Le projet Blair

This film has maybe been one of the most hated 100 million dollar grosses in history. Before seeing this movie one should know absolutely nothing about it. Not even what the critics have said. It is a very creepy film. I for one loved it. I love the fact that it had virtually no-budget and it has made tons of money. It deserves it. It provides more atmosphere and creepiness than any horror film released this decade. The way it is presented, as the footage taken by 3 missing film-makers, is so simple yet pure genius. I've heard people complain that anyone with a video camera could have made this. This is true, but those people didn't and these people did. They had the idea and those who criticize it are just displaying their jealousy that they didn't think of it first. An instant classic whether you like it or not.

One time as I entered a theater the usher was handing out 3D glasses for a short demonstration before the main film. After the previews finished and we were instructed to put the glasses on, there was a brief shot of a virtual theater in 3D, then it ended! Several members of the audience, including me, said in unison, "That was it?"

That more or less describes my feelings about "The Blair Witch Project." When it first came out in the summer of '99, a fellow told me that it was the scariest film he'd ever seen. That's what many critics had indicated as well. Since I love being scared, I eagerly went to the theater, thinking I was in for the experience of a lifetime.

The movie tells the story of three college kids who do a research assignment, go on a long camping trip into the woods, and ultimately lose their way. As I watched the kids grow increasingly panicky and finally get separated, my interest began to perk...and then the movie just ended! I sat there in confusion. That was it? Where was the fear that everyone spoke about?

My complaint is not that the film lacked violence. On the contrary, I'm genuinely tired of the sort of horror film where explicit gore substitutes for true terror. I believe that the most effective horror movies leave a lot to the imagination. Shortly after seeing "The Blair Witch Project," I saw "The Sixth Sense," which scared the pants off me without containing much explicit violence. A movie does not need violence in order to be scary, and, indeed, too much violence can detract from a movie's suspense. But one thing a good horror movie absolutely must do is establish a real threat, something that "The Blair Witch Project" does not do.

In the early scenes, I was unable to make sense out of the local legends the kids were investigating. The stories that the residents tell are unconvincing and contradictory. One resident talks about seeing a "white misty thing," another describes what he saw as "an old woman whose feet never touched the ground." This is the kind of naiveté associated with popular folklore like the Loch Ness Monster, and I could not connect any of it with the movie's later events.

While we are told that the kids were never found, the footage presents no clear-cut evidence that anything actually happens in the woods, other than that the kids get lost. In one scene, Heather begins screaming frantically at something she finds in a pile of leaves. I later found out that she was supposed to have seen severed human parts, but that was far from clear to me. Fans somehow piece together the various sections of the film and concoct a coherent story of supernatural murder, but to me it looked more like a case of hysteria than an encounter with a Blair Witch.

Despite my criticisms, this isn't a bad film. As a fake documentary, it is well-made. The kids look, talk, and act like real college students. While not scary, the film is far from boring. I enjoyed watching the story progress while giving the appearance of being something spontaneous.

Curiously, the Razzie awards nominated both this film and Heather Donahue's performance as the worst of 1999, one of the few times I've disagreed with their selections. We tend to overlook how hard it is for actors to act like they're not acting. People who argue that Donahue's performance was over-the-top have never, I suspect, seen someone panic. There was not a moment in the film that felt wrong or fake to me. Perhaps the reason I didn't get scared is that I felt smarter than these characters, who behave in ways that I do not think I would have behaved in the same situation. But I still found their reactions plausible.

If I was disappointed, it was only because the hype surrounding this film gave me a certain set of expectations, which failed to solidify. This movie was an early demonstration of the power of the Internet, a cheap $20,000 production that never would have attained so much popularity if not for a website that helped propagate the legend to the public as something real. It was more than just a film: it was an act of showmanship. This all amounted to an interesting demonstration, but not the sort of film I expect will endure.

It is to the "Blair Witch" filmmakers' (and I am talking about Myrick and Sanchez, not Donahue, Leonard, and Williams) great credit that for the most part, they get away with the central conceit that three tired, hungry, lost, and above all, frightened-out-of-their-minds documentarians would still keep rolling footage under the dire circumstances in which they find themselves -- for that is one of the movie's only shortcomings (even though the majority of the audience won't notice or won't mind). The Project's plus column, however, is far longer than the minus one, as the very fabric of the improvisational techniques employed holds together an authenticity virtually guaranteed to send shivers down the backs of all but the most road-hardened horror vets. The interplay among Donahue, Leonard, and Williams is refreshingly funny in the early stages, which only ratchets up the intensity when doom seems to be knocking (or howling or scratching or leaving creepy tokens outside the campers' tent). The Blair Witch Project has all of the necessary sequences to assure its cult status (I love the stick figures) and the mysterious, dread-filled ending will most certainly set fans arguing -- once they catch their breath.

I saw this film last night, LONG after all the hype and reviews were made about it. I settled in with the right mood for any film: no expectations. If you expect too much, you may be let down (take note for any Kubrick film). I watched the entire film without interruption and came out with a great feeling. "The Blair Witch Project" is one darn good movie.

Many critics and moviegoers complained about the film for its length, its amateurish photography/editing, and its lack of adequate acting. I feel these things MADE THE MOVIE. First, the film has to be at most ninety minutes long: any more, and it would be too long and boring. Second, the amateur video take gives the audience the feel that they are actually in the woods, listening to the rippling water of the creek, snapping branches under their boots, and hearing things go bump in the night. I greatly admire the use of two video cameras (one black-and-white, the other color) to denote which character is shooting the film. Lastly, the incessant screaming of whiny Heather, the constant complaining of average-joe Mike, and the Dudley-Do-Rightness of Josh make for great acting. Yes, these are regular people and up-and-coming actors from your local community theater, but YOU KNOW THEM. You've met people like them.

The biggest complaint, however, comes from the film's supposed "lack" of scary moments. This film reminds me of the classic horror film "The Texas Chain Saw Massacre," and though not as gory and as shocking as that film, "The Blair Witch Project" shows just enough fright in the group's search for a way out of the woods, stalked by people and/or things they may never understand. In the older film, the long interval between opening credits and first gory act of violence is about thirty minutes long; it is even longer here, but the suspense/fright (just as in the older film) begins right from the opening credits: you just don't see it until the film's over. These are three people out to make a documentary in the woods with handheld camcorders--these are REAL PEOPLE. And GREAT ACTORS. Heather whines a lot and screams and reminds you of the girl you hate so much you fall in love with her. Her screams sound real, her cries are genuine, and she is DEEPLY DEEPLY sorry for bringing the others into the woods in order to film her documentary.

I really dig the beginning. It seems so real to me I may delve into my old home movies for nostalgia. Heather and Josh pick up Mike, then go to the store for supplies. This opening sequence really packs a punch. These are three Generation Xers out for a camping trip. We all know what happens to them, but we're glued to the screen, intent to know what actually happens.

The interviews give us some detail into the Blair Witch legend, but most of the audience is too busy thinking about the actual trek into the woods that they don't listen. This is wrong. Listening is good. The interviews, which also sound real and not rehearsed in any way, are like movie reviews: the critics tell you what they saw, but mostly they don't want to ruin it for you...unless they hated it.

And that's what I'll do. I won't ruin it for you. 8/10.

The Blair Witch project is the 3rd film i'll be reviewing for my october/halloween special. This movie took the horror genre to a whole new level. I remember when this first came out the internet turned a small movie into a world wide sensation. A lot of people thought these events actually took place and who could blame them. They made news specials about the missing teens and even T.V. specials that made us believe that sometihng actually happened to these kids, Of course it turned out to be a brillant stunt by the filmmakers to make the movie seem more real. The film was shot entirely with a hand held camera and the acting was almost 100% improvised. When i first saw this movie i was impressed by its creativity but the final product kinda disappointed me.

As you know the plot of the movie is about 3 people who venture into the woods to do a documentary on the blair witch and strange events occur and they a re never heard from again. one year later their footage is found and we get to see what led up to their mysterious disappearance. Pretty good plot that works really well. so far so good.

The atmosphere really works. to me the woods is one of the scariest places to be and it really works for this film. Also being shot entirely on a hand held camera we get to experience first hand what the characters or doing or feeling. Blackouts and shaky camera movements add to the already great suspenseful tension.

The acting is superb. Frist we get 3 funny and carefree young people who are very full of life but as the film progresses we see how fear is tearing them apart and we get to witness this first hand. Since the actors were newcomers at the time i was very impressed with their acting talent.

Another good thing was the last 15 or 20 minutes which are the films highlight and its most scariest moments. i was really hooked by this point at what was happening.

That was the good. Here is the bad.

The film is too short. at 87 minutes it isn't nearly long enough. I felt there should've been so much more included. it's such a quick finish that i couldn't really take it all in.

now, even though the film is pretty short it also tends to be pretty slow. like i said the last 15 or 20 minutes are its best but before this it seems like it takes forever to get started and sometimes it tends to drag and be a little boring

I liked the acting but listening to 3 people yell and curse through almost the entire movie got a little annoying and at some moments that seemed to be the films only conflict. i liked how they showed that fear was consuming them but i wish they would've concentrated more on the legend.

Now this is kinda my own personal gripe about the film. i lied the last 15 minutes but the actual ending itself was such a letdown. for that 20 minutes it created such a good intense build-up and all of a sudden it's over and you go "that's it". i know they were trying to be creative and make us wonder what happened to them without actually telling us but it just ends up being a letdown.

another thing that hurt this film but also helped it was the hype that surrounded it. the hype made this film gross 140 million dollars but since there was such a demand that this film be the scariest thing we've ever seen and to some it simply wasn't and i think over-hyping a film can really hurt it sometimes and this is the case with this film.

All and all it's creativity saves it from being a total disappointed and i do give it credit making a uge impact on the horror genre but i just wish it could've been better. 7/10