When The Blair Witch Project opened in 1999, much of its hype centered on whether the disappearance of three student filmmakers in the woods actually occurred, or if it was the subject of a convincing-but-fake documentary.
But once the actors who played those students began making the talk-show rounds, it was clear that no such disappearance took place and that the so-called "lost footage" of their doomed camping trip was just part of a well-marketed horror film.
This technique is revived in Novem, a new film directed by Brad Kimmel that made multiple appearances at the Phoenix Film Festival from April 8 to 10. The film tells the story of a fictional band Novem, made up of nine friends who are all killed in a van accident after recording songs over a six-day period in 1973.
Luckily, one of the band members, Alan, collects footage of the recording session.
Three decades later, a group of students at Harrison State College discovers the band's lost footage and recordings.
The students are moved by the band's music and friendship and are saddened when they discover why they never got to record any more songs.
Harrison State student filmmaker Jordan Simon takes makes it a personal quest for him to carry on where the band left off and begins publicizing Novem and releasing the songs.
One storyline in the film focuses on Simon and his student friends as they try to spread the word on the band, meet some of the members' surviving family, build a website about Novem and see the band's popularity skyrocket to an unexpected level among college students.
The meetings with family members are actually touching and the acting throughout the film is solid. But the popularity of Novem is exaggerated to a point where it feels unlikely and some discussions about this new fame border on cheesy. In the film, the band's Web site seems to explode louder than even the Facebook.
The rest of the film consists of the footage that chronicles the last six days of Novem, and has interviews with the band members in which they discuss the songs they wrote and the meanings behind them.
In essence, Novem is a documentary about a documentary and it's an accomplished one as well. The footage of the band is weaved together effectively with the scenes of the present-day student filmmakers. The progression of events up until the day of the accident produces a sense of sadness when the band members perish.
The film ends with a prologue showing the band members' plans for their futures, which adds to the feeling that this may be a true story.
In keeping with the spirit of The Blair Witch Project, the film has a rather realistic looking Web site, novemsongs.com, which includes a newspaper article about the van accident and the songs that were recorded shortly before.
Watching the film at face value, it's difficult to tell whether it's true or not. That is a testament to the filmmakers' skills.
Chaz Holmes is a contributor to the Web Devil. Reach him at chazholmes62@hotmail.com.
ONLINE EDITOR'S NOTE: This article was posted Sunday, April 10.
