13 Creepy movies #3: 'The Blair Witch Project'

November 1, 3:56 AMWinter Park Movie ExaminerJack Calvert

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Wickedly scary:  'The Blair Witch Project' (1999)

Haxan Films' The Blair Witch Project is considered by many to be one of the scariest movies of all time, and with good reason. With mounting unease punctuated by moments of blind terror, this ferociously suspenseful thriller exploited our deepest primal fears and set our collective nerves to jangling in a way that few films had done before.

Directors Daniel Myrick and Eduardo Sanchez cleverly constructed the film to resemble  the found footage of an unfinished documentary whose crew allegedly had vanished in the woods near Burkittsville, Maryland while investigating a rural legend known as the 'Blair Witch.' The footage purportedly documents the gradual deterioration of student filmmakers Heather Donahue, Joshua Leonard, and Michael C. Williams after they become lost in the woods and encounter a variety of increasingly frightening phenomena in the hours leading up to their disappearance. Ominous cracking sounds are heard in the dark, accompanied by eerie, inhuman cries. Strange twig figures are found hanging from the trees, and the tents are buffeted by unseen forces. After Josh disappears, Heather discovers a small pile of stones containing what appears to be teeth, flesh, and pieces of bloody cloth. When the traumatized Heather and Michael discover a sinister house the woods, their descent into shrieking madness will soon be complete.

That the actors themselves operated the cameras lent the film a level of authenticity that was only heightened by their ultra-credible performances. There wasn't a single frame of obvious 'acting' in the movie, which doubtless contributed to persistent rumors that the events depicted had actually happened. The filmmakers were so effective at seamlessly removing all traces of the film-outside-the-film that Blair Witch appeared to  be exactly what was purported: a student documentary gone horribly wrong, with no apparent survivors.

The sequel, Book of Shadows: Blair Witch 2, was very dissimilar to The Blair Witch Project in both style and content, and was a critical and commercial disappointment. One criticism of the film was that it was more along the lines of a conventional slasher movie than a psychological/supernatural horror film. Haxan Films, creators of the The Blair Witch Project, had very little to do with Book of Shadows, however in an interview for Entertainment Weekly, Myrick and Sanchez indicated that they are currently in discussions to do another sequel that will be more in keeping with the spirit of the original film.

If you like a good scare but somehow missed the original Blair Witch Project, it's worth a look, but don't see it alone. It's a diabolically creepy little movie whose final moments will leave your guts in knots.

The Blair Witch Project is available for online rental from Netflix and Blockbuster.com, and is available for purchase on VHS, DVD through Amazon.com. Rated R for language and scenes of intense terror.   

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