By Geno McGahee
I am a huge fan of THE BLAIR WITCH PROJECT, a 1999 film that captured the imagination of the public and still has an impact today. In 2010, YELLOWBRICKROAD was released and it is now on special edition Blu-ray for the first time and it’s actually the first time I’ve had a chance to see it. I’m surprised that this film got by me, but now, I am happy to say that I’ve seen it and the filmmakers are definitely fans of THE BLAIR WITCH PROJECT as well.
Teddy (Michael Laurino), a photographer with hopes to create a book, gets a group together to walk a path in a small New Hampshire town that has a dark history. In the 1940s, nearly an entire town died as they walked through the wilderness. It’s a big mystery and Teddy is focused on solving it.
The group hits the woods and strange things start to happen. They begin to hear old music and begin to act differently and, sometimes, violently. The expedition is so deep into the woods, they basically become trapped with each other and the force that is toying with them.
As the days go on, it gets worse and worse and nobody is keeping it together. They keep moving forward and soon start to discover some really disturbing stuff, including a great scarecrow scene.
The film did drag at times, but when it had its footing, it was good and kept me wondering what the hell was going on. When Teddy finally completes the mission, he learns all about what’s going on. The ending scene is really good and creepy.
YELLOWBRICKROAD is really decent and I’m happy to have stumbled upon it all these years later. There is a lot of bonus material. If you are a fan of THE BLAIR WITCH PROJECT and that approach to horror, you will dig this. I recommend it.
