EDITORIAL - Music - http://maxpages.com/aeazine/ISSUE_8

WHY I STILL LIKE “BLAIR WITCH”
Dave Wolff, Editor and Publisher

Greetings. As you obviously know by now, issue #8 is here and AEA is still going through some changes in its format. You’ll notice there is a little more poetry contributions this issue along with a zine review section that I will be doing every issue. Depending on reader feedback I am not sure whether I will keep doing the film reviews section or not; here would be as good a space as any to discuss the topic of this here editorial. Before I get into this, I want to point out I’m obviously not a “teenybopper” nor do I blindly jump from one trend to the next whenever things fall in and out of the media’s favor. When I like something I like it for the long haul, regardless of whoever loves or hates it. Also, this is not meant to be a tirade as much as it is meant to provide arguments in favor of the subject of this editorial, ideas that may have been rejected on a grander scale because it’s not popular opinion, but which are still worth clarifying. Now that this has been established, I want to offer my thoughts about a certain horror movie that has had much more influence on the media than many people in big business care to admit these days, probably out of fear of eating crow. By now you probably know I am talking about “The Blair Witch Project,” which in my opinion was one of the better horror movies to come out in a long time, despite the fact that it’s now “uncool” to be a fan in many circles. Since I never much cared what’s “uncool” or “cool” to begin with, I don’t care if its not hip to like the movie or the accompanying storyline with the website(s), the sequel, and the Sci-fi Channel’s specials, et cetera. I happen to also like “Blair Witch 2” and thought it had potential to be a really good story (though I think Joe Berlinger should stick to documentaries), and I think it’s a shame that “Blair Witch 3” is not going to happen now, considering that the first “Blair Witch” gave Artisan enough money to make more professional movies. That one was supposed to tell the beginning of the legend. “Blair Witch” is what got me into independent films, which in many ways are better than most mainstream movies that have come out in recent years. (Check out “American Movie: The Making of Northwestern” which is a documentary about director Mark Borchardt, a fan of gore classics like “Texas Chainsaw Massacre” and “Night of the Living Dead” who a few years ago put together a short movie called “Coven”). I mentioned it being “uncool” to like it now, and I think the reason for this is because the media must have felt extremely threatened that a pair of unknown directors and a group of equally unknown actors could put something out with so much potential to change the face of Hollywood. The thing about “Blair Witch” is it was an independent film that made Hollywood look like idiots. It cost what by Hollywood’s standards is pocket change and ended up being one of the year’s highest grossing movies. For those who like to think only about the bottom line, it was made for a few tens of thousands and ended up making millions. This is why MTV spearheaded its anti-“Blair Witch” backlash to begin with. MTV seemed to want everyone to believe the movie was a “fluke” that didn’t deserve its success. MTV can say what they want…well, on second thought, fuck MTV. For all the downplaying MTV gave the success of “Blair Witch,” you still see the vast influence it’s had on movies and TV. Today, every new movie coming out these days has its own official website. And then there are such contributions to “reality TV” as the Sci-Fi Channel’s “Scare TV,” the Linda Blair hosted “The Scariest Places on Earth,” even a show on MTV that follows “Blair Witch” very closely in formula (for a channel that was that determined to convince everyone the movies success was little more than a freak accident they sure seem eager to develop the ideas it pioneered) and finally “Scare Tactics.” To address a few more points surrounding the debate on whether “Blair Witch” was a worthwhile effort or not, yes, I know it’s not a true story. I know it’s a product of the directors’ imagination that wasn’t based on reality. Yes, I know about all the comparisons to “Cannibal Holocaust,” and I know all about “The Last Broadcast” as well. I still haven’t seen “The Last Broadcast” but yes, I am also a fan of “Cannibal Holocaust,” as well as gore flicks and classic horror pictures. Speaking as such, I can say there were plenty differences between “Witch” and “Cannibal,” the most obvious being the black and white footage that gave a different perspective of the characters’ surroundings, the fact that they never see what’s staking them, and that the footage makes up the entire movie. And besides, no one knows for a fact if the creators of “Witch” deliberately ripped off “Cannibal,” as many have said; it’s just a matter of personal opinion. In interviews Dan Myrick and Ed Sanchez said they never saw “Cannibal” and were influenced by other sources. Anyway, I also think people think the movie was “not scary” because there was no gore or unearthly creatures in it. To me, this is exactly why the movie worked; because of its low budget those involved were forced to work with what they had, and had to play on subconscious fears of the unknown as opposed to direct and tangible threats to one’s well being. To present a clearer picture, It was in another indie film I saw recently (“Harvard Man”) that the idea was put across of fear being a fear of the tangible, things you can see, and dread being the fear of things you cannot see. In this sense “Blair Witch” relies on dread instead of fear to get its point across. That’s about everything I wanted to say concerning the topic. That is except that I wanted to say that I am sick of hearing that bullshit about how Heather Donahue is “unattractive” just because she was roughing it in the woods for more than a week. Let’s see Britney Spears or Pamela Anderson go on a week long hike in the woods without makeup, hairspray or a shower and see how THEY look after it’s over. I have seen publicity photos of Heather Donahue in interviews I’ve read with her, and yes, she is quite an attractive woman. Also, from her interviews she is very intelligent, she did a great deal of research for her role which proves she is a responsible actor who is willing to work to get ahead in the entertainment industry as opposed to what other “actresses” are often willing to do instead (which is why there are so many bad actresses in Hollywood in my opinion, but that’s another story. And furthermore, it was obvious for reading only a few of her answers that she was acting while she portrayed the annoying know-it-all (or deranged genius, depending on how you see it) she showed us in “Blair Witch.”

Anyway, here’s where I thank all the zines, bands, labels, stores and everyone else who has and will supported AEA and AGAMEMNON in one way or another during the past three years or so (in no particular order): Lucifera, Billy Nocera, Winston Blakely, Debbie D., Tina Krause, Manon Kelley, Lyric Studios, Endemoniada Zine, Cats of Ulthar Zine, Eternal Frost Zine,, Bug Slayer Comics, Delirium Zine, Gore Worm Comics, Metal Rules! Zine, Read Between the Lies Zine, Metal Mafia Zine, I Hate You Mother Fucker Zine, Explosion Cerebral Zine, Metal Core Zine, Canadian Assault Zine, Bleed Zine, Bast Zine, Lamentation Zine, Burning Shadow Zine, DBN Zine, Lamentation Zine, Blood of the Ancients Zine, Necrosis Zine, Noise Floor Zine, Psychosis Death Zine, Embriotomia Zine, Tornado Zine, Static Zine, Jenn’s Metal Page, Deathkids, Black Ocean Drowning, Myself Am Hell, Gut Puking Motherfuckers, Voltaire, Oxygen Law, Anno Daemonicus, Into Darkness, Blood Storm, Abazagorath, Braindance, Perverseraph, Cadaver, Inc., Mahavatar, Goddess of Desire, Vrykolakas, Into the Gore, Mortician, Intense Hammer Rage, Dimentianon (The Forgotten RIP), Divine Silence, Inbreed, The Six and Violence, Serpentine, Grey Skies Fallen, Chaos Theory, Inhumate, Fog, Berdoo, F--k the Facts, Angus, Miscreation, God Forbid, Bran Barr, Medusa, Cryptonight, Opprobrium, Toilet Boys, Gerbe of Life, Ghost Who Walks Inside, Brutalism, Mazur Public Relations, Metal Blade Records, Hammerheart Records, Nuclear Blast Records, Forever Underground Records, Necropolis Records, Vrykoblast Productions, Razorback Records, Mortal Coil Records (RIP), Black Hole Productions, Dedfuk Records, Listenable Records, Conquer Records, Dark Horizon Records, Rebarbative Recordings, Victory Records, Sentinel Steel Records, Projekt Records, Red Stream Records, Relapse Records, Alabaster Records, Violated Productions, World War III Records, X-Rated Records, Inzane Records, Dark Symphonies Records, Violated Productions, Crucial Blast Records, Artemis Records, Lethal CD’s (RIP), Bleecker Bob’s, Slipped Disc, Troma, Inc. and everyone else who deserves to be here but I forgot to mention.

Front cover art by Winston Blakely
http://www.home.earthlink.net/~pozitron627
“Faustina” conceptualized by Dave Wolff and Winston Blakely
Watch for Faustina to appear with Scorpia n an upcoming “Little Miss Strange”
graphic novel from Winston Blakely

AEA; c/o Dave Wolff; 3 Maple St.; Garden City, NY 11530-1812 USA
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