The documentary styled "found footage" genre has been hit and miss at the best of times. With most of the movies either giving its audience a severe bout of vomit inducing nausea or going the other end of the spectrum by boring them to death, there is a lot that can go wrong unless done "right". Sadly, this is rarely the case. As far as I'm concerned, only a handful of these are considered to merit any modicum of noteworthy respect. However, what of the original successful "phenomena" that was The Blair Witch Project released back in 1999? Reports of people declaring it "the scariest film of all time" or passing out from pure fright, were only too frequent. So, was the very first movie that paved the way to it's own dubious genre actually any good at all?
A group of young student filmmakers set out to uncover the mystery of the "Blair Witch". A demonic female entity known to inhabit a nearby wood and suspected of abducting numerous children many years ago due to their inexplicable disappearances. After having interviewed several of the locals in the odd town of Burkittsville in Maryland, the trio made up of Heather Donahue, Michael C. Williams and Joshua Leonard set out into the heart of the actual forest where the witch is said to dwell in. As they venture further in, our three protagonists come across strange artefacts gathered around their tent as well as hear strange noises out there in the pitch dark at night. Slowly realising things in the wood may not be all that they appear to be, it doesn't take long until the unimaginable horror of the "Blair Witch" seems more real than they could ever have dreamed of...
I still remember the excitement at going to watch this movie for the first time. The buzz and hype encompassing this movie was frenzied, to say the least. I, of course, got sucked in too. So what of this "new" style of film where it relies solely on the premise of a bunch of recovered missing video tapes? Well, to sum it up, the hype was real. Very real. This is one hell of a terrifying ride into the unknown where only unsuspecting mere mortals dare to tread. You must remember that this was a first of it's kind back then. So the theatre-goers curious intrigue together with a punchy plot and great overall acting from our "amateur" cast members, pushed it into the territory of sheer greatness. It is obvious from the get go that the movie directors went through great lengths to make this project look at authentic as possible. A few "innocents" at the time, wondered how on earth it was legal to show this disturbing real-life footage for a baying public audience to enjoy and finance. I still laugh at that to this very day.
It still staggers certain individuals to learn that this movie was made on a shoestring budget of only $60,000. Yet went on to make nearly $250 million! So it most definitely struck a chord with it's legions of supporters out there. And all for the right reasons. The key difference between The Blair Witch Project and it's countless copycats, is the solid backstory. Movies directors Daniel Myrick and Eduardo Sanchez get this down to a tee. The lore behind the witch herself is terrifying and sets the tone of the rest of the movie effortlessly. This is thanks to the chilling interviews carried out in the first part of the film. Including one with a woman who, you'd be forgiven for thinking, may not look too dissimilar to the actual witch! The attention to details is fantastic and when are hapless protagonists delve into the final part of the movie, they all turn in a performance that'll leave you mulling over how damn near "real" everything looked. This is a "found footage" production at it's finest. So, you have been warned. Be prepared to get the **** scared out of you. Yes, The Blair Witch Project is that damn scary...
This movie is the pinnacle of excellence when it comes to pulling off what it set out to do in the first place. Make a 90-minute long film about a group of young twenty-something's and have them experience ultimate supernatural terror in it's purest form. I absolute loved this movie and am not one bit surprised at the cult status in has now earned. Of course, the dreaded "shaky cam" is present sporadically here and there. But those moments are few and far between and to focus on them too much would be missing out on a classic A-grade horror movie of our times. If you like your flicks gripping, intense and downright blood-curling, you could do a whole lot worse than the original The Blair Witch Project.
My Verdict: (9/10)
