Director – D. Kerry Prior (Roadkill, The Revenant)
Starring – Adam Powers and D. Kerry Prior
Release Date – 2021
Rating – 1/5
I’ve reviewed several parodies over the years for the site. Most of them were adult films but that didn’t make them any less enjoyable. Hell, movies like Evil Head and Fuckenstein are movies that I still recommend to genre fans that prefer their films a bit on the sleazy side. I’ve always been a fan of parodies. I was finding my way into horror when the Scary Movie franchise was taking off. Since then I’ve watched the first four films of the series, the slasher parodies Student Bodies and Screamwalkers, and several more.
Several months back I was browsing Instagram when I saw that Future Video had put out a few new releases on blu that I needed to add to my collection. The first was the Blood Gorge/ Cruel double feature and the second was the found footage parody The Blair (Blare) Rabbit Project. I was very curious about both releases and quickly grabbed them.
**Spoiler Alert** The film follows two aspiring filmmakers and an actress they found online as they head deep into the woods to uncover any truth to the legend of the Blair Rabbit. However, tensions come to a boil when they find themselves lost in the woods and someone, or something, is stalking them when they discover little poop sculptures outside their tents. **Spoiler Alert**
I’m not really a fan of the Blair Witch Project or the reboot. The sequel is a solid film but it’s been years since I’ve seen it. Found footage has never been my thing but I was still excited to check this one out. I was hoping it would be a humor filled found footage film that not only poked fun at what I dislike about found footage films but parodied one of the biggest horror titles of the last 30 years. While it did have a few laughs, it was way longer than it needed to be and a bit difficult to finish.
The acting in this one is exactly what you would expect from a found footage film. The cast tries to capture that authentic found footage vibe with the casual conversation and small talk which takes up 90% of the film. It’s extremely awkward to watch and doesn’t give the viewer the chance to see what the cast can really do.
The story for this one has a lot of iconic Blair Witch moments and turns them into something funny or could be funny. I say that because not every joke finds it’s mark. I did laugh at the film a few times but the overall movie failed to deliver on the comedy. Instead, it feels more like a serious approach to a found footage film with the absurd twists to the original story. The movie fails to find it’s own footing and create the movie that it wants to be.
Finally, those wanting a lot of blood and gore will be very disappointed. Hell, if you are looking for laughs and a fun parody then you will be disappointed. Overall, The Blair Rabbit Project is a huge miss in my book. I wanted to love it but its focus on being a found footage film rather than a parody makes it difficult to finish. This is one I would skip.
