Review on The Blair Witch Project (1999)
The Blair Witch Project.
This low budget film was made with a couple of hand held cameras and amateur actors. No special effects were used, no thought out script and only shot in a few days, as explained by Janet Maslin in a review on The New York Times. 'Like a cabin built entirely out of soda cans, ''The Blair Witch Project'' is a nifty example of how to make something out of nothing. Nothing but imagination, and a game plan so enterprising it should elevate its creators to pinup status at film schools everywhere. Shot in only eight days with no real script, this little movie is a locomotive pulling a Web site, a mythology, a special on the Sci-Fi Channel and assorted tie-ins in its wake. And all of it, including the film's cult status, has been skillfully spun out of thin air.' (Maslin, 1999) The film gives the impression of a documentary gone wrong, it relies on your imagination and makes you wonder if this was real and that the actors really did go missing. This is mentioned by Roger Ebert in a review on Chicago Sun Times. 'It's presented in the form of a documentary. We learn from the opening titles that in 1994 three young filmmakers went into a wooded area in search of a legendary witch: "A year later, their footage was found." The film's style and even its production strategy enhance the illusion that it's a real documentary. The characters have the same names as the actors.' (Ebert, 1999) It leaves you wondering if there was a witch or a satanic cult actually happening around them, or they hoaxed the whole thing.
With the use of hand held cameras you do get that feeling of irritation as its going all over the place. With some parts, such as where they are running from something in the dark there is a more personal experience of actually being there amongst the action as explained by Ali Barclay in a review on BBC. 'The dynamics between the three main characters, veering from intense dislike to petrified reliance on each other, makes compelling if uncomfortable viewing. In addition, the handheld camerawork - on both videotape and film - creates a real in-your-face feel that extends the mounting anxieties experienced by the characters to the audience.' (Barclay, 2000)
Witchcraft.
With the use of hand held cameras you do get that feeling of irritation as its going all over the place. With some parts, such as where they are running from something in the dark there is a more personal experience of actually being there amongst the action as explained by Ali Barclay in a review on BBC. 'The dynamics between the three main characters, veering from intense dislike to petrified reliance on each other, makes compelling if uncomfortable viewing. In addition, the handheld camerawork - on both videotape and film - creates a real in-your-face feel that extends the mounting anxieties experienced by the characters to the audience.' (Barclay, 2000)
Abandoned House.
List of Illustrations
Figure 1. Myrick, Daniel. Sanchez, Eduardo. (1999) The Blair Witch Project. [Film poster] At: http://www.impawards.com/1999/blair_witch_project_ver3.html (Accessed on: 02.03.11)
Figure 2. Myrick, Daniel. Sanchez, Eduardo. (1999) Witchcraft. [Screen cap] At: http://cinemastyles.blogspot.com/2010/10/defending-unknown-blair-witch-project.html (Accessed on: 02.03.11)
Figure 3. Myrick, Daniel. Sanchez, Eduardo. (1999) Abandoned House. [Screen cap] At: http://www.castleofspirits.com/blairwitch3.html (Accessed on: 02.03.11)
Figure 2. Myrick, Daniel. Sanchez, Eduardo. (1999) Witchcraft. [Screen cap] At: http://cinemastyles.blogspot.com/2010/10/defending-unknown-blair-witch-project.html (Accessed on: 02.03.11)
Figure 3. Myrick, Daniel. Sanchez, Eduardo. (1999) Abandoned House. [Screen cap] At: http://www.castleofspirits.com/blairwitch3.html (Accessed on: 02.03.11)
Bibliography
Barclay, Ali (2000) The Blair Witch Project (1999). http://www.bbc.co.uk/films/2000/10/23/blair_witch_project_1999_review.shtml (Accessed on: 02.03.11)
Ebert, Roger (1999) The Blair Witch Project. http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/19990716/REVIEWS/907160301 (Accessed on: 02.03.11)
Maslin, Janet (1999) The Blair Witch Project (1999). http://movies.nytimes.com/movie/review?res=9C02E6D91E3CF937A25754C0A96F958260&partner=Rotten%20Tomatoes (Accessed on: 02.03.11)
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