Eduardo Sanchez and Daniel Myrick’s The Blair Witch Project (1999) is widely acclaimed for pioneering the found footage filmmaking genre in Hollywood. At the same time, it is one of the most nuanced horror films that you can come across. The narrative explores the legend of the Blair Witch, but only through the recovered raw footage shot by three film students who never returned after they ventured into the Maryland backwoods to shoot their film. Unlike its peers in the genre, The Blair Witch Project ditches all kinds of gore and jumpscares. The fear is slowly built through suspense and ambiguous exposition, while allowing Heather’s voice-overs or direct conversations with the audience through her camera to take the lead. While death remains the highest stake, no deaths are shown on screen. In this article, we’re unveiling how The Blair Witch Project amplified dread and suspense by intentionally skipping the explicit depiction of death. Unseen Death: The Blair Witch Project’s Secret to Heightened Suspense and FearThe Blair Witch Project is entirely presented by found footage, i.e., the visual language mimics that of documentary filmmaking, and every scene is presented as a candid moment (although everything is scripted). The film has a very clear downward-sloping graph. The film begins on a note of thrill, joy, and enthusiasm, as three students, Heather Donahue, Michael C. Williams, and Joshua Leonard, partner up to shoot a documentary on the Blair Witch. The visuals are backed by Heather’s V.O. from time to time, which leads the...
Published By: NoFilmSchool - Yesterday