The Blair Witch Project

Rating: 8/10 (8 July 2005)

This was marketed very well by the internet and word-of-mouth as "found footage", many people at first thought it was real, obviously this turned out to be untrue, it was a low-budget movie ($40,000) with no stars, no special effects and no gimmicks, but it proved a box office sensation. Basically in 1994, three student filmmakers, Heather Donahue, Joshua 'Josh' Leonard and Michael 'Mike' Williams (all using their own names) started a "documentary" interviewing the people of Burkittsville, Maryland, formerly named Blair, to hear their views and opinions of the local legend, of the "Blair Witch". They plan to travel to the woods and find evidence of the legend, they carry with them camping gear, a map and their video cameras. Soon after starting their trek however they get lost, they find themselves going around in circles, the map is lost, they hear strange noises in the dark, and in the daylight they find strange piles of rocks and wood symbols hanging in the trees. Josh is separated and disappears, Heather famously sobs (with lots of snot) about their impending doom, she and Mike realise that something is out there and tormenting or hunting them, and they both eventually meet their fate in a secluded and dilapidated house. All the footage and sound captured by the cameras was "discovered" in the woods a year later, this is what the viewer is watching. Away from the hype surrounding the film at the time, it proves that even the simplest of films, with improvised acting and action, shaky camera- work and no explicit material (you never see any monster), can become a cinema landmark. Cannibal Holocaust may have been the first "found footage" horror film, but this broke new ground, there would certainly be no Paranormal Activity or Cloverfield without this film, and it is genuinely freaky to watch, a terrific independent psychological horror. It was number 5 on The 100 Greatest Scary Moments. Very good!