The Good: You must know that "Book of Shadows" got burned at the stake by the critics. They couldn' t seem to say enough bad things about it. Well, I think they' re full of sticks and stones. "Shadows" may not be an all-time classic, but it' s a good, solid, and sometimes very creepy horror film.

The direction (by Joe Berlinger, who directed HBO' s infinitely horrifying documentary "Paradise Lost") is stylish and spooky. Of course, it' s not in the same faux documentary style as BW1, but it' s good stuff just the same. The characters are fun and interesting: the enterprising, self-serving tour guide, the coolly amused goth girl, the smug, sexy little Wiccan (you know SHE' S gonna get it), the happy couple with secrets. But don' t get me wrong this is no "pick off the teenagers" movie. The plot is twisted, filled with darkly humorous references to the first movie, but not leaning on it like a crutch. BW2 could stand on its own as a horror film. But of course, if you' ve seen the first flick, it just adds more depth to the experience.

The Bad: "The Blair Witch Project" was unique. Nothing they could have followed it up with could have met expectations. Don' t expect the same level of originality from BW2. It' s also not as flat-out scary.

Bottom Line: Not as unique as BW1, but still plenty of good, scary fun. If you' re a BW fan, you won' t want to miss it. Even if you' re just a horror fan, it' s worth the rental.

Rating: Two and a half highballs