Overview

Tangible Fear

First, a warning: a fair bit of the first quarter of the game is shown in the screenshots, and sadly, it gives away much more of the plot than is normal for most screenshots. We tried to edit out screenshots that gave away plot hints, but we weren't left with much. So if you don't want to see the general outline of the beginning of the game, don't click through the shots.

doh. obviously ignore =P

Spooky House

For myself, there was nothing scarier in the world than the Blair Witch Project. Just the thought of commando advertising (to steal a term from a Eric Biessman) working so well is scary. I got bombarded numerous times with links to the official movie site, which played up the story about it being real footage. After serious inquiries into my friend's mental health, I became convinced that yes, they were serious and at least conceded the possibility of this being true. The massive, unavoidable amount of hype turned me off to the movie. You can switch the channel when you see some newscaster blabbing on and on about Titanic or yet another commercial about the movie comes on, but when your very friends betray you... It's time for drastic action.

Following the heretical instructions in the Necrowombicon, I made the most unholy of vows (sanctified with bovine blood from lean ground beef packages) to never give in to the hype and see the movie at my own expense. No one is going to profit from turning my friends into mindless marketing drones.

So it was with much delight that I received Blair Witch Volume 1: Rustin Parr and found my opportunity for payback. It was scarcely less than two days after I got my system to run the game that Kenn chatted me up and got a description of the game. It started innocently enough...

Execution? Already?

She's a cutie

What is it?

Obviously, the game revolves around the legend of the Blair Witch. You start out working for Spook House (yes, the same organization whom the Stranger worked for in Nocturne), and doing some training there to get you up to speed on the rather unfriendly control scheme. Once you're done there, you are sent out to Burkittsville to investigate the Rustin Parr murders.

Apparently, the hermit kidnapped eight children and killed seven, leaving the final child to watch the killer do his work. Then Rustin went into town to the General Store to acknowledge that he was finally done. An investigation was launched and seven bodies were found buried at Parr's house deep in the woods. Parr was convicted and sentenced to a hanging - the official investigation was over.

The big boys

It's da boss man!

However, the ritualistic nature of the murders piqued the curiosity of another agency. Spook House had been aware of the Blair Witch legends for a long time and had performed some investigations, but found nothing worth pursuing further. The Stranger himself laughed at the stories since there was no physical evidence - just rumors, stories and disappearances. Always a friend of a friend or a distant relative had seen something. Nevertheless, Spook House needs to investigate the Rustin Parr murders so you, as Doc Holliday (no, not THAT Doc - you wish), head off to Burkittsville.

DiE!	Gimme some light, baby