They interview residents of a small town about the myth, then march out into the woods to film the actual sites where macabre events attributed to witchcraft happened. The filmmakers are never seen again. Edited together by Sanchez and Myrick, the trio's descent into terror is vividly captured in the footage. The horrors are unseen and the biggest frights lie just beyond the beam of a shaking flashlight. Films are lit.
Cameras are steady.
Scenes are scripted. What scared them the most wasn't a horror movie, but a reality TV show from the 1970s. That show just creeps me out. Seeing that jerky camera work gives your film immediate credibility. Myrick and Sanchez spent a year rounding up unknown actors who could handle film gear.