Subgenre: Found Footage
Underlying Element: mystery | madness & paranoia
Director: Daniel Myrick & Eduardo Sánchez
Synopsis:
This movie is about three student filmmakers who wanted to make a documentary about the Blair Witch but ended up with compiled footage showing how they disappeared.
Analysis:
The Blair Witch Project (1999) is not the first found footage horror movie, but it popularized the subgenre and made a name for itself. Back then, it was marketed as something truly terrifying and real.
The truth is, there is nothing scarier than getting lost in the woods with a roaming evil witch. That setting is already dark, and with the home video style of the movie, every camera pan is definitely suspenseful.
Acting-wise, the three students are able to showcase their annoying sides all throughout their journey. This is why when the tension escalates, their legit fear and terror can also be felt by the audience.
It's the combination of their emotions, how they dealt with the situation, and the camerawork that made this movie scary.
Of course, the spooky ending will forever be etched in our memories.
Enjoyed the quick review?
Never seen it. Will add it to my list!
The Blair Witch Project is a classic! The promo for this film was genius 😅