A Landmark In Horror Filmmaking And Still The Most Influential Found Footage Film

Rating: Null/10 (6 October 2015)

Incorrectly labelled by many as the film that launched the found footage subgenre of horror, The Blair Witch Project was a new type of scare for the majority of mainstream audience at its time of release. It was promoted as retrieved footage before its premiere, the fate of the cast was kept secret, and it was filmed in a way most home movies are made, due to which many were easily sold by its gimmick.
The Blair Witch Project concerns three film students who decide to produce a documentary about a local legend known as the Blair Witch. They travel to Maryland forest on a two day hike to find evidence to support the myth but never returned. A year later, their camera was found in the woods with the film in it. The surviving footage was eventually compiled into a movie that captures what really happened to them.
Written, directed & edited by Daniel Myrick & Eduardo Sánchez, The Blair Witch Project is a cleverly crafted cinema that gets right where most found-footage films go wrong. Here, the reason why its camera is on & around all the time actually makes sense. The story is simple and its the simplicity of it all that makes it interesting. And by not showing any supernatural entity on camera, it allows the viewers' imagination to run wild.
The shooting location & setting add a few elements of its own to the picture. Using the real names of the cast brings more plausibility to what the film claims to be. The camera-work is raw, unrefined, grainy & poorly handled, which ultimately works in its favour. Its 81 minutes of footage raises the tempo quite nicely. And since the cast is responsible for shooting the film & keep the dialogue running in a natural manner, they did a pretty good job at it.
On an overall scale, The Blair Witch Project may not look as effective today as it did during its time of release but it still ranks amongst the best examples of found footage horror. And what it lacks in conventional horror elements, it makes up with the fear of the unknown that connects its viewers with those trio of characters plus the situation they find themselves in, and that, in my opinion, is its biggest strength. A landmark in horror filmmaking and still the most influential of all found-footage flicks, this faux documentary comes recommended.