The Blair Witch Project (1999) ***

It has been proven that the unseen is scarier than what is dropped down on us, waiting for us to give examination. The slow reveal of Jaws and the numerous masked maniacs of the last forty years are a testament to that theory. Add into that the concept that what you are witnessing play out on the screen is real and the people involved are facing the real consequences of their real actions gives you the feeling that this could happen to anyone. It could happen to you. Your mind begins to build what the terror is on its own and, in a way, you start to scare yourself.

The Blair Witch Project is presented as a documentary showing the found footage left by a trio of filmmakers (Heather Donahue, Michael C. Williams, and Joshua Leonard). Their project is an investigation of the legend of the Blair Witch, a legend of the Maryland backwoods. Everything progresses in the typical way until they trek into the woods , where their actions lead to a supernatural reckoning. Eventually everything descends into terror and chaos.

The film is shot guerrilla style with two cameras switching between black and white and color. Set in 1994 the camera quality is not the greatest, but Blair Witch really captures the bare bones feel of documentary film making. The acting is quite hammy and can drag the film to a halt in some parts, but this fault is washed away in genuine fear and terror are thrust upon the screen for us. This is probably due to the actors getting dumped in the woods themselves to be scared by the crew all night. Method acting at its finest?

I'm not sure if this is the first found footage film. I am sure that Blair Witch instigated that sub-genre of horror that has ballooned out and claimed a stake in the medium over the last 15 years. What the film truly pioneered was the idea of viral marketing in the film industry. Websites, missing persons reports, and other items presented the concept that this film really happened and proceeded to influence film marketing in its wake.

The marketing is the true legacy of this film. Otherwise this is a slightly above average ghost story made on the cheap that made a ton of money at the box office. It really hasn't aged well, having been held up as a revolutionary film almost 20 years ago. It has a legacy that continues to reverberate in the film industry. As a marketing campaign it is a landmark. As a film it is just meh.