Okay, so I’m sure most people have seen this movie, seeing as it’s nearly 20 years old. It popularised the whole “found footage” craze and has been parodied to death. I have to admit though, I love this movie! If you just sit in the dark and watch it alone, you start to appreciate how well made and creepy it is. I love the ambience it creates. Seriously, watch it alone in the dark, in the middle to late October. You will see what I mean. And if not, well as least you gave it a try. Don’t forget to check out the Honest Trailer and Everything Wrong With.
So everyone knows it’s about three student filmmakers who go out into the middle of nowhere in the small town of Burkittsville, Maryland to film a documentary about the Blair Witch. They disappear, never to be found again. After a year, their footage is found. What follows is essentially 80 minutes of arguing and screaming. They get lost and take their anger out on each other, like it’s going to help… And everyone knows the famous scene where Heather is crying into the camera in fear at a very unflattering angle.
Every time I watch this scene I think it looks nothing like her. The angle and lighting really changes her, maybe it’s just me?
I love that scene where they’re filming residents of Burkittsville and the woman with the toddler is talking about the Blair witch. The toddler keeps putting her hand over her mother’s mouth because the story is scaring her. It’s adorable and funny.
They really went all out with the marketing and trying to make it look real. They made a website and missing posters:
Considering it only cost them $60,000 to make, their work really paid off, making a staggering $248.6 million back at the box office. This really shows that you don’t need millions to make a good, successful horror movie. Just look at Halloween ($325,000 > $70 million), The Evil Dead ($400,000 > $2.4 million), and Night of the Living Dead ($114,000 > $30 million). They were also made on small budgets and have become ground-breaking in the horror genre.
All in all, I personally think this movie is great to watch at Halloween, in the dark, and you’re welcome to disagree. If you first saw it years ago when it was first released and didn’t like it, give it another watch. You may change your mind. If not, well at least you gave it a second chance and know for sure that you definitely don’t like it.
As for the two sequels, I’ll cover them some other time. But in short, I recommend them too. But that’s for another time…
Linsey Loves Horror 