The Blair Witch Project

"In October 1994, three film student filmmakers disappeared in the woods near Burkittsville, Maryland while shooting a documentary...."

"A year later their footage was found"

This great quote in short tells the details of the Blair Witch plot. It is a plot that like most horror films can be questioned. How can the woods be the only setting? What is the purpose to this? Could it really work with only three cast members? Taking this all together, still The Blair Witch Project is something we could never have experienced or predicted what it was going to be.

By using a small budget of only $20,000 to $25,000 aside from the opening shots, The Blair Witch Project is set only in the woods. The setting of the woods helps this film break the norm for horror movies. The woods here have a strange eerie feel, and is very original. You have the feeling along with characters of never getting out and no doubt it will you make at wilderness quite differently.

With the small budget, the film only needs three cast members. Heather (Heather Donahue) is the only girl of the group and really emerges as the leader as they try to get out of the woods. Mike (Michael Williams) is a character who becomes very creepy once the harmful effects in the woods prey on him. Josh (Joshua Leonard) is the quiet member of the group in this bad situation. The cast really works due to the good acting by actors who are unknowns who we don't recognize making it realistic.

After a plot and story that seems like it can't get much better, the ending is one that REALLY can't much better. The ending comes out of nowhere as again it is in the woods and in a place that seems like it's in the middle of nowhere. It is a heart-pounding and very scary ending. The final shot is very clever as there are different possible theories raised about what just happened. This is one of the best endings in movie history, no doubt.

The Blair Witch Project is not normal horror. It is horror that goes way above the normal common ground and makes it's own mark on the movie world. We know we are going to get good horror films in the years to come but The Blair Witch Project will always be beside those at the top.

5/5

Top ten favorite horror films

October is really when we see a lot of horror films released and talked about obviously because of Halloween. This is good for me but actually I watch horror films all the time. Every week. Every month. I thought it might be a good time to list my top ten horror films. Here they are!

Long forgotten and could also be described as psychological horror. Brad Anderson's Session 9 is just great. Really creepy, great atmosphere and it has a great ending, Session 9 works on every level and is one you won't forget.

Even though most people that I know didn't like it and the sequels are really getting old, Paranormal Activity is a movie I have always liked a lot. It can be really creepy at times especially the ending. This low budget movie really works with it's claustrophobic feel.

In a lot of ways, Halloween, Friday the 13th and Nightmare on Elm Street are kind of all the same thing. Even through most of sequels are not very good to their franchise, the originals are all very good and memorable. They also include young actors like Jamie Lee Curtis, Johnny Depp and Kevin Bacon. Frankly, I could watch each one of these over and over again.

I have seen all of Geroge Romero "Dead"  films and loved every one but Night of the Living Dead is my favorite of these. For the 60's, it was quite different and obviously scary for a movie from that time period. The ending is great as well. This is a film that brings back a lot of good memories from my younger teen years when I was just getting into horror movies.

Only die-hard horror fans know about this one called Let the Right One In. Really good stuff and it is one of the few horror films where kids are the lead characters. Oh and they are vampires!

I know the sequels are not so great and  most people didn't care for them and even the original got only a mixed reaction but Saw has always stood out for me. An orginal story with a very creepy concept. Count me as a fan.

This might more properly be in the science-fiction or comedy category but I will include Gremilns here. A real fun movie from the 80's with a great cast and strange killers. What more could you want? I still watch it.

No way can I leave off The Blair Witch Project. This film that has a lot of raw power and may have the greatest movie endings of all time. One of the best found footage movies ever.


I know I missed some great films but these are my top ten and are a must-see for horror movie fans.