56. THE BLAIR WITCH PROJECT

56. THE BLAIR WITCH PROJECT
(1999)
Directed by Daniel Myrick and Eduardo Sanchez

I have found that this super-hyped phenomenon of an indie flick is one of those love 'em or hate 'em movies and it's my humble opinion that those who hate "The Blair Witch Project" have been so polluted by bad modern horror big budget shit-fests that they can't appreciate an imaginative and effective creeper like this when it comes along. As a full blown horror fan I have suffered through countless formula driven and cliche ridden attempts at fright, always longing for something unique and singular to come down the pike. The genre needed this movie in a big way. Plus, maybe because of my Slavic blood, I'm a sucker for scary witch folk tales and creepy woodsy settings when autumn has rolled over the landscape, dropping dead leaves and infesting everything with a new spine tingly chill. "The Blair Witch Project" sure has that feel. Yeah, the hype was a bit much after awhile but it was a welcome deviation from the norm to have a zero budget horror flick generate a buzz that packed theatres nationwide. The only other independently produced horror movie that came close to causing such a stir was "Halloween" in the Fall of 1978. "Blair Witch" was a singular phenomenon for sure and one that I thoroughly enjoyed. No computer generated horseshit, just the power of suggestion, the strength of shadows and no survivors.