The Blair Witch Project (1999)

Director: Daniel Myrick & Eduardo Sánchez

In October of 1994 three student filmmakers disappeared in the woods near Burkittsville, Maryland, while shooting a documentary...A year later their footage was found

Writer: Daniel Myrick & Eduardo Sánchez

Starring: Heather Donahue, Joshua Leonard, Michael C. Williams

I watched this movie at one cousin’s sleepover when I was about 12 or 13. It was dark, she had surround sound in her detatched house and it was as scary as fuck then. Now I know that is isn’t actually real footage and the people are really actors, it’s less scary and I can laugh through the film rather than hide in my sleeping bag. Being 10 years older also helps somewhat. The film is very effective. Even it’s tagline suggests it’s real footage of real students who went missing; “In October of 1994 three student filmmakers…blah blah blah. Once you take this away and you find out it was all faked, it’s just not that scary. It follows the mock-u-mentry genre of filmmaking but takes it a step further by blending it with the horror genre. The film industry thrives on these sorts of blending since it surprises the audience and creates more avenues for future films. Character wise, I really really really really wanted the witch to eat/kill/toture/silence Heather Donahue. She just complains which, whilst being a very natural thing to do normally, is just annoying for someone raised on American Hollywood gloss. The Blair Witch Project has more of an British low-budget style to it and encapulates student filmmaking styles.  Overall, scary the first time, amusing the second.

BEST QUOTE:

Michael: No redneck is this creative.

6/10

~ by ejmarquez on October 11, 2009.