In order for a film to classify as “horror” genre, there are certain characteristics and rules which the film must follow. The most obvious features are an unsettling storyline, cause dread and alarm whilst brining our worst fears to life. In addition they are designed to frighten and panic the audience with the darkness and often twist in storyline. “The Blair Witch” project both conforms and subverts from the classic horror film as it effectively centres on the dark side of life; the forbidden, and strange and alarming events, however the slow narrative and ending given away at the beginning subverts the “classic” horror film.
Although “The Blair Witch” doesn’t appear to follow the typical conventions of a horror film, the narrative allows the film to be classified as psychological horror, for example, throughout the film, the characters argue between themselves both aggressively and vocally. This fits in with a typical horror storyline as it connotes a disruption in group dynamics often causes a disruption in the film which most often leads to something bad happening to the characters. For example when Josh and Heather argue, the audience can sense the tension and understand the issue is unresolved, therefore when Josh then goes missing the next day, it isn’t a surprise that a bad thing happened after an argument. However there are many aspects of the narrative which suggets the film subverts the typical horror narrative. For example, in the opening caption we are told the ending e.g. “they were never found”. This reduces the element of surprise for the audience and goes against any typical film which builds up to the end. Another subtle subversion is the frequent use of intertexuality, for example Josh refers to other films with similar stories to being lost in the woods. Intertexuality is very uncommon in films and portrays the film as realistic and natural.
Throughout the film, the audience is reminded that it is a ‘student documentary’, and not had professional editing and filming. This is done through the film techniques. For example the amateurish filming and basic captions allow the audiences focus to be primarily on the story and not on special effects or filming techniques. Similarly there are shots which have up to 35 seconds of black (night time) footage. This is realistic to the story however the unclarity of the shot is unlikely to be in a professional blockbuster. In addition to this, there are many other slightly blurry or dark shots which include heavy breathing over the footage and unclear dialogue. These shots allow confusion for the audience which only entices them into the story more as they try and figure out what exactly there looking at. On the other hand, the film conforms to the postmodern film techniques, for example the cameraman being part of the film. The idea of the cameraman involving themselves within the film and taking it in turns to shoot footage is a modern technique and the colour of the footage from each camera helps identify which actor is filming allowing the audience to understand what is going on.
Iconography is used frequently within the film to ensure the horror genre is featured and the storyline keeps the audience involved. For example all the stereotypical horror iconography is used, such as a witch who is never seen and a dark wood. Another example used for both psychological and gory horror is the burial mounds which are later disturbed by the protagonists. This is a slight twist to the obvious graveyard which makes the film more interesting and unusual. Another small feature of the film conforming to a stereotypical horror film is the use of blood when the audience watch Heather come across what is suspected to be Josh’s teeth. This adds a lot of instant horror to the film whilst reducing it from becoming‘torture porn’.
Whilst the iconography of “The Blair Witch” majorly conforms to typical horror film, the marketing subverts. The simplistic layout of the DVD’s special effects page maintains the realism of the film, for example the scene selection is set out in “day one, night one, day two ...” this is clear and obvious and reduces any suspicion of major editing or scripted storylines. Another major marketing strategy is the website. “http://www.blairwitch.com”. As soon as you enter the site, the first scene of the film appears including Heather speaking about the adventure she is about to undertake. They have then created a mythology and legacy page. This allows the audience to believe the story of the Blair witch is real, and that there is nothing to allow then to think otherwise. By producing such an original marketing plan, the film appears realistic and anyone researching the film before watching it will instantly become enticed into the legacy.
The Blair witch project will influence me in my own film as I understand the use of both subtle and obvious horror features. The slow story with little incidents such as the misplacement of the map help bring the story together without fully allowing the audience to guess exactly what will happen in the end. The film also taught me the importance of iconography which I plan to conform to. However the risk in narrative enables me to understand variety in storylines in importance to be an original film.
In conclusion, “The Blair Witch Project” both subverts and conforms to the typical horror films. The realistic filming and iconography support the subverted narrative making it a successful but controversial film.
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