It’s been about 17 years since The Blair Witch Project came and turned the horror genre on its head.
The genre had seen the return of the teen slasher film with the success of Scream in 1996 but by 1999 that concept had already been imitated & duplicated with diminishing results. The genre needed a jolt again and directors Eduardo Sanchez and Daniel Myrick were ready to give it to us.
The Blair With Project was a masterclass of great marketing. Found footage horror was certainly in its infancy as it was very easy to fool the audience into believing that what we were seeing was indeed real. The film utilized the Internet and TV specials to sell us on the fact that “three student filmmakers disappeared in the woods near Burkittsville, Maryland while shooting a documentary.” We were invested in finding out what happened to these kids and some of us failed to realize that this was merely a work of fiction. That’s how strong the marketing campaign was for the film. It made us question if this was made for entertainment, or were we watching the final moments of these three individuals and how could we find out more about their mysterious disappearance.
As we all know now, this was the hook of the film that pulled us all in. This was a work of fiction presented as reality and a very clever way to illicit tension and fear. In 1999, it was something new but like any concept, much like the slasher resurgence that began in 1996, it was imitated to the point of neutering the overall impact of the found footage sub-genre of horror.
What of The Blair Witch Project? Where does it stand in 2016 with the hype way behind us?
When I first saw The Blair Witch Project in 1999, I was a bit disappointed. The marketing promised a truly terrifying experience that the film simply didn’t, or couldn’t, live up to. The idea is prime for some truly horrifying moments but it doesn’t utilize them enough. Instead, we get three characters bickering for much of the 87-minute runtime with sprinkles of tension that only tease us by making us want even more. Because of this, The Blair Witch Project becomes a case of the idea being better than the execution.
I have to give credit to Heather Donahue, Joshua Leonard, and Michael C. Williams. They were the faces of this film and for better or for worse, much of the success or failure of the film is on their backs. What we would learn after the film was released was that the actors were given a basic idea of what they were doing or had to say but a lot of it was improv.
The filmmakers were to scare the actors in order to get real reactions from them so it does add a certain level of horror knowing that their escalating fear is very genuine. The downside to what we get with them is that there is a likability issue. Once you realize you’re watching a film you want to be able to connect with any of the three leads but I never did. By the end of the film, I felt more annoyed by them rather than praying for their escape. I believe the intention was to show their descent into madness as the situation became dire but it doesn’t quite work that way. I don’t blame the actors entirely because I think the filmmakers wanted us to rely heavily on how they reacted to what was going on that it almost puts too much pressure on them to really make it all work.
I will say that the last ten minutes or so are very effective. Losing one of the three adds tension to the proceedings and a sense of hopelessness for the two left standing. By the time the film is approaching its final moments you definitely feel their fear and you’re wrapped up in it. Even after all these years later, it’s very chilling seeing Michael standing almost lifeless in that corner as Heather’s screams echo throughout that house. At the time, I hated how it just abruptly ended, but I appreciate the approach much more today.
It might sound like I didn’t like The Blair Witch Project all that much, but that isn’t true. It’s a very interesting concept that has its share of flaws but the film is bigger than the film itself. I think its overall impact on the horror genre should definitely be celebrated. We get “scary” movies every year but how many of them actually change the game for the genre? No matter how flawed the execution may be, The Blair Witch Project changed the game and that is something that no one can deny.
Reel Talk gives The Blair Witch Project 2.5 reels.
