Review:Blair Witch Project, The/Brian Kurtz

I've always had mixed feelings on this one. Like the Saw franchise, the strength of The Blair Witch Project is accentuated by its various satellite projects, specifically the Curse of the Blair Witch and The Burkittsville 7 mockumentaries (You can skip Book of Shadows: Blair Witch 2 unless you're a completist). I appreciate how the creators were able to do a great deal with very little, and I think the primary actors all give extremely believable performances, which consists of very basic reactionary dialogue, not the "clever" Tarantinoesque dialogue that is found in larger Hollywood films. I also respect how this film is a trend-setter, establishing a cottage industry with the "found footage" technique that has been imitated (with varying results) in other films such as Paranormal Activity, Grave Encounters, Cloverfield, etc.

What I like most about this movie is the lore that is created concerning the Blair Witch, most of which is established in the first half an hour, with interviews with Burkittsville locals talking about the folklore surrounding Ellie Kedwards, aka the Blair Witch. This includes the mystery of Coffin Rock, the disappearance of a girl named Robin Weaver, and a hermit named Rustin Parr, who was responsible for the abduction and subsequent murder of seven children back in 1940. The Rustin Parr story is expanded upon in greater detail in the above-mentioned mockumentaries.

The scare scenes in this movie were infrequent, but effective - owing completely to the found footage style. The scares would not have worked at all if this were shot in a traditional format. After all, what's so scary about finding a pile or rocks outside your tent, or a stick figure man tied to a tree branch? But witnessing these occurrences through the literal eyes of the actors gives the scenes a level of realism that I felt worked perfectly.

This is not to say that The Blair Witch Project is any way a perfect film. The biggest detriment I think is that there are very long stretches of time, which consists of nothing more than the three main characters screaming and swearing at each other. This seems to go on at an interminable length, and really bogs the story down.

In conclusion, I feel that The Blair Witch Project is a fine addition in the annals of horror history, notable for its unique style, its minimalist resources and the raw performances of its cast.