"THE BLAIR WITCH PROJECT"
{1999}

HAXAN ENTERTAINMENT/ARTISAN ENTERTAINMENT
DIRECTED BY: DANIEL MYRICK & EDUARDO SANCHEZ
SCREENPLAY BY: DANIEL MYRICK & EDUARDO SANCHEZ
RUNNING TIME: 80 MINUTES

When this movie was released there was a lot of press and viewer word of mouth about it being very scary, innovative, and unique. It was also congratulated on it's box office success vs it's shoestring budget (if memory serves I think the shooting budget did not go beyond $5000.00). I agree the filmmakers should be commended on their storyline, production and marketing savvy. Beyond that, I part with the other's praises.

Simply put, this movie did not scare me. Maybe that's because I didn't really bond with any of the 3 main characters. They are 3 film students making a documentary about the legend of the "blair witch", an unknown entity in the fictional town of Burkittsville Maryland, that is believed to be responsible for the murder of seven children in the 1930's and '40's. An intriguing story to be sure. Unfortunately for me the best part of this 'mockumentary' are the all too brief interviews with the town's current residents. I found them to be a lot more substanative than their interviewers. My two favorites were the young mom with her toddler, and 'Mary Brown', a character reminiscent of 'the log lady' of David Lynch's "Twin Peaks", she is a local believed by the townsfolk to be insane but not a danger to herself or others.

The 3 'filmmakers' are Heather Donahue, Joshua Leonard, and Michael C. Williams. My first clue that I wouldn't be scared should have been the cemetary scene. 'Heather' is doing an establishing stand-up shot. I know this isn't a real documentary, but since that is the premise, and to their credit, visually the directors do succeed in establishing that atmosphere, it is my humble opinion that the focal point of this scene should have been the graves. Maybe even a few closeups of the murder victim's headstones. Instead, there are close-ups of 'Heather' speaking to the camera, with the cemetary in the background. For all the emphasis (or lack thereof) that was given to that location, 'Heather' may as well have been standing in the parking lot of the nearest mall. The irony here is 'Heather' is the one who is constantly plaintively saying, "I've got to get this shot" to the exclusion of the other's or her own safety when they are clearly stranded with no access to a phone or anyone's help.

I couldn't help but wonder how it was that 'Heather' was the de facto leader of the group. Very good at barking orders at her colleagues. Not so good at being prepared. Shouldn't a site scout actually involve scouting the site? Despite her protestations to actually having done one for the project, she is clearly a tenderfoot in uncharted territory. Here's another thought, when you know you are going to be dealing with forces that clearly have a pagan element, do some research. When in Rome as it were. Remnants of a violent act (you know me, I won't specify here so as not to spoil) are left near the filmmakers campsite. It's clearly left as a message to frighten them and say go away. One effective way to handle this and send a clear message to whatever/whomever left these trinkets would have been to dig a hole for the items in question, light them on fire and leave the ashes. You'll have to trust me on this, I know what I'm talking about.

I was wishing directors Myrick and Sanchez had not been so lazy with their cinematographic choices. They had acres of beautiful woodlands, yet there are no shots of the sky during the night or day (hello---one way of determining direction). No shots of moss growing (another way of determining direction), and too many repetitive 'MTV' type shots of the ground.

Again I guess the reason this movie didn't scare me was I couldn't stop thinking how bossy whiney and inept the 3 main characters are. The thought of spending any length of time with these 3, now that's scary!

TO RETURN HOME PLEASE CLICK BELOW