The Blair Witch Project

Bought for a friend, but he has said that it has no problems and very cheap.

3 filmmakers head into the woods to make a documentary about the Blair Witch, a legend that haunts the woods and murdered children.Made almost 10 years ago, Daniel Myrick's picture is an unbelievable revolution into the horror genre. It was one of the first films to shoot completely digitally and showed 3 unknown actors the most terrifying part of their life by entering woods and told to improvise all of their work and create a revolutionary film, and they succeeded.Getting lost in the woods and unable to find your way out may sound conventional in this genre but this is so different from your average flick.The Blair Witch Project feels real and therefore physiologically frightening. Shot with a shaky hand held camera and juxtaposed with all the method and improvised acting gives the film a highly soaked feeling of spontaneity, as if happening with you right there. You are sucked into the drastic turns of events as the trio encounter numerous difficulties and importantly for a horror film, this is open and appreciative of its target audience in regards to the legend, which will keep you hooked.The opening shot shows added text stating that the footage of 3 filmmakers was found a year after their disappearance in the woods and therefore we ultimately think it to be true. What follows is the edited footage of their events including the build up before the woods and the heart stopping discoveries and events once inside. Simply stunning combination of real life and a depiction of a legend that will have you questioning everything once the film reaches its stunning climax.At the time of my first watch I believed the story to be true and didn't even think to check the acting but looking back these are almost Oscar worthy. The feeling of hatred and undeniable concept of fear is there on every face. The rivalry and decisions reach high dramatic turns; none more so than Heather's close up confession to the camera.Like the Shining this has a lot to offer with stunning direction and realism in context and performances Jack Nicholson would be proud of. Whereas not as sharp as Kubrick's masterpiece, you will certainly not think about anything else for the rest of the evening.What perhaps is truly amazing that this was released the same year as The Matrix and American Beauty but this doesn't have star actors or special effects. It is not a mainstream hit but an almost indie classic that shows realism and terror in a new format9/10

Good price. Good condition. Arrived early. Tracking said item was lost, wierd.

Picture the scene: It's 1999 and amongst the big-name releases (Eyes Wide Shut, The Phantom Menace, Fight Club) there is only one contender for the big-hype release. Granted, the director generated a fair amount of the attention over the Internet but we also had reports here in Blighty of people fainting in cinemas in the USA and having to be carried out. "THE SCARIEST FILM EVER MADE" screamed the press, and with the hoopla in America who was going to doubt it?I'd never been much of a Star Wars fan anyway so I was really excited about the big horror phenomenon of the year, and yet I can't express how appalled I was by what I saw. I sat and stared with a half smile on my face wondering when the film was going to kick in...after 80 minutes I realised it was not. The air of disappointment, not to mention disbelief, was palpable from my fellow cinemagoers as well.Months later I was out-voted in a video night at a friends house and The Blair Witch made a re-appearance, this time I was surprised for all the right reasons. With the lights off and the curtains drawn (and essentially not in the company of 100+ other viewers) it takes on a whole different atmosphere (with the emphasis on fear).Reviewed on the small screen, Blair Witch works exceptionally well. The infamous shaky camcorder footage is, after all, meant to look like a dodgy home video and now it does, all the more effective on the appropriate medium. And, the hype having now died down, the viewer doesn't feel the same pressure to love its "originality", praise its "ground-breaking" style and boast about how long its been since they had a night's sleep.Blair Witch is a mini-masterpiece of cinematic beauty and breathless creepiness. Many a professional critic has written that this is not an accomplished film and that "cinematically it's shaky" (step up Monty Smith of The Mirror) but the whole point is that this is a homefromhome-video filmed by less than professional kids made all the worse by fear. Mission accomplished.I've just watched the film again on TV and it was still fantastic, and that remember is coming from someone who was originally its biggest critic. How'd that happen?!The ending (set up earlier in the film in a scene that isn't highlighted at the time as being important) is truly chilling and made me love the film even more.So settle down alone or with a few friends and give this film a chance, it may not always shock but as a horror should, it will scare.

The premise is a great one, and I can understand how some audience members believed they were watching real documentary footage. The hand-held camera shots, deliberately dim lighting and sometimes dodgy sound all make this seem a perfectly convincing amateur film. A clever marketing campaign also perpetuated the idea that this was indeed real footage (all very postmodern, enthused the film geeks). I think if I'd watched it believing that, it would have been a different story. As it was, I was well aware that I was watching a created 'reality' and so it was less effective.The film itself is really a cinema film - much of the tension comes from the sounds heard while the screen is nearly black. At home, even with a decent surround sound system, some of this is lost. In terms of horror- well, there is pretty much no gore bar the 'find' amongst the twigs (I won't give it away) and even then, it's tame. The chill comes from the suspense and tension which is effectively built.Personally, I didn't feel at all scared while watching it and didn't once cover my eyes, which is rare for me as I'm a wuss. So five for cinematography and originality, but a three for spookiness.