The Blair Witch Project 1999

Fig 1. Movie Poster.

Eduardo Sánchez's and Daniel Myrick's 1999 horror The Blair Witch Project follows three young film makers who visit the town of Burkittsville, (formerly knowns as Blairsville) for their project to find the truth behind the urban legend of the Blair Witch, we hear of children who have been killed and bodies have disappeared - many strange events that occur in the woods. "Horror films that tap into our hard-wired instinctive fears probe a deeper place than movies with more sophisticated threats" (Ebert, 1990). The film making behind this film is brilliant and successful especially since it was a low budget film, from the very first shot we are presented with a mystery - "three student film makers went into the woods" immediately an audience would think bad idea thanks to our survival instincts, then we read that they disappeared we now think danger but we are not frightened yet, this is only to get our attention. Underneath an extension appears - a year later their footage was found, the audience are now intrigued and are going to find out what happened first hand from what is presented to be a trust worthy and factual documentary. (See fig 2). 

Fig 2. Opening Shot.

The structure is well put together from the first shot, the first part of the footage is creating context and introducing us to the world this is set in, Burkittsville, Marlyland in America. The students chat to locals who tell the urban legend of the Blair Witch that these film makers are investigating, one local is holding a child and when she goes to talk the child covers her mouth this suggests the idea that the witch is too dangerous to even speak of and right from the get go our instincts tell the characters don't go especially now we know they never come back (see fig 3). They see it as context for their film we see it as a warning which is ignored and as they enter the woods find some fisherman who again warn them of fateful events that have happened but again they're ignored. This sets up the rest of the plot and now everyone has the idea in mind that is being challenged and we want the answers too - what happened to the students? Is the Blair Witch real? 

Fig 3 Missing Poster

Everything about the visuals tie the whole world to the story, the cameras aren't the best quality they have a particular uncertainty to how it records, not all is clear and there are the black and white glitches (as seen in fig 2). The season which they enter the forest, the leaves have disappeared (just like they will), the weather is cold which you can tell from how they're dressed and the harsh colour palette the forest displays. The forest isn't welcoming anyone, it's dark and ominous. The best thing about this film in storytelling terms is the realist imagery presented, (there's no CGI used at all), we know this place is real it links so strongly to our simulation, the story isn't real but it feels as though it is which increases our fear. We are in that forest with them, the audience are the camera, where the camera is we are and throughout that film we're right in the centre of it all. "the main reason that the film works is that it takes a bit of an unconventional and refreshing approach in its attempt to scare its audience. “The Blair Witch Project” doesn’t merely work on just realism to achieve its horror -- it is, in fact, most impressive in how it utilizes its setting to ultimate effect to create a subtly overbearing atmosphere that just continues to creep into the film." (Larma, 2011).

The directors chose to keep what is happening to the characters ambiguous throughout which maintains our interest and adds to the realism of it all, we are not an all knowing audience, we're in the dark just as much as they are. The ending is the most ambiguous of all, no questions were answered it is up to us to guess what happened, convincing us it all is real is one trick then never telling us what happens is another. The characters and audience experience this together, when the camera stares off into the woods so do we, when they be quiet to hear something we listen too, we're immersed in their world of desolation, fear and despair. When we see the sticks (see fig 4) ordinarily we would not be frightened - they're harmless but we freak out almost as much as they do - same with the pile of rocks. "Here, the characters and audience feed off each other and experience things together. This is the ultimate goal of filmmaking, and it is achieved here so simply but at the same time so brilliantly." Larma, 2011). 

Fig 4. Sticks.

Another realism technique used to film is there was no planning, the actors went off on their own accord using the map and the crew would be the cause of events that occurred and the reactions were genuine they had no idea what would happen. Hardly anything is fake, (even the full names of characters and actors were the same) and thanks to the context and world created the audience are convinced it could be real. The characters' personalities are very much real too and the longer they're in the woods the more true colours become visible, for example when Heather refuses to put her camera away, that camera is her control device, she needs that to keep the feeling of vulnerability and danger away, she went in to create a project and thats all it will be nothing more or less, we see her moment of defeat when she's accepted her fate crying into the camera apologising to everyone - she has been unraveled and as an audience we have connected and feel sympathy. One of the strongest parts of the film for creating reality is the sound effects, (no music scores are used or necessary), it's the sounds in the dark that appeal to our senses and scare us, the sound is scarier than whatever makes the sound, it's the vulnerability you're exposed to by not being able to see and it sets the imagination wild. "The Blair Witch Project" is a reminder that what really scares us is the stuff we can't see. The noise in the dark is almost always scarier than what makes the noise in the dark. (Ebert, 1990).




Bibliography

Ebert, Roger. "The Blair Witch Project Movie Review (1999) | Roger Ebert". Rogerebert.com. N.p., 1999. Web. 11 May 2017.

"The Blair Witch Project (1999) -- First Review". Larma7-filmsandstuff.blogspot.co.uk. N.p., 2011. Web. 11 May 2017.

Illustration List:

Figure 1. Movie Poster. (1999) At: http://www.impawards.com/1999/blair_witch_project_ver3.html (Accessed on: 11 May 2017)

Figure 2. Opening Shot. (1999) At: http://www.thereelbits.com/2016/09/13/90s-bits-the-blair-witch-project/ (Accessed on: 11 May 2017)

Figure 3. Missing Poster. (1999) At: http://iris.theaureview.com/how-the-blair-witch-project-convinced-a-generation-that-the-found-footage-horror-film-was-real/ (Accessed on: 11 May 2017)

Figure 4. Sticks. (1999) At: https://www.blogdecine.com/reflexiones-de-cine/las-secuelas-de-la-bruja-de-blair-que-nunca-llegamos-a-ver (Accessed on: 11 May 2017)