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rackncheese's review
3.0
First off, I have to say that the actual content of this book was excellent. It was great to learn the whole history of one of my favorite movies.
That being said, the only reason I can't give this five stars is for the egregious lack of editing. I read a lot of indie publications, so I'm not bothered by a few typos. No, this book read as though it was literally all written out as a first draft and then immediately published without anyone at all ever laying eyes on it. Sentences often didn't make grammatical sense, and pictures and visuals were often duplicated, sometimes one right after the other on the same page. It's just a mess, to be honest.
The book is clearly self-pubbed, which I have to give props to the author for, because I know writing a book is no easy task. Blazi definitely did his research and is extremely passionate, I just wish he had gotten some more editing help in before publication.
That being said, the only reason I can't give this five stars is for the egregious lack of editing. I read a lot of indie publications, so I'm not bothered by a few typos. No, this book read as though it was literally all written out as a first draft and then immediately published without anyone at all ever laying eyes on it. Sentences often didn't make grammatical sense, and pictures and visuals were often duplicated, sometimes one right after the other on the same page. It's just a mess, to be honest.
The book is clearly self-pubbed, which I have to give props to the author for, because I know writing a book is no easy task. Blazi definitely did his research and is extremely passionate, I just wish he had gotten some more editing help in before publication.
xojyyx's review
4.0
Filled with typos and spelling errors but a really interesting insight into one of my favourite horror movies.
sharonleavy's review
challenging
informative
inspiring
medium-paced
4.0
"If you had watched this back in 1999 and didn't know what the fuck you were watching, it scared the shit out of people."
"8 Days in the Woods" is by far the most comprehensive look at the making of 'The Blair Witch Project' to exist. Written by horror fan Matt Blazi, a huge amount of work has gone in to collecting as many stories and photographs as possible to document this scrappy little film's rise to infamy, cementing it as a cult classic and changing the face of horror for years to come.
I remember the hype in 1999 - I clearly remember watching an interview that said it was so scary because people weren't sure if it was real or not, and that people were throwing up in cinemas in the U.S because they were terrified (not entirely true, as it transpires - people did get nauseous due to the shaky camerawork). I also remember making stickmen to scare the neighbours (sorry).
The book looks at the entire filmmaking process, documenting the journey from the group of filmmakers meeting at college right up to the film becoming one of the most successful independent films of all time. It's really interesting, especially because the internet had never been used as a marketing tool for a film before. It's an incredible feat when you consider how viral this movie went without widespread social media - to the point where promotional posters were being stolen as keepsakes before the film even hit the mainstream.
A great read for fans of the film - the book isn't perfect, it could have done with a good edit, but it's clearly a labour of love for the author and you can tell he gave it absolutely everything he had in order to get all this stuff down in the one place.
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