Not Your Average Horror
The Blair Witch Project is an interesting take on the idea of film students making a documentary, turned horror.
Photo by Kat Owsley
The most commonly known Blair Witch movie poster features one of the film students, crying with a knitted cap on, this is a recreation of that photo.
For most people, including myself, being trapped in the woods and not knowing how to get out is one of the most terrifying situations that can be imagined.
Heather, Joshua, and Michale, the protagonists of The Blair Witch Project, have been put into this situation, and it doesn’t end well.
The basic plot of The Blair Witch Project is that three film students go into the woods of a small town to make a documentary of the Blair Witch. A local legend.
Heather was the student who would be on camera and doing voice overs about information on the town, while Josh worked the camera and Mike took over the sound equipment. Josh knew both Mike and Heather, but Heather and Mike didn’t know each other.
In the beginning of the film, the three students are interviewing different people in the town of Burkittsville, where the witch’s legend got its start. The group is also seen messing around in their cabin before taking the hike to their first filming site.
Not much happens until they start finding rock formations and knocking them over. This is most likely what started the supposed hauntings.
Throughout the movie, the three are tormented by the supposed witch and never make it out of the woods, or at least not alive.
While The Blair Witch Project is a very interesting movie, I don’t believe it was all that I expected it to be. It wasn’t a bad movie, it just felt like it was three hours long.
It took a long time to become interesting to me because most of the time the group was yelling at each other. It was like this group had never been in a stressful situation.
I might be a little harsh since I’ve never been in this setting, but I think if everyone had been more calm they’d have been able to make it out.
Heather at least tried to be calm, but the boys kept fighting her and each other, until the end.
The movie ends with Josh getting lost, and Mike and Heather having to stick together until Mike hears Josh screaming and runs to an abandoned building. Mike runs up the stairs with Heather close behind, then runs to the basement. It takes a minute for Heather to get caught up with Mike, who can be seen facing the wall. The screen goes black and Heather can be heard screaming.
I love the found footage aspect of this fime. The trio is only seen when one of them is filming, which is the most interesting thing I’ve seen. It’s a very convincing movie and if I didn’t know it was a fictional film, I’d think it was really found footage.
Another thing I enjoyed about The Blair Witch Project is the ending, I love how there are so many interpretations and theories made by the fandom, my favorite being that Josh and Mike actually killed Heather. It really shows the artistic range of the film as well as the creativity from the fandom.
What I didn’t like about the film was how much yeling there was. Even though the group had been lost, scared, and stressed, I’d think that they’d try to stay calm and work together, but it seems like all they do is fight.
Even though it takes The Blair Witch Project a very long time to have action, the good overlooks the bad. I think this movie is very intriguing with scenery that combines the beauty of fall with the horror of the dark forest.
Against the Masks
Attorney General Eric Schmitt sues the mayor of Kansas City after a new mask mandate.
Photo by Kat
Masking is no one’s favorite thing, but it’s important for everyone’s safety during a pandemic.
Attorney General Eric Schmitt has decided to fight the COVID-19 mask mandate in Kansas City, Missouri.
Lawyer and former Assistant Attorney General Of Missouri, Elad Gross, has a very different opinion on masks, “I think it’s a proven, helpful mechanism to reduce the transmission of COVID-19 and other diseases,” said Gross.
COVID-19 has thrown the world upside down. According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, there have been 38 states, including the District of Columbia, which have issued mask mandates in 2020.
Schmitt is suing Kansas City Mayor, Quinton Lucas. “This continued unconstitutional and unreasonable government overreach must stop, especially in the face of a widely available vaccine,” Schmitt said.
According to the lawsuit which can be found on Schmitt’s website, point 34 says, “Although the City claims that the CDC ‘confirmed 194,000,000 total cases and 4,160,000 deaths nation-wide,’ the CDC’s actual numbers are far lower: 34,972,532 total cases and 611,061 deaths.”
In point 31, the lawsuit says “Under the Mask Mandate, the Director of Health, the Director of Regulated Industries, the Chief of the Kansas City Police Department, and the Chief of the Kansas City Fire Department are authorized to enforce the order. Specifically, they may enter property and seek show-cause orders against individuals or businesses who violate the order.”
A show-cause basically means that whoever orders the cause would probably need more information, or motive to grant the cause.
Point 32 states Lucas’ reasons for setting another mask mandate, “In a July 28, 2021, press release, Mayor Lucas identified three reasons for
imposing a new mask mandate beginning August 2, 2021: (1) recommendations from the
Centers for Disease Control, the Kansas City Health Department, and other unidentified health leaders regarding wearing masks in indoor public accommodations regardless of vaccination status.”
While the vaccines do help to prevent COVID-19, there are still many breakthrough cases.
The CDC says that countries that have required masking have a lower COVID-19 death rate than countries that allow on-site dining for restaurants.
National Public Radio, (NPR), reports that on July 12, 2021, the vaccination rate for Kansas City, MO was 37.6%. The article says that around 70% of the population needs to be vaccinated to stop COVID-19.
If the lawsuits proceed and Lucas is found guilty, it’s unclear what his punishment will be, however the mandate would be removed. This means that COVID-19 rates would probably go up. If the mandate remains in place rates will go down.
