This film will always be one of the most inventive and original horror films in my book. Although it wasn't the first found footage film, it definitely set off the trend of so many followers for the next two decades. In addition to that , this film will also be known as the film that probably had the most inventive marketing strategies ever. It literally went viral before anyone even knew the term or anyone even knew that such a thing could be accomplished with the internet. With all of that said, the film is constantly knocked by horror fans for not being "scary" or not realistic or "cheesy". To me the film shows how anyone can execute a powerfully suspenseful story with little to no violence and a very low budget. It all starts with the acting. The performances by the actors in this film are absolutely remarkable. I was 14 when I first saw it and literally still thought it was "real" when I went to the theater to see it. This was accomplished by the believable and realistic performances by everyone , especially the lead female. The story is simple but down right scary and honestly would've held its own as just a survivalist film. This leads to my only gripe with the film and that's the fact that it really didn't need to develop, the supernatural and/or murderer plot beyond what it did in the beginning. It really only served the purpose of giving others a reason to hate on it. Just being lost in the woods is scary enough and to me the director did an amazing job of creating an extreme level of intensity just with that part of the story. The ending was open ended enough to send chills down your spine, once again without showing any blood or gore. It's affective with just atmosphere and acting. Like I said earlier , some people really hate this film but what I find interesting is that many people who hate it love films that were obviously influenced by it. Without Blair Witch we would not have Paranormal activity, Quarantine or even the most recent The Host.
Review of The Blair Witch Project
