THE BLAIR WITCH PROJECT by DeWyNGaLe Rating: B
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Legends are something that are extremely popular to tell these days. As we learned in 1998's Urban Legend (A), there are many legends which may come true and there are some that are just legends. The Blair Witch Project is another movie about a legend, and if it is true, these three kids could be in a lot of trouble. At the beginning of the film, we learn that three students disappeared while making a documentary film in 1994. One year later, their footage was found. Obviously, they did run into trouble while making their documentary.
The film is setup to look like it is real, so therefore the character's names are the same as the actor's names. Heather Donahue, Michael Williams, and Joshua Leonard are the three students we learned about on the title card. The three are making a documentary about "The Blair witch", a witch that supposedly roams the woods of Burkittsville, Maryland. The entire film is the footage that the three shot out in the woods while trying to complete the documentary. The footage explains the disappearance of the three and what lead up to a very scary story.
The Blair Witch Project is filmed in a very interesting way. The entire movie is filmed through a hand-held camera, to add to the feel of this being a true story. (Which, by the way, it isn't.) Sometimes the camera isn't very clear and we, "the viewers" cannot tell what is being shown. The filming through the hand-held camera adds to the scariness of the film, especially at night when it is hard to tell what is going on, and you must rely on sound to let you know what is happening.
It was very hard for me to rate The Blair Witch Project. After the film was over, I was left very confused, and I couldn't unscramble what I thought of it. Still, I am uncertain if ‘B' is what I want to give this film. I am split fifty-fifty on this film. As I think about the film more and more, I like it more and more. Then there is another part of me that says the film could have been much, much better.
During the film, I was scared to death. The first half didn't scare me, but in the last thirty or forty minutes, it really picked up and completely blew me away. The fear was only there during the film though, and afterwards I didn't feel scared or worried about what happened in the film. The thing that added to the scariness the most was the simplicity of it. This just proves you don't need special effects or blood to make a movie scary. It isn't all scares in The Blair Witch Project. There are a lot of laughs too, especially during interviews the three conducted on townspeople about the Blair witch. It is also very saddening. If it wasn't so real to life, it wouldn't be as sad, but the film did seem like real life.
I must say that this film is the most realistic film I have ever seen in my life. The performances add to that statement very much. Heather, the main character, in particular did an outstanding job of acting. It did not feel like she was acting at all. I hope that the Academy thinks of her next year when they come up with their nominations. Michael Williams and Joshua Leonard are both great in the film as well, it just so happens we don't see them as much as Heather.
All in all, The Blair Witch Project was a good film. The actors were all first time actors, and the director was a first time director as well. Considering that and the low budget, it is extraordinary. It was nice to get away from the slasher genre and go into the psychological genre of movie, but the film didn't use its potential to its fullest. If they had added about twenty minutes of more scary footage, this could have been one of the best films ever.
The Bottom Line- This project is incomplete.
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