The Blair Witch Project (1999)

Blair Witch Project was one of the first horror/thriller films to use the "found footage" gimmick for a scripted film, and it did it very well. Three young adult friends head off to the Black Hills forest in Maryland to investigate the legends and rumors about a supposedly supernatural being that is associated with horrific mysterious deaths and disappearances over the course of decades. Ill-prepared and intending on the excursion to amount to little more than an interesting video, they are soon confronted with being hopelessly lost, pursued and tormented by an unseen, malevolent entity or entities. Original at its time, the scares were generated through the creepy situations, uneven pacing, very credible acting and the plausible premise of an amateur documentary gone terribly wrong. The group argues, accuses, grows frustrated and desperate as everything seems to go wrong and they realise they might never escape in a convincing way! On a micro budget, Blair Witch Project succeeds in being disturbing, even frightening, where others fail. Shaky cam might not be for everyone, though, but it still packs some great tension and fear that, years later, it's still worth revisiting! Just don't stay in that forest long, and avoid that dark shambles of a house within the woods.

Erik M.