Day 28 part 2 : The Blair Witch Project (1999)

The Blair Witch Project is a 1999 American Psychological/Supernatural Horror film, written and directed by Daniel Myrick and Eduardo Sanchez. The film is presented in the style of a mockumentary, which portrays the story of three students. 

In the film, the blair witch according to an urban legend is the ghost of Elly Kedward, a woman who was banished from the Blair Township (latter-day Burkittsville) for witchcraft in 1785. The directors incorporated part of the legend, along with the salem witch trails. 

- The element of darkness makes the movie more scary for the audience, as there are various times when we don't know what is happening. For example when the main female protagonist runs away with the camera, when can only see the darkness of the night and grass. This emphisises the theme of the unknown which is often presented in Horror.

- In terms of sound there's often alot of heavy breathing, this evokes a reaction of fear from the audience as we feel as if we're in her shoes. 

- The perspective the camera takes of each character's camcorder, makes the audience feel as if they're in their shoes. I think this is particularly cleaver as by the end of the film, I felt connected with the characters as them surviving was almost like me surviving. 

- There was an aspect of mythology behind the movie. The filmmakers decided to make the characters names near anagrams, e.g the witch Elly Keward is Edward Kelly a 16th century mystic who believed in occultism. 

- When promoting The Blair Witch Project, the poster was a missing notice for the 3 main protagonists. They chose to use the actors and actresses real names, which created a sense of panic for those who knew them. In terms of movie promotion this is a clear subversion of a typical Horror poster, however it works extremely well. When creating my final poster it would be interesting if I could gain inspiration from this.

- I found it interesting that they use no iconography (weapons), the teens/young adults aren't hedonistic, the villain is female and there is no final girl. This film is full of unconventional aspects however they work extremely well, especially since you never actually see the witch but the element of fear is still prevalent. 

The Blair Witch Project symbolises a monumental change in the Horror industry, as it proves that you don't have to follow the traditional aspects of Horror in order for the film to be successful. Personally I believe it is the differences which make The Blair Witch Project such a good film, which is why in terms of  a mockumentray, mise en scene with characters and the female villain are aspects I would love to gain inspiration from when creating ideas for narratives and characters.