MovieChat Forums > Book of Shadows: Blair Witch 2 (2000) Discussion > Why it's called "Book of Shadows"

Why it's called "Book of Shadows"

posted 8 years ago by Wuchakk
7 replies | jump to latest

People endlessly complain that there's (supposedly) no Book of Shadows in the movie, but it’s simply not true. The main character Jeff is a movie enthusiast with ambitions of being a filmmaker and "Book of Shadows" is the name of one of the scripts he put together and intends to shoot. So it's not something totally out of nowhere that Artisan dubiously added to the title, as many people suggest. Yes, the studio added it, but it had relevance to the movie. Furthermore, the actual 'Book of Shadows’ is a Wiccan spell book and is figuratively used in the movie in that the group obviously falls under the spell of the Blair Witch after entering her diabolical terrain.

My 150 (or so) favorite movies:
http://www.imdb.com/list/ls070122364/

[–] DonJohn80 8 years ago

And this information comes from where?

IMDB trivia doesn't count. It's 50% B.S.

[–] Mr_Ectoplasma 8 years ago

I'm a fan and defender of this film, but if it "had relevance to the movie," they should have tried to make that more clear, because it is not once even intimated that Jeff wrote a movie script in the first place.

The "Book of Shadows" title works in the sense that it is referencing the book of spells in Wicca, which is a theme rampant in the film, but the suggestion that it was the title of a script Jeff had written is unsubstantiated.

[–] Wuchakk 8 years ago

I just saw the movie and there is a scene where one or two of the characters go through a file of scripts Jeff was working on at his curious home. Remember, he's an archetype of an entrepreneur. I admit that I don't remember if one of the scripts shown in the movie was called "Book of Shadows." But the person I got the info from insists that one of these scripts was called "Book of Shadows." If it's not shown in that particular scene maybe it's quickly shown in a different one. Also, it may have been shot, but cut. Otherwise the guy's simply wrong and so is that part of my original post.

But this doesn't negate the second part of my post: The actual 'Book of Shadows’ is a Wiccan spell book and is figuratively used in the movie in that the group obviously falls under the spell of the Blair Witch after entering her diabolical terrain.

My 175 (or so) Favorite Movies:
http://www.imdb.com/list/ls070122364/

[–] hereisme 8 years ago

While I don't recall the script being mentioned within the actual film, I remember this talked about in the mockumentary concerning the recent Coffin Rock murders.

https://vimeo.com/109251556 <- Shadow of the Blair Witch

And if you're interested in other Elly Kedward (Blair Witch) information, I recommend these two mockumentaries made during the release of the original film.

https://vimeo.com/114798394 <- Curse of the Blair Witch

https://vimeo.com/59334058 <- The Burkittsville 7

All three are great watches! Many of the interviews that didn't make it into the original movie are featured in Curse of the Blair Witch. Also, a few realistic fiction/cannon books were published and can be found on Amazon.

[–] IzzyInsane 8 years ago

Its just a title you guys swear.

[–] ModernDayWarrior (114) 5 years ago

You people are both right.. the Book of Shadoiws itself is the Wiccan book but it's also the name of Jeff's failed script. In the Sci Fi documentary it implies he left the mental ward and took up script writing and he wrote a script called Book of Shadows.. it's a reference to Jeff's loonacy.

[–] Wuchak (8833) 5 years ago

Thanks, Warrior.