by My previous blog was dedicated to the commercial success and critical failure of the newly released The Devil Inside and its place among films dedicated to the subject of demonic possession.
Now I want to talk a little about the other genre this apparently EPICALLY bad film falls into-the “found footage horror mockumentary.”
While there have been other (and better) pioneers in the genre (1980’s Cannibal Holocaust, 1998’s The Last Broadcast), it was 1999’s The Blair Witch Project that blew the trend wide open, bringing about the inevitable exploitation and saturation by the dreaded film industry. Suddenly, making films using hand-held cameras on a budget of about $50 and marketing it as “true events” was a method adopted by every hack and brainless Hollywood goon (and Hollywood goon wannabe) who aimed to cash in on a trend.
Not that they are all bad. It is unfortunate that The Blair Witch Project has fallen victim to overexposure and characterization (and unfortunate that they felt the need to make one of the worst sequels of all time with Blair Witch 2…. didn’t anyone make them watch Exorcist 2 first?).
If you can, imagine a time when 75 percent of television shows were not “reality television.” Shaky camera shots and inconsistent audio were limited to clips of home videos placed within the context of big budget productions. There is no Survivor, no Jersey Shore, no American Idol.
Now go to the movies to see The Blair Witch Project and be subjected to a viewing experience unlike anything you’ve ever seen. In fact, opening night, I went with a group of friends. We had previously watched a “documentary” about the case-including interviews with police officials and family members of the missing party-and we did not know the case was not authentic until the end of the movie. Say what you will about the parody it has now become, but all three actors displayed authentic unease, disorientation, and FEAR throughout the film. As you watched these young people deteriorate from fun and joviality into the edge of madness, you could not help but think, “That is just how I would react.”
But my favorite film in the genre is definitely Cannibal Holocaust. While I do NOT condone the harming of animals for any film (in fact, that scene is unwatchable for me), the realism and terror are UNSURPASSED in any other film in cinematic history (the filmmaker in fact was arrested and charged with murder, as officials believed the actors in the film actually perished during filming!). It is a very difficult film to watch, but very satisfying for the discerning critic.
2001’s In The Bedroom, starring the incredible Sissy Spacek as the mother of a murdered child, also is a seat-squirmer but unparalleled in its realism and emotion.
Unfortunately, the same cannot be said for the onslaught that followed. Paranormal Activity. Cloverfield. Paranormal Activity 2. The Last Exorcism. Paranormal Activity 3…(PLEASE stop making sequels!!).
My advice for anyone who thinks they have the ability to make a good, scary, “reality” flick—unless you are someone with creativity and talent, PLEASE just leave the “newly discovered” raw footage of exorcisms and murders hidden…for everyone’s sake.
