Ihe
CNC
Free
Press
January
2000
Page
07
"uii
Evil
men
are
scarier
than
any
old
witch
Source:
The
Manitoban
(University
of
Manitoba)
ByBenVorst
WINNIPEG
(CUP)
-
With
this
summer's
The
Blair
Witch
Project,
people
are
once
again
flocking
to
the
cinema
to
be
petrified
by
the
idea
of
isolation.
Coincidentally,
it
was
almost
30-years-ago
that
a
similar
form
of
terror
haunted
movie
audiences
and
kept
them
from
going
camping
for
quite
a
while.
Deliverance,
the
film
that
brought
us
the
infamous
line
'Squeal
like
a
pig!"
hit
the
screen
in
197(1.
The
popularity
of
The
Blair
Witch,
however,
has
shown
us
what
scared
us
back
then
is
till
frightening
today.
The
premise,
for
those
of
you
who
have
been
fortunate
enough
aot
to
have
seen
the
Burt
Reynolds
vehicle,
is
about
a
roup
of
30-something
city-boys
who
embark
on
a
leisurely
trip
down
an
isolated
river
to
"get
away
from
it
all."
Their
vacation
soon
turns
into
a
lightmare,
though,
when
they
Hillery
woke
up
and
lookedat
her
alarm
clock,
"4:37,
she,
moaned
sleepily.
She
,didn't
blow
what
had
made
her
wake
jp,
but
right
away
she
sensed
someone's
presence
downstairs".-Hillery
quietly
got
out
of
bed,
slipped
on
her
housecoat
and
tiptoed
to
the
top
of
the
stairs.
Carefully
going
down
the
stairs,-
skipping
the
fifth
step
because
it
squeaked,
she
headed
towards
the
kitchen.
She
hesitated,
wondering
if
she
"SI
should
go
and
get
her
parents.
Better
not,
they
will
probably
make
too
much
noise
she
thought.
Hillery
was
almost
at
the
bottom
when
she
knocked
over
her
mothers
purse,
and
it
get
lost.
Their
opprobrium
is
intensified
when
they
find
themselves
as
the
target
of
terror
for
some
local
hillbillies,
toothless
mountain-men
who
would
"have
their
way"
with
the
polished
urban
folk.
It's
important
to
remember
that,
at
the
time
of
the
movie's
release,
homosexual
sex
on
the
screen
was
rare,
let
alone
man-on-man
rape.
Ned
Beatty's
stunned,
ghastly
expression
as
he
was
violated,
pierced
right
through
the
eyeball"
of
the
viewers
and
straight
into
their
brains,
into
the
parts
of
their
psyches
that,
when
accessed,
were
shaken
shut
by
shivers
up
the
spine.
Why
was
this
image
so
much
more
unsettling
than
anything
that
had
preceded
it?
I'm
not
in
a
position
to
answer
that.
But
my
guess
is
that
it
lies
somewhere
between
the
destruction
of
sexual
violation
and
the
patriarchal
nature
of
our
society.
What
is
clear
to
me,
however,
is
that
Deliverance
was
much
more
loudly
klunked
down
the
stairs'
to
the
bottom.
rShe
shut
her
eyes
tightly
and
played
to
herself
that
who'ever'
was
jri
"the
kitchen,
or
downstairs
hadn't
heard.
Maybe
the
carpet
hadmuffled
enough
of
the
sound.
Her
eyes
shot
wide
open
and
her
heart
stopped
beating
when
she
heard
the
loose
floor
board
in
the
hallway
creak
like
an
old
dock
rocking
in
the
waves.
Hillery
thought
she
caught
a
glimpse
of
a
dark
cloaked
figure
turning
the
corner
to
go
out
the
back
door.
Hillery
dashed
down
the
stairs
and
ran
softly
into
the
kitchen.
She
went
to
turn
on
the
-lights,
but"
her
whole
body
was
paralyzed
with
fear.
Visions
of
disturbing
than
Blair
Witch.
Before
any
assumptions
are
made,
let
me
tack
on
this
precursor:
my
opinion
is
not
based
on
some
homophobic
fear
or
a
feeling
that
homosexual
rape
is
somehow
more
"immoral"
than
heterosexual
assaults.
I
have
yet
to
be
able
to
watch
a
male-against-female
rape
scene
in
its
entirety,
while
the
scene
with
Ned
Beatty
I
was
able
to
dismiss
more
easily.
What,
to
me,
was
more
disturbing
about
Deliverance
was
that
the
perpetrators
were
human:
caricatures,
but
human.
The
Blair
Witch,
with
all
its
frightening
attributes,
and
all
the
folklore
surrounding
its
gruesome
deeds,
was
no
more
than
a
legend.
The
atrocities
on
the
riverbank
in
Deliverance
seem,
even
with
their
absurdity,
a
reminder
of
the
evil
that
men
can
do.
And
that,
my
friends,
is
scarier
than
any
old
witch.
-30-
desperate
drug
dealers,
axe
murders,
and
various
others
flashed
through
her
mind.
Hillery
shook
her
head
to
clear
her
thoughts.
Her
fingers
were
shaking
like
leaves
on
a
tree
on
a
cold'
windy
autumn
day.
She
found
the
light
switch
and
turned
it
on.
Standing
in
the
door
frame
was
a
man
dressed
all
in
black.
The
ominous
figure
turned
around
quickly.
He
stared
at
Hillery,
a
glint
of
laughter
in
his
eyes.
"Dad,'
Hillery
exclaimed
in
a
surprised
voice,
"What
are
you
doing
here?"
"I
could
ask
the
same
of
you,
but
I
won't.
I
came
down
here
to
finish
moving
Your
mothers
A
Poem
of
the
Seasons
By
Darin
Gifabs
Spring,..
A
time
of
beginnings
When
winter
losses
its
icy,
death
grip
-
-
,
When
flowers
begin
to
bloom
A
time
for
playing
with
friends
in
the
rain
Summer...
A
time
for
relaxing
When
school
gets
out
,
5
Vacations
start
,,
And
you
can
take
trips
with
friends
Fall...
'
";'',,
A
time
where
leaves
begin
to
wither
and
fall
When
the
falling
leaves
Bring
a
myriad
of
beautiful
colours
to
the
ground
Where
you
msH
old
friends,
and
make
new
friends
"
'
-,",""
"
Winter...
-
A
cold
time
of
death
When
harsh
biting
snow
covers
everything
And
cold
weather
makes
going
outside
painful
Now
you
have
friends
come
over
or
phone
them
up
And
enjoy
warm
cups
of
cocoa
-
No
matter
what
Season
it
is
,Friends
make
life
worth
living!
-
birthday
present
into
the
house.
Come
and
take
a
look."
Her
father
then
quickly
ushered
her
outside.
Hillery
slipped
on
her
shoes
and
quietly
followed
her
Dad
out
into
the
shed.
She
stepped
inside
and
saw
the
most
beautiful
black
piano
she
had
ever
seen.
Hillery
walked
around
it
slowly.
Something
about
it
made
it
sparkle
in
the
dim
musky
shed.
Hillery
could
almost
hear
the
music,
just
waiting
for
someone
to
sit
down
and
begin
to
play.
She
slowly
let
out
her
breath,
"Wow,
Mom
will
just
love
it."
"I
know,"
her
Dad
replied,
"now
come
and
help
me
move
it
into
the
house."
Half
an
hour
later,
and
after
quite
a
bit
of
Pushing
and
pulling
the
piano
was
finally
set
up
in
the
den.
Hillery
and
her
Dad
stood
back
and
admired
it.
"All
it
needs
now
is
a
big
red
bow"
Hillery
sighed.
Hillery's
Dad
walked
over
to
the
bench
and
pulled
out
a
perfect
red
bow,
and.with
a
flourish
placed
it
on
top
of
the
Piano.
"Beautiful"
sighed
Hillery'
and
with
contented
smiles
on
their
faces
Hillery
and
her
Dad
went
off
to
bed.