoiled, here's how Blair Witch ends.
Similar to the ending of The Blair Witch Project, Blair Witch ends with James and his friends — Lisa, Ashley, Peter, Lane, and Talia — being picked off one by one by the Blair Witch, who uses James' friends and his fear to lure him into her house in the middle of the woods. James is convinced that his sister could still be alive in that house — the same house Heather entered in the final act of The Blair Witch Project. Of course, James does not find Heather. Instead, he finds the house playing terrifying tricks on him and his last surviving friend Lisa. Eventually, they end up trapped, facing the corner, desperately trying to avoid looking the Blair Witch in the eyes, an act which would supposedly lead to their death.
It shouldn't surprise you to read that (major spoiler alert) none of our young adventurers survive their weekend in the woods. First Peter, James' childhood friend and a nonbeliever in the Blair Witch legend, is lost out in the woods on their second night out and taken down by a tree, supposedly broken to fall by the Blair Witch. Talia, a local who joined the group with her boyfriend Lane, is next, followed by Ashley, Peter's girlfriend, who is wounded by the Blair Witch and left to die alone in the woods, trying desperately to escape despite a massive infection. Finally, Lisa and James, who ran off into the woods together when the Witch first attacked and killed Talia, found themselves at the house. In the house, Lisa encountered Lane, who appeared to have aged rapidly despite it only being a few days — now with long hair and a beard, he's rambling incoherently about following orders. Lane goes after Lisa, trapping her in the house for the Witch and later attacking her when she attempts an escape, prompting her to kill him in self defense.
After Lane's death, Lisa and James reunite for a few, terrifying minutes, before taking refuge by facing the corner of a room in the attic. James turns first to face the Witch. Lisa follows, and the camera cuts to black. Like The Blair Witch Project, Blair Witch is found footage, and these last few minutes of the film are, supposedly, the last evidence of James and Lisa being alive.
Fans hoping for a sequel will be thrilled to find out that Peter, Lisa, and James all supposedly die off screen, meaning that, for all we know, they could be alive somewhere in the woods if the opportunity for a follow up movie presented itself.
Images: Lionsgate; Giphy
