The Blair
Witch Project (1999)
Starring Heather Donahue, Michael C. Williams,
Joshua Leonard
Written & directed by Daniel Myrick and Eduardo Sanchez.
Grade: D+
Review by Carlo Cavagna.
(Note: For a more positive review of The Blair Witch Project,
read Dana's critique. Dana has rated this
movie an A-.)
Plot Synopsis by Dana: Presented as if it were a documentary,
The Blair Witch Project begins with a title card explaining that what
you are about to see is footage found in the woods of Maryland a year after
the three young people who shot it disappeared. Beyond that, there is no introduction,
nor is there a denouement. The film is comprised entirely of the assembled footage.
Aspiring filmmaker Heather has recruited her friend Josh to act as cinematographer
on her documentary project. Josh, in turn, has recruited his friend Michael
to accompany them as sound recordist. Via video footage documenting the making
of her documentary and the 16mm footage shot for the project, we follow them
from the planning and packing stages through their trip into the Maryland woods
in search of evidence to support or refute a local myth, which concerns a string
of disappearances purportedly linked to a supernatural being who haunts those
woods. From the outset we know that they too will disappear, and that their
footage will tell as much of their story as can ever be known.
That's
right, a D+. I'm fully aware that The Blair Witch Project has amassed
quite a store of critical acclaim, but I attribute some of the accolades to
what I call "independent film bias." While I can see how the film's hyper-realism
might be appealing to some audiences (as it was to my fellow AboutFilm.Com critic
Dana, whose opinion I always respect), I can't help thinking that some
reviewers are praising The Blair Witch Project only because it differs
so much from Hollywood fare. Made for only about $35,000 by a couple of film
students, it's about as independent as an independent film can get. Some of
the people involved (particularly Heather Donahue) exhibit promising talent,
but ultimately The Blair Witch Project is a half-realized student effort
accompanied by a clever marketing campaign, nothing more.
There have been a handful of other critical voices in the wilderness. Most
of these have focused on the lack of a conclusive ending, the immaturity of
the characters, and the dizzying camerawork. Although the camerawork did give
me a massive headache, these are not my objections to the movie. I don't expect
a film to tie all its loose ends together--in fact, I prefer it when certain
things are left to the audience to interpret and digest. In fact, the idea behind
The Blair Witch Project (that it is purportedly the footage shot by three
student filmmakers in the woods before they disappear) is brilliantly original.
Complaints that characters are too "juvenile," too silly, or too stupid are
out of touch with reality. To me, the three kids are convincingly real, as is
their improvised dialogue. Heather Donahue is an impressive actress, and her
eponymous character is extraordinarily multilayered and well-conceived. She
is very much a "type-A" person--a control freak--and when she begins to fall
apart emotionally, she does so just as any control freak would--in part by insisting
on taking all the blame! Michael Williams is also effective. I like how Mike
goes from being the aloof tag-along to an irresponsible jerk before finally
becoming the emotional ballast. As for Joshua Leonard, he was the least interesting
character or actor of the three, but he delivered a competent effort, always
remaining credible. The characters, their development, and their interaction
are the best things about The Blair Witch Project.
So what is it about The Blair Witch Project that left me bored and unengaged?
I asked myself this question repeatedly before I finally realized that it was
the writing. An inventive concept and outstandingly well-improvised dialogue
is no substitute for a coherent narrative vision. Inventive and commendably
subversive though it may be, The Blair Witch Project is little more than
three kids running around the woods. Sounds of rocks being kicked around after
dark and bundles of sticks left for the characters to find did not tickle my
imagination. My reaction to the ending was, "That's it?"
I'm not suggesting that The Blair Witch Project should have a more conclusive
resolution. What I am suggesting is that there ought to be more for the audience
to sink its teeth into. I wanted to walk out of the movie theater with clues
to mull over and possible explanations to ponder. But instead I walked out with
nothing, because there isn't enough investigation of the events that unfold
on screen.
The Blair Witch Project begins with a handful of interviews with local
townspeople who give realistically jumbled accounts of the local legends. Beyond
these stories, we see only a short uninformative monologue by Heather intended
to introduce her documentary. Heather, Joshua, and Mike don't make much
of an attempt to sift through the legends, which is odd because they are supposedly
making a documentary.
Similarly, once the "terror" begins, the three friends make little attempt
to relate the events to the ghost stories they've heard. Instead of trying to
figure out what's going on, they just react to everything with an "ohmygod."
Given how long they are stranded in the woods, it seems strange that they make
no attempt to piece together the puzzle. Too intellectual an approach would
have, of course, destroyed the film's sense of cinema verité,
but a little bit more exposition and discussion would have made subsequent events
more interesting.
Filmmakers Daniel Myrick and Eduardo Sanchez didn't do anything more than make
up a few stories and send the three actors into the woods with cameras with
instructions as to where they were eventually supposed to end up. The concept
is full of potential, but Myrick and Sanchez should have put more effort into
developing the legends and refining their vision. Even if they never solve the
mystery for the audience, the filmmakers themselves should have a very clear
idea of what's going on behind the scenes, narratively speaking. One gets the
unmistakable sense that they do not. As for the ending, it is easily linked
to one of the townspeople's stories (but not the others), and that's about all
the room for speculation that the audience gets. Putting my complaints in terms
of narrative structure, the exposition is too rudimentary, the rising action
too uneventful, and the climax too abbreviated.
I suspect that the film is far more effective if you buy the premise that everything
you see is real. Early audiences apparently did so. But once you know that
The Blair Witch Project is all staged, there's nothing particularly spooky
about it. It's just boring. Of course, all movies are staged, but The Blair
Witch Project depends on maintaining its sense of hyper-realism in order
to scare you.
The official web site, which
presents the "real" news reports about the kids' disappearance and describes
the Blair Witch legends in detail, is far more interesting than the movie itself.
The site provides the context and background that the film lacks. Indeed, anyone
intending to see The Blair Witch Project should make sure to visit the
web site first. As a component of a groundbreaking multi-media entertainment
phenomenon, The Blair Witch Project is not bad, but as a stand-alone
movie, it doesn't hold up.
Review © August 1999 by AboutFilm.Com
and the author.
Images © 1999
Artisan Pictures. All rights reserved.
