A “masterpiece” horror film that fans says is the scariest ever is streaming in the UK. The Blair Witch Project (1999) tells the story of three students who hike into the mountains of Appalachia near Burkittsville, Maryland, to make a documentary about the Blair Witch, a local legend.
Heather Donahue, Michael C. Williams, and Joshua Leonard, the three main protagonists, played fictionalised versions of themselves, and the story is told in an unsettlingly realistic, found-footage style, creating the impression that the terrifying events that befall them were real.
The film, which was written, directed, and edited by Eduardo Sánchez and Daniel Myrick, and reportedly made for around $60,000. But the film’s distributor realised its massive potential and invested millions into marketing the film after purchasing the distribution rights.
The publicity campaign also encouraged the public to believe the events actually took place. It turned out to be a good bet, with the film becoming a massive hit and grossing almost $250m USD worldwide, making it one of the most profitable ever in terms of the return on investment.
It last appeared on Netflix in 2022, and has since been added again this week, on Thursday, November 27.
Writing on the popular r/horror subreddit, one fright fan said they “still think The Blair Witch Project is the scariest horror movie ever made”.
“I know a lot of people call this movie “boring” or “gimmicky” or whatever, but I just rewatched it for the umpteenth time and truly no other movie freaks me out in the same way this one does,” they added.
“If you’ve ever been out in the woods at night, you’ll probably understand. Every sound is jarring, every shadow is unsettling, even the absence of sound can be frightening.”
Today, some question whether it still holds up in the horror genre, with one fan on IMDb branding it “overrated” and another “over hyped”.
Many fans showered the film with praise, with another calling it an “original masterpiece”
“This kept me a nervous wreck throughout,” they wrote. “Considering the reviews I’ve seen, looks like you’ll either love it or hate it. I personally love it, and think it’s better than a lot of films I’ve seen with an all star cast, and a much higher budget.”
Another, writing back in 1999, said that they “love the fact that it had virtually no-budget and it has made tons of money”. “It deserves it,” they added. “It provides more atmosphere and creepiness than any horror film released this decade.
“The way it is presented, as the footage taken by 3 missing film-makers, is so simple yet pure genius.”
A third added: “23 years later and this is still the best found footage film ever made. There is always the complaint you hear from new viewers that not enough happens, but it’s not really about what happens in the world.
“It’s about what happens to the characters and in their minds.”
The Blair Witch Project is streaming now on Netflix.
