The Blair Witch Project

I needed a short film today as I was a little pushed for time, so the 74-minute Blair Witch Project was perfect, until I realised I was watching a horror film alone in an empty flat immediately before going to bed, not always a wise decision. You’ll be able to tell when I’m really busy when I post about watching La Voyage Dans la Lune (14 mins) or the Cat Concerto (8 mins).

Supposedly well known purely for its ‘found footage’ gimmick, this is actually a very well made and surprisingly disconcerting horror, following three college students filming a documentary on the ‘Blair Witch’, a local legend believed by many to be just an urban myth.

Setup and exposition are covered by the students own camera footage of preparations for the trip and interviews with locals (planted by the directors unbeknownst to the actors), both of which serve to realise the real-life documentary format, assisted by juddery, poorly framed camerawork and occasionally inaudible dialogue.

Once the trip begins, the trio are on good terms, mucking around with the camera, filming each other peeing and generally joking around as they get to know one another, but as the trip inevitably turns sour, the three turn upon one another and the relationships break down. The reason it looks so real on camera is due to the directors putting the actors through the situations for real, making them trek through the woods, camping out and carrying all their equipment, requesting they shoot all the footage themselves, not to mention putting them through emotional and psychological trauma, usually without warning or explanation.

Choose film 7/10