1. The Marketing
How the the film was marketed was the largest element of what made the film successful and crashing box offices with the making of $248.6 million.
Directors Daniel Myrick and Eduardo Sanchez took advantage of the early enigma which was the Internet and created newsreel footage and missing persons articles pertaining to the three college student's missing whereabouts. Even at Sundance where it premiered in 1999, flyers were sent out the anyone participating in seeing the film encouraging to come forth with any information on them. Both directors kept everyone in the mindset these actual events are real.
Much like other websites involving missing people, police reports, updates on the investigation, and their background was posted as well as the actors' actual names to keep everyone in loop of the convincing realism. At a young age I thought this was so real, I wanted no part in visiting the woods and even watched the woods at night to pray something doesn't come after me. The marketing gimmick for the film defined the word "viral" and spawned the possibilities of what the internet could do and be, while also becoming.The legend itself was also made up by both Myrick and Sanchez, who created the story of a woman named Elly Kedward, who lured children in her home to draw their blood in 1785. She was also accused of being a witch by the local children in the town. After she was banned from the Town of Blair, this led to chain of disappearances, killings, and pandemonium. From 1785 to 1994, the Blair Witch's influence shook the Northern Maryland location. To read the entire timeline I'll post a link below.
The Blair Witch Timeline: https://www.blairwitch.com/mythology.html
2. Into the Woods
The Blair Witch Project displayed the power of imagination and suggestion like no other. While there were found footage films before this, this one created a movement. Once the three student filmmakers go into the woods, their fates are already sealed.
The film uses the setting itself as a monster, while the central villain controlling the strings is titular. One of the best aspects of the film is how all three characters slowly but surely deteriorate mentally from the sheer isolation of the woods. Characters do and say things that they usually wouldn't to each other strictly due to their own humanity. As a species we are highly reactive and the film exemplifies this through naturalization of the actors themselves, who show such phenomenal natural display emotions throughout the experience.
The film successfully escalates through pure atmosphere. Strange and disturbing noises, threatening stick figures, and a complete manipulation of the world itself. All of this surreal terror is subtle and well structured, leading to a very satisfying ending. The characterization is also under-mentioned, as we begin to see the true elements of the three main characters from where they started to where they end.3. Conclusion
On the 16th of this day, this film proved that the power of simplicity, imagination, and internet can do to create a new line of found footage cinema, even furthering the revolution of what the internet has become today.
I personally love the film to pieces and to this day it remains my favorite horror film. I still find it unnerving, yet fun to experience the feeling of being lost in the woods and hunted by an evil entity that never reveals itself. And while the sequel The Blair Witch (which I'll rip to shreds in the future) doesn't even remotely live up or even understand the power of the original, The Blair Witch Project will always be an experience I'm tempted to revisit again and again.
Have you seen the film? What are your thoughts on it? Leave a comment below!
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