Flatpack Cinema presents The Blair Witch Project, Dudley Castle - review
Before Paranormal Activity, Grave Encounters, V/H/S and Cloverfield - there was The Blair Witch Project.
The 1999 American supernatural horror went down in history for its terrifying online marketing techniques that convinced many that it was, in fact, a documentary.
It revolutionised the sub genre, helping to spawn a series of blockbuster flicks packed full of screaming and deliriously shaky camera-work.
This year the iconic film celebrated it's 20th anniversary, and last night Flatpack Cinema celebrated this landmark with a screening in the grounds of Dudley Castle.
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The surrounding woodland and the imposing castle provided the perfect fright-inducing location to show the flick - I must confess, I felt nervous and found myself looking over my shoulder before the main feature had even begun.
Inducing chills before we even set foot on the castle grounds, missing posters used in the marketing of the film were plastered upon the winding walk, as well as the terrifying stick figures used to taunt the protagonists hanging from branches.
The night kicked off with a series of short films, including comedy horror No and psychological Scandi-thriller Turn.
But without further ado, we were quickly transported to the depths of a dark Maryland forest in search of the legend of The Blair Witch.
Starring Heather Donahue, Michael C. Williams and Joshua Leonard, the sleeper hit tells the story of three film students as they set out to produce a documentary covering the fabled Blair Witch.
Locals tell them of a hermit who lived in the woods and kidnapped eight children in the 1940s, killing seven of them supposedly on the orders of the witch.
After spending the night at a motel, the students explore the woods in north Burkittsville to research the legend, a trip that quickly proves to be a grave mistake.
As an avid horror fan there is very little that can chill me to my core - but the pairing of The Blair Witch and the terrifying backdrop of the supposedly-haunted Dudley Castle handed me pure nightmare fuel on an unsuspecting Saturday evening.
Every rustle of a tree branch or gentle breeze caused audience members to flinch and gasp as the ordinary occurrences took on a sinister turn thanks to The Blair Witch Project.
As the film reached it's culminating scenes, I and many others had to watch through parted fingers and wrapped in blankets as the tensions proved too much.
Earning a well-deserved round of applause from the audience, this surely proved to be the best Beware The Moon screening yet.
Packed full of frights and delights, The Blair Witch Project at Dudley Castle was the stuff horror films are based on.
