433: The Blair Witch Project

[00:00:00] So, The Blair Witch Project came out in 1999, is directed by Daniel Myrick and Eduardo Sanchez, stars Heather Donoghue, Michael C. Williams, and Joshua Leonard. And the synopsis is, three film students vanish after traveling into a Maryland forest to film

[00:00:18] a documentary on the Blair Witch legend, leaving only their footage behind. Now the big thing with this movie, and really with found footage in general, is it's really made out to be a documentary of sorts, where they want to make you believe this is actually

[00:00:35] happening, this is real people, this is not a dramatization or a recreation. And this, for many reasons, was the one that brought that back to life with that genre. And the trailers, the marketing, posters, everything, they made it seem like this was

[00:00:53] real people, this actually happened, and this is their real footage. So that on its own is very clever and clearly had a big impact on audiences, and there's a huge fanbase for it.

[00:01:05] Like I said, I had seen this one probably back in high school, and I liked it at the time from what I remember but didn't really think much of it, and then decided to do this bonus show so I had to revisit it. Overall, I like the movie.

[00:01:25] It's one of those films that has such a huge reverential presence in pop culture where everyone mimics the documentary style, the reactions from characters, the camera movements, the horror and unknown mysteries of the movie where it's always parodied, it's referenced,

[00:01:47] it's copied, it's mimicked, all of those things where even before I was aware of the actual film or had seen the film, I knew that style backwards and front. I felt like I had already seen the movie by the time I actually watched it.

[00:02:03] And that in some ways, that doesn't inherently make a movie bad, and I still do like the movie a decent bit. I don't think it holds up fully. I didn't think it was a masterpiece when I first saw it, and I don't think that way now.

[00:02:16] I think it's still great, pretty well, but in some ways that impact of its style and gimmick so to speak has made it lose a little bit of its luster in my opinion.

[00:02:28] I think if maybe I'd seen it at the time like a lot of people did, I would feel differently, but being removed from it, I don't love the movie. I want to love all of these movies more than I do.

[00:02:40] I still appreciate them a lot and I enjoy a lot of different aspects to them and there are a lot of moments that I really love, but overall I don't think there's a masterpiece in there or with this first film.

[00:02:52] But putting all that aside, the movie is still very solid. Its documentary style and filmmaking is very clever and it's hard to really think about that being so big when it first came out because it's been so copied over the years, but I

[00:03:11] can imagine having seen other films in that originality and concept that make its impact and looking back and oh yeah, that was such a big influence on movies. I can imagine how it would be with this movie back in 1999.

[00:03:25] But in some ways I don't mind that you don't see anything in terms of the witch in this movie. I don't mind the unknown. I don't mind that it's mostly just where are they, where is she, what's going to happen next. I like that stuff.

[00:03:43] Nevertheless, the first half or so kind of drags. I feel like maybe because I do already know what's coming backwards and front it's not as suspenseful. There is one thing that I've read some other people have issues with which is the characters

[00:03:58] and some people find the characters to be annoying and that's a detractor. I agree with that. I don't mind having a horror film where characters are obnoxious or aggravating because in the

[00:04:11] end I know most of them are probably going to die at some point and I get that it's all about the kills and the deaths a lot of times in these movies so I don't mind that.

[00:04:21] However, at the same time with this movie you're stuck with those three characters the entire time. There's no break. There's no cutting away to the villain. There's no cutting away to other friends or families or groups that were a part of it.

[00:04:36] You are stuck with those three people and if you don't like spending time with them you can't do anything about it. It's 90 minutes of that. So I can understand if that is not a detractor for you that's fully understandable because

[00:04:49] I think there are plenty of movies that maybe have a similar style or concept that I don't mind those characters being there or being stuck with those characters but revisiting it after all this time they are just a little draining. I don't really cling to them that much.

[00:05:04] I don't really care about them. They are at 11 out of 10 all the time really and so in that way for whatever reason that doesn't totally hold up for me and I don't enjoy the journey as much as I wish I would

[00:05:17] and that's why even in some ways while I don't think that Blair Witch from 2016 is a better movie I sometimes enjoy that movie a little bit more because there are more breakup of characters and groups and certain characters are more bearable than others whereas in this

[00:05:32] I feel like all of them are really obnoxious and tiresome so that's not a huge issue for me in this kind of movie but I couldn't help but feel that way when I was revisiting it. Otherwise it's really well put together the documentary style of characters running through

[00:05:48] the woods and running into each other and not knowing what's behind them and scanning the forest at night with flashlights and all that is really well done and it's very suspenseful and unsettling and has that unpredictable nature to it so that way it fully holds up

[00:06:04] and I really enjoy that still. The last 20 minutes or so is probably my favorite part and I think that's generally the consensus. The house, the look of the house, the interior of the house, all that stuff I love and that's

[00:06:21] also my favorite part of Blair Witch the 2016 film. To me that part maybe because it's so contained whereas when you're in the woods it's so open there's not a lot of variety in terms of visuals or the possibilities of people

[00:06:38] being snuck up on or scares anything like that. The house makes a little bit more intimate and scary and unsettling and especially that's the case with the Adam Wingard film so I really like that part of the movie but there is a

[00:06:51] large chunk where I'm a little bored, a little worn out by the quote unquote gimmicks of the movie, of the jump scares and all that so I fully understand why someone thinks this is a 5 out of 5 masterpiece. I love it.

[00:07:07] I have my movies that I love in that way that maybe other people feel the way I do about this one so I don't disregard any of that and watching all these movies I wanted to love

[00:07:20] all of them even more than I did and maybe in time I will, maybe things will grow on me or whatever else by talking about them in this format maybe but as of now I don't

[00:07:32] love the movie as much as a lot of other landmark horror films either classic or modern films. It's up there like it's in a category that always sticks with me it's a film that really is very impactful and leaves a mark for sure.

[00:07:48] I just don't love it as much as I wish I did or as a lot of others do unfortunately. So that is a heavy 4 out of 5.