Recommendations of the Editorial team
“The Blair Witch Project” initiated the boom in 1999 of a narrative ahead, which is based on the suggested faith “found film material”. And sold a feature film as a documentary by amateur directors that is presented unchanged. That found footage horror can be scary when the pseudo-authenticity has an authentic effect.
This already proved Ruggero Deodato’s “Cannibal Holocaust” from 1980, in which the “film” of a crew “found” that wanted to turn a documentary over cannibal in the jungle. And was eaten. Captured in this “film”.
Trailer – “The Blair Witch Project”:
For “The Blair Witch Project”, the newcomers to the director Myrick and Sánchez used all the uncertainties and ambiguities about the young World Wide Web in order to initiate a viral advertising campaign to initiate the disappearance of three students who in the forests of Maryland the “Hexe von Blair” accompanied, and which was raised as missing.
A brilliant coup. 25 years ago, no network surfer was fake news trained. It seemed credible that these three people existed.
Jumpscare not necessary
Almost all mythologies established in horror films follow this law. The supernatural is denied. The evil is located in human actions. The greater the shock for protagonists if they face the actual monster.
“The Blair Witch Project” goes the opposite way in a spectacular way. The adventurers terrorized by nightly noises discover their belief in the witch. Just to have to get to an earthly killer at the end. All without a single jump scare. He prepares his murders with rituals, puts on the tents in front of her tents. In the same cinema year as David Lynch, who, in “The Straight Story”, philosophized about the strong resilience. This great box set contains alternative ends and deleted scenes (Second Sight Films).