Use your IMAGINATION... (The Blair Witch Project (DVD))

Member Name: moleman

Product:	The Blair Witch Project (DVD)
Date:	28/10/00 (5 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Unique, creepy, well played.

Disadvantages: Never explains anything, a lot of arguing and screaming.

The debate's come up again, thanks to the release of the sequel: is Blair Witch an over-hyped home movie about kids getting scared by bits of wood, or a truly terrifying experience? My money's on the latter.
The film is solely (unlike similar movies) made up of video footage supposedly found in the belongings of three student filmmakers who disappeared in the wood near Burkitsville. They were filming a documentary on a local legend, the Blair Witch, also connected with a 1950s serialkiller in the area, Rustin Parr. After gathering some background material on the legend, they head off into the woods. Although one of the group is an experienced camper, they get lost, and tensions among them increase, coming to breaking point when one of them disappears. Something is out there in the woods, they can hear it at night, it leaves signs around (piles of rocks, ectoplasm), but reamins frustatingly hidden.
Inevitably, the home movie structure has its drawbacks. There is *no* regard for typical movie structure, which means there is no real plot, no story and no explanation for what's going on. Being essentially a three-hander, much of the movie also hinges on whether you care about the characters - if you can't stand them, you won't like the movie. But for my money, they are three very well rounded people who react in differing ways to their predicament.
Most of the other 'flaws' often pointed out can easily be explained. The movie, as stated at the beginning, is set in 1994, thus explaining why the students don't carry mobile phones.
Unlike virtually every horror movie ever made (with the exception of the original 'Cat People', you never see the bad guy. I think this is intentional, to open up debate about what is actually stalking the kids. Is it the Blair Witch, the ghost of Rustin Parr, or possibly his victims. Or is it one of three students? Nothing is explains, though definite clues are given in the extremely creep
y finale.
Realism is added to the mvoie by the now legendary way in which it was filmed. The three actors were sent out into the wilderness with their cameras. The recieved dwindling amounts of rationed, and only directed via notes left by the tent. So later in the film, when the characters are cold, angry, tired and hungry, it's not acting!
This is in my opinion a great film, which needs much more thought than most to really get the most out of it.
I'd recommend the DVD version over VHS, thanks to a few great extras. The audio commentary is informative and enlightening, with a lot of information about what didnt make it into the final cut. This includes interviews with townspeople, cops and family members, some of which was edited together as 'Curse of the Blair Witch', a 1-hour documentary included on the disc.
I'd also recommend the book Blair Witch project - A Dossier, as it contains some enlightening background information on the legend (OK, it's fictional, but still fascinating!)

I'd recommend anyone watch this movie at least once, but go to it with an open mind, and use your imagination!

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