It's been ten years since "The Blair Witch Project" crept its way into the national consciousness. The movie, which follows three students making a documentary about the legendary Blair Witch, managed to hit the sweet spot of viral marketing and word-of-mouth buzz through an extensive online campaign that had movie fans scratching their heads over whether or not the footage was real.
In fact, writer/directors Daniel Myrick and Eduardo Sánchez went to great lengths to convince investors, and eventually potential viewers, that their movie was a documentary. They did so through the use of cleverly staged "found" footage and an extensive back story. In the end, "The Blair Witch Project" was such an effective horror movie because of what it didn't show -- and because the use of unsteady handheld cameras often left audience members feeling dizzy and nauseated. So whether shaky camera work is used or abused in the name of art, shock, shlock or gore, I salute the following flicks for making me reach for the Dramamine instead of the remote. Read more...
