The Curse of the Blair Witch

"The Curse of the Blair Witch" is a precursor to one of the most anticipated independent films in a decade, especially for Horror buffs.  A film about three students disappearing in the Maryland woods while filming
a documentary about an urban legend, "The Blair Witch Project" was a tremendous hit with critics at the Sundance Film Festival, and has already sparked marked controversy with Witches and Wiccans everywhere, supposedly over its depiction of Witches as evil child killers.  I am happy to report that nothing could be further from the truth, and that "The Curse of the Blair Witch" actually went out of its way to ensure that true Witches were not vilified by the film.
     "Curse" is actually a documentary about the documentary, with some film footage of the three filmmakers before they disappeared, interviews with their friends, family, and teachers, and several experts on the
mythology of the Blair Witch.  The Mythology part is where I feel it really excelled, because it showed different points of view, from what history says happened to what where probably the actual events.  It begins in 1765
in the town of Blair, Maryland.  A woman is accused of being a Witch by local children- not for doing anything wrong, but because she was an outsider- the story is that she was actually a Catholic living in a Protestant town.  As was the case in Salem a century earlier, a difference of religion was all it took to get her tried, convicted, and left for dead in the forest during a particularly harsh winter.  Remember, she was NOT a
Witch, she was not convicted of doing anything evil- she was just an outsider in colonial America and paid the ultimate price.  Ever since that time, strange or terrible things have happened every 60 years or so to
perpetuate the legend of the Blair Witch, and some do appear supernatural or even unexplainable, but none are attributed to Witchcraft or evil Witches, its not even inferred.
     Even though I have yet to see the film itself, I can say with a fair amount of confidence that it is not offensive to Witches or Wiccans, it does not portray Witches in a negative light, and it should be an
absolutely terrifying movie.  I'm actually looking forward to seeing it, and I will put a complete review of the film here when I have seen it.

For more detailed information that includes spoilers about the movie,
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*                Spoiler Warning!!!!!                       *
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This is the part of the movie that the movie company is trying not to let
people know- it really adds to the atmosphere of foreboding  and suspense,
I think, and I didn't want to spoil it for people who don't want to know.
This movie is NOT a real documentary, it is completely made up, from the
film students disappearing to the legend of the Blair Witch itself, its
all a figment of the writers imagination.  "Curse" was VERY convincing,
even using faked television news coverage and faked 1940's newsreel footage
to add to the "documentary" feel, and the movie itself is shot entirely on
super-8 film and color VHS from a camcorder, making a VERY convincing
"college film project" atmosphere.  Add to that the fact that the film was
"recovered" under mysterious circumstances a year after the three students
"Disappeared" and you start off the movie with a very uneasy feeling, like
you're actually watching the last three days of these peoples" lives.
Again, from what I've seen I do feel that the creators went out of their
way NOT to vilify true Witchcraft, and they do an excellent job of in
"Curse of the Blair Witch", so I can't imagine the film being any
different.  As I said, I will review it completely once I've seen it.