"Most Haunted" with knobs on !!
 May 15th, 2004
Advantages:
A unique piece of cinematic history
Disadvantages:
Most people know the plot by now !
Recommendable:
Yes
Detailed rating:
Did you enjoy it?
Story
Characters / Performances
Special Effects
How does it compare to similar films?
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  SRowlands
About me:
+ Just published my first review in around 2.5 years !!!
Member since:09.09.2002
Reviews:88
Members who trust:82
Review rated by 75 Ciao members on average: very helpful 
"In October of 1994, three student filmmakers disappeared in the woods near Burkittesville, Maryland, while shooting a documentary. One year later, their footage was found."... And so begins the legend of "The Blair Witch Project".
The Plot -
======== Heather Donahue, Michael Williams and Joshua Leonard are student filmakers who, for a college project, plan to film an investigative documentary into a local legend - "The Blair Witch". Legend has it that in 1785, a woman is banished from the town of Blair upon suspicion of witchcraft. One year later, her accusers, along with many children from Blair, disappear without a trace. Years later, Blair was renamed "Birkittesville", however the residents are still plagued by mysterious happenings, unsolved murders and unexplained disappearances.
The movie opens with Donahue, Williams and Leonard preparing for their expedition into the woods near Burkittesville. The atmosphere is excitement and anticipation of what they may uncover. Before the team venture into the woods, they take the time to interview several townspeople, asking them of their thoughts and beliefs of the legend.
With an upbeat mood, and cameras at the ready, they set off deep into the Maryland woods. All starts off well, but soon small, almost insignificant things start to happen. Rocks in strange formations, strange noises, the feeling of being watched as they progress deeper into the forest...
Cinematography
/ Soundtrack -
======================== One of the unique things about this movie is the cinematography. The film is recorded on video and 16mm cameras by the actors - Donahue, Williams and Leonard. This has the desired effect of making the movie appear amaturish whilst at the same time making it feel more realistic. The camerawork is divided into two halves - the "to the camera" shots, where Heather Donahue is presenting the documentary - where the shots are steady and clear, and the shots that would not be included in the documentary. These are shakey, unproffessional and grainy. A typical example is the recording of an arguement after the groups map goes missing. The sequence lasts for about a minute with just the bottom half of Donahue visible.
The soundtrack too is virtually non-existant. To tie in with the background of the film, there is no background music. Whereas many horror movies rely on scary music and loud noises to increase the atmosphere of the film, this film uses a mixture of wind blowing through the trees and the eerie silence to create the atmosphere.
Again, this works well, and fits into the overall effect and makes the film more believable.
Background Information -
==================== "The Blair Witch Project" was written and directed by Daniel Myrick and Eduardo Sánchez, however much of the script and storyline was improvised. Three unknown actors, Heather Donahue, Michael Williams and Joshua Leonard were given a background story, how their character should react and certain parts of the plot. They were then sent into the woods with cameras, maps and a GPS device (Global Positioning Device) to record the footage. They were muchly unaware of what to expect, as Myrick and Sánchez had some surprises up their sleeve !! Many of the events that occured and were caught on film were totally unexpected by the actors - hence the shock / horror on their faces is real. As too is the tierd look that develops into the film - they were often kept awake much of the night.
The films success comes down to some fantastic "marketing" in the guise of websites and other documentaries. The official Blair Witch Project (blairwitch.com) was set up to provide a background to the legend, and news on the three missing students. With authentic looking archive footage, news cuttings and other "evidence" and testimonies, the legend of the Blair Witch was already being beamed to computer screens all over the world. Added to this was the "word of mouth" factor, which was like adding fuel to a fire. To further ensure that the story was set, a fictional television documentary, "The Curse Of The Blair Witch" was also screened before the release of the film, (and can now been seen on the DVD release). Anaylsis -
========
From the opening scene of this film, the whole film seems believable. The plot, although sounds like an urban legend, is something that most would find fascinating and the type of story that would make an excellent documentary. The excellent acting by the three main characters is supported by realistic and believable interviews with several "townspeople".
As the trio head off into the woods, the aprehension can be felt - a mix of excitement, adventure and a slight fear of what they may discover. As events unfold, the growing sense of unease is apparant, and this increases into a sense of horror throughout the rest of the movie.
Whilst the film has many horror cliches, such as being lost in the woods and childrens voices coming from nowhere, many modern horror symbols are missing - the character you know is going to get killed / drunken teenagers "making out" / corny lines like "I'll be right back". The other unusual thing about this movie is that you never actually see anything scary - no monsters and very little blood (just the one scene). The whole movie is based around the fear and experiences of the three teenagers, and your own imagination ! Overall Opinion -
=============
As far as horror films go, this is actually a pretty average film. One or two shock moments do not really do enough to compensate for a plot that trudges along fairly slowly. Despite this, the film is very watchable, and builds to a dramatic and scary climax which, even though you know it's fictional, makes you think.... "What if this were real ?"
The whole "Blair Witch" legend is fascinating (even if it is ficticious), and the story uses natural fears to install the horror into the mind of the viewer. The use of the internet to publicise the events of Burkittesville way ahead of the film was ingenious, as was the additional publicity created as a result in other forms of the media.
Perhaps the biggest disappointment is that, by the time of the UK release of "The Blair Witch Project", it was common knowledge that the whole thing was fake. As a film by itself, I would have given this film a four-star rating. However, considering the website, documentaries and publicity surrounding the Blair Witch Project, I would have to give this movie a five-star rating.
Love it or loath it, it really is a piece of cinematic history, and totally ingenious from conception to the final product.
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13.03.2008 19:47
I thought this movie was excellent. I watched it by myself in dark and even though i'd seen it about 3 times it was really scary. Excellent review too. Just realised this review is almost 3 years old tho. But might as well comment it now :P
01.03.2007 00:42
Fab review! Heard so much abou this film and how scary it was had to watch it and I have to say, I was quite dissapointed!
26.03.2005 09:56
I remember when this film was first released, and everyone thought the Blair Witch legend was real. I do have to say I was a bit disappointed after hearing how amazing it was, but I still enjoyed it. ~Liz