When going to the cabin, or camping out in a camper, one may be tempted to watch some films. Honestly, the scariest place I think of is the forest, since you never know what’s in there. That’s why it makes for such great horror film potential! There’s so many things you can hide among those trees for the sake of a scare, and any jaunt through the forest can be the source of man screams. Surprisingly enough, that’s not the reason I like the original Blair Witch Project.
I didn’t watch Blair Witch until I was well into my 20s, and by this point the fandom had pretty much died down. The Blair Witch fever that overtook 1999 was no more. Despite this, upon seeing the film for the first time I was immediately drawn to it. The film revolves around three teenagers who get lost in the woods while looking for a supposed witch.
It starts out innocently enough, but soon the kids start to go crazy while lost in the woods. They start seeing things that aren’t there, and they appear to be stalked by some kind of supernatural entity. Believe it or not, I didn’t find this film scary in the slightest. I’m a fairly squeamish fellow at times, but this movie didn’t affect me in the slightest.
It felt more like a black comedy to me, a dark and humorous film that really shows how a simple camping trip can go horribly wrong. That’s something that Blair Witch did expertly, it gave off that feeling of an authentic camping trip. I’ve never been truly camping before, though I have been to a cabin several times. The thing is, you get the feeling that these teens have never camped before either.
Honestly, the original Blair Witch is one of my favorite films. While the new film did some things right, it unfortunately added blatant supernatural elements into the series. Before, the supernatural stuff was debatable. One could say there was a spirit, demon, or witch haunting the teens, but there was never anything explicitly shown. In a way, it worked really well for the film.
I don’t think Blair Witch Project has aged super well, but I still find it to be a great movie. It’s something I can just play in the background while writing and enjoy immensely. While it’s a shame that last year’s sequel to the film was ultimately disappointing, I hold out hope for a return to form for the series. Maybe a Blair Witch VR game? Now that would be interesting, a Blair Witch experience where you and friends try to survive a scary witch. While I doubt they’ll do anything with Blair Witch for a while, I’ll still look fondly upon that first film, and forget the other two happened.
Syrup With A Side Of Writing 