Review: The Blair Witch Project (1999)

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The Blair Witch Project

Rating

Director

Daniel Myric, Eduardo Sanchez

Screenplay

Daniel Myric, Eduardo Sanchez

Length

1h 21m

Starring

Heather Donahue, Joshua Leonard, Michael Williams

MPAA Rating

Review

One of the most difficult genres to do and do well is horror. For years slasher films have dominated the landscape and outside of the originals, “Friday the 13th” and “A Nightmare on Elm Street,” they haven’t been very good.

Then came “Scream” which redefined horror by spoofing it, but never really succeeded at capturing the true nature of horror by tapping into the human emotion of fear. Now we have a new brand of horror to admire. The horror we do not see. No underscore, no gore, just plain fear of the unknown.

Three film students decide to make a documentary about a legend called the Blair Witch. Their journey begins innocently enough. They interview several townsfolk at their destination about what they’ve heard on the subject. One mother, holding a child, explains what she knows while her child occasionally covers her mouth so that perhaps she can’t speak of the witch. The mother honestly believes it, but refuses to admit that it could be real to her child.

Another of their interviewees is a strange woman who bears the stereotypical witch look. They also speak with some fishermen on their way out to their shooting location. One fisherman thinks the legend is real while the other thinks it’s not.

They eventually start hiking to the forest to reach their first shoot and take several hours to get there. They film what they can and then set up camp for the night. They proceed from there on the second day, get even more footage and camp one more time. That night, they hear noises in the forest. They get out their equipment and capture what they can, but can’t figure out where it’s coming from.

The next day, it’s time for them to go home, but Heather (Heather Donahue) decides she wants to investigate a little further and ends up angering her cohorts when they come across a sanctuary of sticks bundled into human shapes dangling from various trees. Heather wants to capture as much as she can, but neither Josh (Joshua Leonard) nor Mike (Michael C. Williams) have any further interest in the subject. They’re ready to go and want to get out as soon as possible.

They finally talk Heather into going, but can’t seem to find their car. They camp one more night and are again awoken by things that go “screech” in the night. The next day they try again, but to no avail and when they try to check the map, they find it is missing.

Among the frightening things they find are piles of rocks similar to ones they had found earlier in a somewhat ritualistic area. They only fear the worst, which heightens their paranoia. By the time the film reaches its disturbing climax, we are no more certain of what’s making all the noise or causing all the problems than the characters themselves are.

Filmed in both black-and-white on 16mm and in color on camcorder, “The Blair Witch Project” is rumored to have cost only $50,000. There are times when it feels painfully real and others where it feels a little slow. While its realism is a strong point, there are many times when certain shots or set-ups feel faked.

The most impressive part of the film is when they are using both the 16mm and Camcorder, cutting back and forth without the DAT. Since 16mm cannot be shot with sound, we are forced to listen to what’s going on through the camcorder, which becomes apparent when the two are separate and they switch between each. One time in particular you are watching Heather running the 16mm while hearing her voice in the distance on the camcorder.

The images are quite jarring and may cause some with motion sickness to feel ill, but are all part of the bigger experience. The performances are as close to perfect as have been seen so far this year and the film itself is well edited and written.

“Blair Witch” is proof that you don’t need expensive visual effects, extravagant plots, dozens of characters or buckets of blood to make an excellent horror film. Not to be missed if you like horror films, but seeing it, you have to realize that it’s not “Armageddon,” it’s not “Scream” and it’s not “Saving Private Ryan,” it’s an inexpensive film that leaves you terrified with little more than darkness, sound effects and your own imagination.

Awards Prospects

Very good chance at an Original Screenplay nomination. Nods for Picture, Acting, Director, Editing and Cinematography are not out of the question, but are still unlikely.