Not being that in touch with Horror hype I haven't heard about the third Blair Witch installment until rather recently, so I've decided to watch the first films again (it has literally been over a decade). So after watching this title again I checked some of the trivia details and some web articles, a process which has lead me to the unfortunate conclusion that I can't recommend TBWP to any new spectators.
The story is quite simple (which is part of why it works). Three film students travel to an old city surrounded by woodlands in pursuit of information about "The Blair Witch", something between local folklore, an urban legend and a myth. The videotape some sites, interview some locals, and head for the woods for a night of camping before heading back to civilization. That's when things start to get wrong, as the trio gets hopelessly lost, tensions become high and someone (or something) obviously tries to make them feel unwelcome.
I know, thinking of that setting almost makes you able to visualize some of the scenes, and most chances are you wouldn't be far from what's actually shown in the film. That's because most Horror fans (and even certain fans of mainstream cinema) have by now seen titles exemplifying how the "Found Footage" sub-genre has improved and matured over the years (and I'd say it has become boring and tedious, but that's just my own thoughts and isn't relevant). No, in order to appreciate the Blair Witch you had to have been there, way back at the turning point of the millennium, when there still hadn't been a "Found Footage" sub-genre and perhaps two films (UFO Abduction of 1989 and its remake Alien Abduction of 1998) have ever used the "documentary" shooting style in a thriller or Horror film. I was too young to take part in the hype, but from I've collected - a website came up telling of a videotape found in a deserted camera in the woods near what used to be the town of "Blair". With no reason not to - people believed it. With no information to contradict this intuitive conclusion - people thought they were actually going to watch an authentic found footage. The producers handed out "Missing" flyers of the students (actually a cast of two actors and an actress) during the debut screening in the festival, the cast itself was forbidden by contract to make any public appearances, and most spectators simply didn't know any better.
Think about it. The web page. The characters' names being identical to the cast's names. Missing person flyers. A footage which in all standards looks precisely like a real documentary. Who could have known? Who would have guessed but the cynics and nay-sayers (who have an annoying habit of being right)? Watching the film under the impression the events were real would indeed justify the film being unofficially dubbed "the scariest movie of all times". And as much as it might today seem average at best both as a Horror title in general and as a "Found Footage" film specifically - numbers don't lie: 40k budget, near 300m earnings. That is how you make a legend.
If any of the anecdotes (true as far as I've been able to track) mentioned here have made you curious and you wish to experience the thrill over two decades after - go right ahead and watch this, just don't expect to have your mind blown. Remember, this is the film which officially gave birth to the Found Footage sub-genre, it was a cinematic and creative breakthrough, but s was the light bulb (and you're reading this on a computer or portable device). If you'd rather enjoy the legacy - go watch any other Found Footage Horror out there (any Paranormal Activity title comes to mind, of course) and know that it wouldn't be here without the pioneering genius of the Blair Witch Project.
The story is quite simple (which is part of why it works). Three film students travel to an old city surrounded by woodlands in pursuit of information about "The Blair Witch", something between local folklore, an urban legend and a myth. The videotape some sites, interview some locals, and head for the woods for a night of camping before heading back to civilization. That's when things start to get wrong, as the trio gets hopelessly lost, tensions become high and someone (or something) obviously tries to make them feel unwelcome.
I know, thinking of that setting almost makes you able to visualize some of the scenes, and most chances are you wouldn't be far from what's actually shown in the film. That's because most Horror fans (and even certain fans of mainstream cinema) have by now seen titles exemplifying how the "Found Footage" sub-genre has improved and matured over the years (and I'd say it has become boring and tedious, but that's just my own thoughts and isn't relevant). No, in order to appreciate the Blair Witch you had to have been there, way back at the turning point of the millennium, when there still hadn't been a "Found Footage" sub-genre and perhaps two films (UFO Abduction of 1989 and its remake Alien Abduction of 1998) have ever used the "documentary" shooting style in a thriller or Horror film. I was too young to take part in the hype, but from I've collected - a website came up telling of a videotape found in a deserted camera in the woods near what used to be the town of "Blair". With no reason not to - people believed it. With no information to contradict this intuitive conclusion - people thought they were actually going to watch an authentic found footage. The producers handed out "Missing" flyers of the students (actually a cast of two actors and an actress) during the debut screening in the festival, the cast itself was forbidden by contract to make any public appearances, and most spectators simply didn't know any better.
Think about it. The web page. The characters' names being identical to the cast's names. Missing person flyers. A footage which in all standards looks precisely like a real documentary. Who could have known? Who would have guessed but the cynics and nay-sayers (who have an annoying habit of being right)? Watching the film under the impression the events were real would indeed justify the film being unofficially dubbed "the scariest movie of all times". And as much as it might today seem average at best both as a Horror title in general and as a "Found Footage" film specifically - numbers don't lie: 40k budget, near 300m earnings. That is how you make a legend.
If any of the anecdotes (true as far as I've been able to track) mentioned here have made you curious and you wish to experience the thrill over two decades after - go right ahead and watch this, just don't expect to have your mind blown. Remember, this is the film which officially gave birth to the Found Footage sub-genre, it was a cinematic and creative breakthrough, but s was the light bulb (and you're reading this on a computer or portable device). If you'd rather enjoy the legacy - go watch any other Found Footage Horror out there (any Paranormal Activity title comes to mind, of course) and know that it wouldn't be here without the pioneering genius of the Blair Witch Project.