The Dark Room

The Blair Witch Files #2

by Cade Merrill, Megan Stine

A teenage girl's photographs open an unknown chapter in the life of child-killer Rustin Parr. But do they also release a new murderer who is following in Parr's bloody footsteps?

Genres: Horror, Paranormal, Young Adult, Media Tie In

176 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2001

Reviews

[Brian R. · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have to be completely honest. There is so much wrong with this book. Not only can you tell that the writer is most likely a middle-age person ( for example, there’s a scene where a young teenager describe someone’s eyes as “as blue as robin eggs.” Lol) if not older, it is also filled with grammatical and editing errors. Also the entire story is spoonfed and is completely predictable. However, as a fan of cheesy 90s YA horror, I can definitely say this was a fun and quick read. Highly recommend for fans of the original film.

[Rish · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5⭐️/5⭐️

Not bad but I feel like including the little bit of romance is pointless. It's YA so I kind of expect it because it seems like a lot of YA will force romance even when it's not necessary; but the romance in this (and the first book as well) is just pretty shallow and makes the characters + some of their actions seem dumber, if that makes sense. Otherwise, the supernatural + mystery aspects are decent! This series so far is just interesting little reads if you enjoyed the Blair Witch movies and lore.

[Zoe Blinko · Rating 4 out of 5]

Terrified me even more than the first in this series of Blair Witch case files. It seems like I will always have some irrational fear of the Blair Witch, as much as I like the film and this book series. I highly anticipate reading the next in the series!

[Megan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Recently I found myself back in the hype the Blair Witch caused 25 years ago, remembering there was a whole book series that came out (I only had the first one and have since lost it). It felt like a fevor dream, especially since you can't find any of them unless you're trying to pay $50+ for one.

Anyways, I digress. This was a quick and spooky tale about the Blair Witch and Rustin Parr, who are still stirring up trouble in the Black Hills Forest (long after both of their deaths). This brought me back to high school with the characters using a 35mm camera and going to the school to develop the film and make photographs. What a time to be alive! Do they still have dark rooms? Again, I digress.

I'd love to read the others in the series, but like I said, they're so rare now! I guess most of them ended up in a landfill somewhere. Shame.

[SpookyxSpice · Rating 1 out of 5]

I procrastinated reading this so hard. You can tell the author is different to the first book (that one was very dark and Cade didn't get personally involved).

The issue I had was the changing tenses, if you're piecing a story or POV together from someone's journal, you could have input mixed media entries or spoke in what you had found. But the author gets confused and mixes it up so it's as if Cade is both himself, reading Laura's journal and then Laura herself. It's confusing.

I also find it very hard to go along with a teenager having "a friend at the FBI" to contact whenever for information. That pulled me out of the story completely and made me agree with other reviews that said the author forgets that the main character they're writing for is supposed to be a teenager.

Oh well, it got me 10 points for OSA anyway.

[Martyn Perry · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another file closed and it’s another case of an are they or aren’t they possessed love interest which has very similar themes to the first book.

The Blair Witch lore has so much to mine for good storytelling that it’s still a fun enough little YA horror novel, it’s just a shame that it was more original considering the first covered lots of these same tropes.

Recommended?: a fun quick horror read. What it lacks in quality it more than makes up for my enriching the Blair Witch mythology and having a few creepy moments. The dark room itself revealing images that weren’t there when the camera clicked was a neat little concept.

[Black Tea Lady ☕️📚 · Rating 3 out of 5]

Oh si! The Blair Witch Project files surgieron dos años después de la primera película y no fueron un gran éxito ya que muchos casos le daban un giro diferente de la historia original de los tres estudiantes desaparecidos en Black Hills Forest. De todos modos, éste libro lo encontré desempolvando mi librero y le dí una segunda leída 15 años después, solo por los buenos tiempos allá en los 90´s.

[Ash Raymond James · Rating 5 out of 5]

Probably my favourite of the series

[Michael Dalgarno · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another YA novel into the lore of the Blair witch

[Sara Evraets · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed this so much. Suspenseful and I can’t wait to read the next one !

[Kevin Hicks · Rating 1 out of 5]

awful, but quick, read.

[☆Angel☆ · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Dark Room is about a young photographer, Laura, who was born in Burkittsville but her parents moved her away at a young age. She feels drawn back there and she seeks the help of Cade Merrill to take her out into the Black Hills forest to photograph the ruins of Rustin Parr's house. But when she goes there the first time with Cade, she sees more than ruins...she sees the house as it was before it had burned down. She feels a strong connection and as the story goes on, you find out why. It's an intriguing, quick read and I would definitely recommend it to any Blair Witch fan!

[Jessie Radford · Rating 4 out of 5]

This story reminds me of what teen ghost stories are suppose to be it's short but to the point. While I must say the story line is sort of expected and maybe even clichéd, the way it is presented can't help but give you a shiver regardless of age. I made the mistake of reading it at night and spent the next few hours looking over my shoulder. So over all it did it's job, but if you've immersed yourself so thoroughly into the paranormal or horror genre you might find this a little played out. But I'll leave that for you to decided.

[Amber]

Guilty pleasure reading.

[Lovelei · Rating 5 out of 5]

loved every moment and such a true story




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