On October 30, 1938 Orson Welles broadcasted The War of the Worlds via radio and shocked the world, as they were unsure as to whether or not the the broadcast was real. Then, on July 30, 1999, The Blair Witch Project was released and the world had a similar response to the aforementioned The War of the Worlds. The Blair Witch Project follows three young adults in October of 1991, led by quasi-historian Heather Donahue, as she traverses the rocky terrain of Burkittsville, Maryland in order to fully understand the story of the Blair Witch. Legend has it that in the 1940’s an inordinate number of children died or went missing, presumably by the hand of the famed Blair Witch. It’s up to Heather and her friends to find out what actually occurred fifty years ago.
In 1999 the internet was still growing, but it was nothing like it is today. Information wasn’t quite as readily available as it is now, meaning that Writers-Directors Daniel Myrick and Eduardo Sánchez had the ability to keep their project under wraps. It’s impressive, regardless of the time in which it was released, that all involved in the film were able to keep it quiet; and viewers were shocked by the finished project as a result. That sense of unease and uncomfortability is imperative to The Blair Witch Project finding success and audiences reacting the way in which the writers and directors had hoped. The success of the film’s marketing allowed The Blair Witch Project to be far more successful than expected. This ploy to confuse viewers to ensure that they are frightened while watching for the first time was perfectly planned and just as flawlessly executed, and the film is better off as a result.
The Golden Raspberry Awards (better known as the Razzies) awarded Donahue for being the worst actor at their 2000 award ceremony. I guess any publicity is good publicity, however, their claims that Donahue was a terrible actor are false. Donahue, along with the other two leads–Joshua Leonard and Michael C. Williams–are incredibly talented. Had I not known ahead of time that the film is fiction, it may have been difficult to be certain that this was acting, rather than reality. I am immensely impressed by what each of these young actors were able to accomplish as they brought this twisted story of paranormal instances to life.
Editing plays a significant role in how well The Blair Witch Project was received. Having been filmed on a handheld camera, piecing the footage together to make one, cohesive story and have it appear to look legitimate must have been one massive ordeal. But like nearly every other aspect of the film, the editing is done beautifully and the film plays out seamlessly.
The film’s biggest issue is that it, regardless of how well marketed, acted, and edited it is, the story, because it feels like a home movie, does become a tad bit boring. I love all that went into this film, but the content of The Blair Witch Project is slightly less interesting than I had hoped. I’m not superstitious, and I don’t believe in ghosts, ghouls, witches, etc., and that fact makes it difficult for me to fully buy into Heather and her friends’ story. This alone is what hindered the film and allowed it to descend the ranks of superior horror films to a degree: the legitimacy of the story.
For a measly thirty-seven thousand(ish) dollars the cast and crew of The Blair Witch Project needed to nudge the film toward success. The marketing was the most important aspect of this, and every poster, phone call, etc. found that success. It seems impossible to watch The Blair Witch Project and believe that it wasn’t well done, as there are so many aspects of the production that are amazing. The meta aspect of this film is what allows it to shine; and with all that was done to promote it, I believe it’s unlikely we’ll ever see something quite like this ever again.
Written & Directed by Daniel Myrick & Eduardo Sánchez.
Starring Heather Donohue, Joshua Leonard, Michael C. Williams, Patricia DeCou, Susie Gooch, etc.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐/10
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