| THE BLAIR WITCH PROJECT |
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| Year: 1999 Starring: Joshua Leonard, Heather Donaghue, Michael Williams Region 2 �15.99 - �19.99 Certificate: 15 Director: Daniel Myrick/Ed Sanchez Running Time: 78 minutes Chapter Points: 17 |
| OK, if there was ever a better example of a film you either loved or hated, it was this one. As with the Blur versus Oasis music debate in 1995, you were one side or the other with this cult indie film. No sitting on the fence here. For fans, it was the unnerving sense of realism (helped by a creative advertising campaign that drilled into viewers that these were REAL people in REAL settings�creepy!), and the fact that the film was entirely shot on hand held cameras and 16mm film. For opponents of the film, it was the unbelievably shaky camera work, hammed up, over the top acting, and the impression that the film just wasn�t as scary or as shocking as everyone made out. Both of these views are, in part, correct. While no masterpiece, the film is indeed unique and a far cry from gore heavy, slasher flicks which sadly seem to be the norm in the horror genre nowadays. The sense of tension is well maintained from start to finish, with the three student film makers getting deeper and deeper in well, shit as the film progresses. But this is where the praise seems to end. Yes the film is scary and yes the film is shocking�but only the first time you see it. After that, every plot twist, shock and scare is predictable and easily thought out. Overall, an interesting but ultimately predictable horror film, in which the well thought out �realism� is dashed once the film has been watched a few times. |
| EXTRA FEATURES For a film so dependent on putting up a front of being so real, it was important that the film makers try to keep up this illusion through the extra features on the disc. While the audio commentary and interview by the co-directors gives away much of the secrets of filming the movie, the spoof documentary �The Curse Of The Blair Witch�, which runs to 44 minutes, highlights much of the legend and lore behind the mysterious disappearance of the threesome in the film. The text document �The Blair Witch Legacy� sums this up in a shorter, more concise manner. The �newly discovered footage� on the disc is an elaborate way of presenting a deleted scene, whereas the �fear sections� are brief interviews with psychologists which lead into being TV spots. There is also cast and crew biographies and eerie animated menus linking the whole thing together. |
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