#03. The Blair Witch Project (1999, Myrick and Sanchez)
By Eivind Langdal
11th September 2009

After reviewing My Little Eye, I felt it was only natural to take a closer look at The Blair Witch Project, a film that not only served as the template for that aforementioned film, but also has served as a temple for many discussions and arguments about whether it’s really is as good (or as bad) as some people say it is. Some say it’s a benchmark in horror, others say it’s an overrated piece of crap that was killed by its own hype. Let me kill the suspense right away by stating that I love this film. It is, to put it in simple words, fantastic.

Is it scary? Well, not as much as it could have been (but that final scene is almost unwatchable). However, The Blair Witch Project is still an extremely engaging film, and I’ll point out why a bit later. Let’s just talk about this film for a second before we get that far. It’s best known for its style: using handheld cameras to project an almost unprecedented sense of realism (horror aficionados will point out that Cannibal Holocaust did the mockumentary angle before this one). Of course, filmmakers Daniel Myrick and Eduardo Sánchez didn’t originally set out to do it this way. They just didn’t have the money. But instead of reaching beyond their grasp, the two of them did something smarter: the realized their limitation and took advantage of it. The result: the most profitable movie ever made (relatively speaking anyway). For every $1 that was spent on the budget of this movie, $10,931 was returned (try imagining such an exchange the next time you pay taxes). In total, that’s over $240.000. No wonder people could be found shooting mockumentaries in the woods for years after the release of this movie.

The film’s description has become well known: three amateur filmmakers set out to make a documentary about the Blair Witch and were never seen again. A few years later, a tape containing their recordings were found. That tape is essentially the film itself. Of course, this isn’t true at all, but one can’t help but admire the filmmakers dedication in making it feel like it is. The three main cast members used their real names, and on IMDb back in 1999, their status read, “missing, presumed dead”. That’s not just dedication. That’s professionalism, man.

The three of them are: Heather, Josh and Mike. Their documentary starts out with them interviewing various people in town about the Blair Witch legend. One of those people tells a story about someone who used to make their one victim face the corner while the other was killed, which is a subtle hint of what’s coming later in the film (it also acts as an explanation of the film’s mysterious ending). Eventually, the three of them go out in the forest to shoot some more footage, but quickly find themselves to be lost. Then they start to argue. And then they realize exactly how lost they are. And then things really start to go bad. And now I really ought to stop using italics.

The film skillfully uses the dark at a frequent rate to suggest some kind of mysterious force. Indeed, much of the film is just a black screen, with the characters scarily moving around in the woods with no idea of where they are or why they are there. At one point, Heather suggests that no forest in America can possibly be large enough to get lost in, but we can see that statement quickly be turned on its head as the situation of the crew grows more and more hopeless. As it turns out, they are indeed in a forest that’s large enough to get lost in. Before they know it, they have turned on each other. How ironic that this happens in movies every time the characters should do the opposite by sticking closer together. Yes, the choices these people make aren’t always smart, but they are always realistic. Sure, they do stupid things, but it’s the kind of stupid things that any one of us might have done. It’s here the film truly engages its own audience. We really get worried when they get lost.

I tend to take criticism of The Blair Witch Project a bit too personal sometimes. I guess I just am uncomfortable with the fact that people criticize a movie that tries something different when so many other horror films are happy to wade in the same clichés that Scream made fun of back in 1996. The characters here may not always be sympathetic, but they are certainly empathetic. After all, who can’t empathize with being lost in the woods? Sure, we may not necessarily have ever been lost ourselves, but it doesn’t take a lot of imagination to picture how horrifying it would be. The filmmakers of The Blair Witch Project know that, and they use it. A film like The Exorcist may make you scared of the devil, but a film like this can make you fear a forest. Which one is most common? Sure, there may not be as many forests as there used to be, but they’re not exactly gone yet either, are they? So, the next time you find yourself in one, you make sure you either know what you are doing or, at the very least, bring a map. If not, then maybe a video camera? I promise I will consider giving the movie about your death a positive review.