THE BLAIR WITCH PROJECT Reviewed by Jamie Peck
Rating: *** (out of ****) Artisan Entertainment / 1:27 / 1999 / R (language, intensity) Cast: Heather Donahue; Michael Williams; Joshua Leonard Director: Daniel Myrick; Eduardo Sanchez Screenplay: Daniel Myrick; Eduardo Sanchez
In a day when cities never sleep and the crime rates in them soar, the woods would seem to offer nature's last refuge, a simple, reassuring solace from the hectic hustle and bustle of the real world. But along comes "The Blair Witch Project," this year's Little Movie That Could, to promptly and potently shoot that notion out of the water. If "Blair Witch" breaks out - and robust pre-release buzz certainly suggests that it will - expect weekend camping trips to become a thing of the past. You won't be able to sleep soundly in your own bed. Kiss the wilderness goodbye forever.
An exercise in mounting dread set in the murky "Black Hills" of Maryland, "The Blair Witch Project" was the hot ticket at this year's Sundance Film Festival, inspiring additional screenings and even a studio bidding war as a result of the blazingly positive word-of-mouth - raves that must have blindsided the first-time filmmakers of this impressive independent feature. They are Daniel Myrick and Eduardo Sanchez, and their directorial debut - cleverly spun as if the story actually happened and shot on 16mm and home video to further hit the horror home - is clearly one to remember. As if you'll be able to forget it.
Know this going in - that "Blair Witch" is a purely fictional creation - and the impact is perhaps lessened a bit; to make up for any potential viewing drawbacks, just assure friends that the events displayed here are factual, drag them along and watch them squirm. Which isn't to say that those in the know won't get a mean case of "Witch" willies - the three main performers in Blair are so authentic that it's easy to believe in the on-screen dread they expertly convey. Heather Donahue, Michael Williams and Joshua Leonard never strike false notes as student filmmakers interviewing the yokels and exploring the terrain of Frederick County in their quest to document the existence of a local urban legend.
Unfortunately for them, their trek into the forest takes exceedingly nasty turns - the less said of which the better. Worth noting: The movie's concise mythology might leave you craving more. As tension slowly, steadily builds over "Blair Witch"'s 87-minute run, disagreements and skirmishes amongst the trio grow in both number and anxiety, often escalating to shouting matches studded with various expletives. Realistic, yes, and also redundant. But once "Project" kicks into high gear for its final third - a non-stop stomach-churner - there's little time for the cast to catch their breath enough to scream, let alone swear.
Even with this intense noise-making, genre fans expecting an all-out splatterfest are sure to be disappointed: "The Blair Witch Project," proudly respecting the power of the unseen, assaults the mind with psychological terror instead of the eyes with explicit gore. Following suit, Myrick and Sanchez also keep their ghastly antagonist completely in viewers' imaginations for the duration of the film. Whether it's intentional or merely a side effect of "Blair Witch"'s shoestring budget, this game of no-show is a smart, sensical move - and the key to the movie's scary success.
© 1999 Jamie Peck E-mail: jpeck1@gl.umbc.edu Visit The Reel Deal Online: http://www.gl.umbc.edu/~jpeck1/ "The best possible argument for including [a shot of Bruce] Willis' genitals would have been that the movie, after all, contains everything else." -Roger Ebert on "Color of Night"
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