The movie may not excel from start to finish, but that doesn’t stop it from being a worthwhile cult classic watch.
Jump scares, breathless chasing sequences, and a kitchen knife ready to attack. These are the typical visual elements of a horror classic that you don’t see in The Blair Witch Project. A fictional story disguised as a documentary, first-time viewers go into this indie film expecting it to uncover the secrets surrounding the wicked witch, but they are utterly mistaken. As Heather Donahue, Joshua Leonard, and Michael Williams (playing themselves) pack their camping utilities and pick up their cameras, they embark on a somewhat believable nightmare in the woods. With a $250 million turnaround in the box office, Daniel Myrick and Eduardo Sanchez present a revolutionary take on the horror structure.
Tricking the Audience
A few seconds into the film, phrases pop up on the black screen, introducing the façade. It says: “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.” Right off the bat, the whole notion of watching people getting lost in the woods and leaving nothing but videos behind is incredibly unsettling. Consequently, it is a successful way of luring viewers into believing that what they are about to witness is unquestionably true.
When the cameras start rolling, the trio record themselves in a vlog style, packing up their bags and Blair Witch source material to help them navigate the landmarks where the legend took place. Even zoom-ins to marshmallow packages and a good luck kiss on the film slate are captured prior to the real deal. Once the ceremonies are over, the first official shoot begins at the cemetery. With a black-and-white filter and a dramatic opening, the audience will notice a clear difference between what is intended to show up in the filmmakers’ documentary and what is just off-screen goofiness.
Reality-Driven Horror
Following the conversation with locals over what they’ve heard about the witch and the haunted forest, Donaghue and her companions head towards the woods, presuming that they will get out on time for their next work shift. That is when everything goes in a spiral. After the group visits Coffin Rock, they go from knowing exactly where they are to getting stuck in the middle of nowhere feeling cold, hungry, and desperate. Although the video shoots remain, the purpose behind the recording shifts to showing all the twisted sounds that they hear at night and the constant breakdowns that each member experiences. What was supposed to be a cool project, becomes a living nightmare.
That is why Myrick and Sanchez deserve a round of applause. The way they made a low-budget vision into a horrific reality-driven scenario is what makes this film worthwhile. As a first-time viewer, you are fooled practically the whole way through given the believable screams and Donaghue’s heart-wrenching confession on tape. Yet, there is a noticeable decadence in pacing toward the film’s final minutes. With a rushed ending that didn’t seem convincing enough, the spell cast on the audience expires when they find out that it was all a lie. This unexpected turn of events is the misstep that makes The Blair Witch Project too good to be true.
The Characters Draw Us In
However, that doesn’t mean that the ride wasn’t worth it. With such a heavily improvised script, you are drawn to the rawness of the filmmakers’ journey onscreen. It really seems like they were close friends at the beginning (even though no actual context or character development takes place) and slowly have their bond fractured by the horrifying circumstances that they face in the woods. The moments where characters begin to blame each other for their doomed trip emphasize the divisive dynamic within the group. They also serve as a contrast between the constant laughter and levity that were previously captured before they got lost. Donaghue is the mastermind behind the so-called documentary and out of the three, she is the star of this indie production. She makes the audience think that everything is under control, but her poor map-reading skill leads the group into walking in circles for days on end. It takes her the longest time to reach a breaking point, but when she does, the actress excels. Her screams and out-of-breath reactions are so credible that they give you goosebumps down your spine.
Effective Camerawork
Furthermore, the film uses its homemade video element to its advantage. During the time in the forest, the camera is operated in a frenetic manner given how frightened everyone is when they hear sounds coming from outside the tent. The night shoots, specifically, make it hard to see things in detail, but what you can see with the limited lighting is enough to keep you on the edge of your seat. This goes to show that the visuals when accompanied by the right dosage of chilling sounds and camera movement can make footage more daunting, even if the quality of the image isn’t that great.
Overall, The Blair Witch Project is a product of the power of storytelling even under a tight deadline and lack of funding. The film brilliantly subverts the classic horror structure by demonstrating that life can be more frightening than any jump scares or spooky supernatural figures. Sometimes, our greatest fears in real life can haunt us more than watching a final girl sequence. After all, when you are watching a movie that presents characters, story arcs, and a few terrifying encounters, you can be scared but detached from what is presented onscreen. But when you watch things shot with a regular camera in a normal-looking scenario where all your worst nightmares come true, it is hard to not feel affected and even tormented by this possibility. With superb improvisations and clever use of camerawork, this production will make you fall into its realistic trap. Nevertheless, it does bring you back to planet earth with its abrupt ending and repetitive feel towards its final quarter. This misstep prevents the film from excelling from start to finish, but it doesn’t stop it from being a worthwhile cult classic watch.
Rating: B+
