I remember seeing the previews for this picture and being intrigued and frightened. Was what I was seeing real? If so, what happened?
I was in high school and I wasn't able to see this picture in theaters because I didn't make an effort to. Quite a few of my friends saw it and most complained about being dizzy. One was full of complaints about how fake it was. My brother-in-law at the time swore that it was real.
I was confused but I felt that there was something off, like on some level I knew that the film was just a movie. I remember seeing Heather, Mike, and Josh show up on MTV movie awards (it was some MTV show at least) It wasn't until years later that I got to see the movie and I loved it from the first time that I saw it.
This movie is the original found footage movie. It tells of three college students who go into the woods near a small town in Maryland to film a documentary about a local "urban legend" of a witch that supposedly haunts the area and has caused calamitous events for about a century. Heather Donahue (played by Heather Donahue) is the director/visionary who instigated this documentary. Josh Leonard (played by Joshua Leonard) is the camera man and sort of "second-in-command" of the filming experience. He is also the tie that binds Heather to Mike (played by Michael C. Williams) the sound guy. As expected in a horror movie, things go horrible awry for the trio when they seem to be lost. As time passes, it is suggested that they aren't lost but might be being preyed upon/hunted by the witch.
Like any found footage film, this movie's shots can be disconcerting or inspire dizziness. I personally found the "cinematography" to be a good contributor to bringing the audience into the horror and "experience" of the picture. It gave the movie a feeling of more realism than one usual encounters in horror pictures even the current found footage films.
I also love the level of dedication and detail that the filmmakers took with this picture. If you have the opportunity, I would strongly suggest watching a copy of the film that contains the extra features including the "documentary" about the Blair Witch which includes a "news story" and another "documentary" about witches in general. It was such a perfect addition to the story.
I was also impressed by the acting in that most of the acting was improv. Apparently the actors involved were given the most basic of instructions at the start of each day of the shoot and just went from there.
I liked that this horror picture wasn't like anything that I had seen at the time. It isn't classic horror. It isn't gory. There is no sex (which was actually refreshing considering there are three young people alone in the woods possibly being chased by a murderous ghost). This is also the only found footage film where it completely makes sense that they keep carrying the cameras with them. A.) They are filming a documentary. B.)The cameras are both personal and belong to a school.
I also liked that the film is open to the audience's interpretation. I personally agree with those that suggest that the Blair Witch is hunting them but I can see where the film could be interpreted as they get lost in the woods and something not supernatural happens to them. Either way I think that the concept is scary. I particularly liked the ending because it is abrupt and you know that something horrible happened but what exactly is left to the imagination. I am also a firm believer in the power of the imagination being more frightening than whatever is actually shown on screen.
P.S. At one time, this film broke the long held record for being the highest grossing independent film. The previous record holder was the original Halloween film. When you take into account that Halloween was the top independent film since shortly after its release in 1978 and then in 1999 along comes The Blair Witch Project that's impressive in my opinion.
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