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Reviews:
The Blair Rich Project
by
Michael Flanagan
Super
The Blair Witch Project made so much money that by it's very
nature it has to get a good review.
It's originality and see-nothing scare factor earn it at least a
"Solid," but several important factors bring that initial
rating up to the aforementioned "Super."
The first is that it sparks conversation.
I have been involved in countless arguments over the ending, what
it means, who was the killer, was it good, was it bad, and how much of
an annoying bitch is Heather Donahue, etc.
Any film that causes people to react in different ways to many
levels of depth to a story is worth at least a second viewing, just to
prepare for the next conversation.
Take it from me, it's important to always be right.
The second "rating earner" lies in the simple fact that
there was no script. As a writer, I have to respect a film that earns millions and
has no script. All the
action is improvised, based on the basic direction of the film, provided
by the creators on tiny little instructional sheets.
For example, the cast would receive a piece of paper which would
say, "Heather, hold the camera to your face and let mucus run down
your nose." And the
result is the most famous single shot in all of cinematic horror
history.
Thirdly, the movie made people vomit in theatre lobbies.
It showed almost no blood, no gore, heck, it didn't even show the
killer, and yet people were hurling by popcorn stands for weekend after
weekend. Sure, it was just because of the rapid camera motion leading
to nausea in mostly women, but still, that's a reaction most movies
don't get.
And finally, The Blair Witch Project is "Solid" because of my house.
I live in a very rural area, surrounded by trees and rocks and,
well, forests. I was somewhat frightened by certain scenes in the movie, but
my greatest moment of fear came after I got home.
I stood out in my driveway, in the darkness, surrounded by the
sounds of the woods at night, and I was afraid.
So much so that I rushed to the front door and reached into my
pocket for my keys. From
behind me, in the darkness, I heard something . . . maybe someone laughing? I pulled the
keys out and brought the house key to the door but—NO—I dropped
them! I bent to pick them
up and heard footsteps coming over crumpled fall leaves.
I finally got my door open and ran into the house. I shut the door behind me and sat down to write this
review. I heard footsteps
coming up the stairs! I
think there's someone in the corner!
I think
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Heather Donahue won a Razzie Award for her acting in The
Blair Witch Project. The film was nominated for worst picture.
The three main actors and actress shot nearly all of the completed film -- the first time in motion picture history.
The actors were requested to interview the townspeople, which often, unbeknownst
to the actors, were planted by the directors. As a result, the expressions on the actors' faces were unrehearsed. Furthermore, the actors were given no more than a 35-page outline of the mythology behind the plot before shooting began. All lines were improvised and nearly all the events in the film were unknown to the three actors beforehand, and were often on-camera surprises to them all.
The working title was "The Black Hills Project."
Some theatergoers experienced nausea from the handheld camera movements and actually had to leave to vomit. In some Toronto theatres, ushers asked patrons who where prone to motion sickness to sit in the aisle seat and to try not to "throw up on other people." I saw the film three-times and twice I was with girls who got sick.
The production company "Haxan Films" got its named from Benjamin Christensen's witchcraft documentary,
Häxan from 1922, a source of inspiration for the film.
Blair Witch was filmed mostly in Rockville, not Burkittsville, Maryland.
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