The Blair Witch Project

I think to appreciate 'The Blair Witch Project,' you have to understand the circumstances of how it was marketed. Let me try to recreate what it was like in 1999:— BEFORE THE INTERNET AS WE KNOW IT —At the time of its release, the internet was still new. Not every movie had a website, and not every movie had a *good* website. The Blair Witch Project was very much an independent movie at the time, but they managed to create a website. The website was all they needed—especially with their killer hook: "In October of 1994 three student filmmakers disappeared in the woods near Burkittsville, Maryland while shooting a documentary... A year later their footage was found."— MARKETING —If you read that line on their website or saw it on a poster back in 1999, you were immediately hooked. That tag line was printed on their poster which only showed an inverted black and white photo of trees. It was simple. It was effective. Their website showed police photos and reports for missing persons, which helped solidify the premise of the missing students. Your morbid imagination took over, and you thought, "what happened?!" or "is this real?" or "we have to go see this."If my memory is correct, the filmmakers didn't market the movie or say much about it—until after it was released. There were no late night talk show interviews with the actors because to play this as real as possible, they had to be "dead/missing," and therefore couldn't do interviews. The tagline, the police reports, the missing actors, these elements all sold the found footage as a real deal.*Before* it was released, people were all talking about it. This was literally the first movie where people debated on the internet on whether it was legit, that this was actually what we now know today as "found footage". It effectively was *the first* "viral" movie. Everyone couldn't wait to see it.It wasn't until the first showings happened that it was revealed it was a movie, and not real real.— AN AUDIENCE DIVIDED —This is the part where the audience is divided, and this is why I write. The ones that loved the movie were the ones that thought this was real. The ones that hated the movie were the ones that were told it's just a movie. The ones that thought this was real let their imagination fill in all the blanks, and it made the film that much scarier.The ones watching "a movie", not understanding the intent behind it, were bored. They also complained about the shaky footage, even though the film is about amateur filmmakers making a film, and running around with a camera scared for their lives. Of course it's going to be shaky! Cinéma vérité!— SUMMARY —If you plan on watching this, your mindset will determine your enjoyment of The Blair Witch Project. If you can imagine yourself as that audience in 1999 that thought this was real, you *will* be creeped and scared the heck out. If you watch this like it's just another found footage movie, you might be disappointed. My suggestion? Watch this alone at night with only a soft light on, pretend someone gave you this mysterious video and told you only the tag line. See what happens then.As for me, I think I knew it was a movie right before I first saw it, but I placed my mindset into previously thinking it was real, and I enjoyed every minute of it. Recommended.

The originator of the grating, pointless, endlessly droning found-footage film. Thanks for nothing. I watched this when it first came out, immediately demanded a refund from the theater (never got one), and swore if off for good. With nothing else to do tonight, I gave it another try. And it still sucks. Since absolutely nothing happens in this movie, I was free to spend time internally debating which character I wanted to be killed first, which is sort of like deciding if you want a million dollars paid out in twenties or fifties. There is no wrong answer. But again, you will have time to debate since ABSOLUTELY NOTHING HAPPENS IN THIS MOVIE. Some idiot kids go into the woods, shriek a lot, and an old lady makes arts and crafts projects out of twigs and rocks. Oh, and she throws some clothes around. And this is what people were fleeing theaters in terror over? Yeah OK.

Was this the first 'found footage film"? While this may not have totally started the genre, it was the first pure entry, with no "retrospective" elements or framework outside of a title card. It's still very scary, and in fact is probably more effective now that it was in 1999. The movie is very simple and straight-forward. It's obnoxious seeing the characters get so angry at eachother, and yet it's also why this movie is so effective. It's creepy at how easy it is to relate to. The night time scenes are freaky in how the littlest of noises can scare us, but who of us haven't experiences paranoia when camping? Easily one of the best and most effective horror films because it doesn't seem to be trying too hard. It's just plain spooky.

The only good thing about this movie is the last minute. I remember sitting through it when it first came out and hating it until that last minute that somewhat redeems it. It's like somebody who can't tell a joke telling a long long long joke, that at the very end has a pretty good punchline.My grandson, who is becoming quite the horror movie aficionado, wanted to see it because of its historical significance. Ok, fine. You owe me a dollar for having to rent this. Think he'll ever pay me? Hell, no. Kids today. At the end, "Yeah, it was OK."The handheld camera work, I guess, has historical significance, if only that all handheld camera movies are a hundred times better than this dog's breakfast.By the time I was half an hour in, I was just hoping every single character would die a gruesome death. I actually don't remember if they all did, even on the most recent watching. I hope so. Tell me if you know that they all died, and I'll bump my rating up to 2 stars.

Say what you will but horror films usually don't age this well. It's nearly 20 years later and this (once) one-of-a-kind found footage movie still bests most of its competitors in this sub-genre. A quick summary: three friends embark on a hiking expedition to film the whereabouts of the so-called "Blair Witch" who is said to occupy the rural mountains of Maryland. It seems to be going well until they completely lose their bearings, leaving them entangled in brush and mud. As time wears on, they lose more than direction and come across far more than they planned to see. I saw this film in the theater and found it somewhat scary. Now I see it and it is rather terrifying, particularly the way the cast rips into each other as the mistakes mount up. A somewhat open ending will likely disappoint some but there is definitely some skill here. Unfortunately, the acting is written overly neurotic, a ploy that feels insincere and which weighs down the real tension in the relationships. Though imperfect, these relationships help the viewer to see that it is this aspect that makes for a good "found footage" movie. And it pretty much originated here.

Don't go into this expecting a gore fest! This movie is all about capturing the imagination of the viewer and really engrossing you into the situation. Being lost deep in the woods while being stalked by a possible Witch whose playing mind games with you but never actually make an appearance, it's an unsettling thought. What does she look like? Will I actually ever get out of these woods? Am I being stalked by people just trying to scare me? It's what you'd be questioning to yourself, to the point of insanity. The film does a good job at creating that atmosphere. It's fear of the unknown. You can appreciate why this is creepy, while maybe not as scary as it was upon its first release It certainly hasn't lost It's tone. I didn't know If I'd like this, but it's actually a good movie just because of how they build up everything in your imagination. The victims are lead to the house of the Witch at the end, and this scene was probably the most terrifying part of the film! Spooky stuff.

I certainly don't think this should be categorised as a horror movie. I am inclined to say a movie with suspense. I didn't expect gore, and I didn't want gore but, for me, this wasn't scarey at all. Sorry to say I found the characters interesting but overall the movie is highly repetitive and boring. I certainly wouldn't watch it again and will most likely Ebay the DVD.

If I am not wrong, this is the movie that set up the "lost footage" trend, so comparing a 1999 movie with the heavyweight champions of the genre is a bit unfair. But this movie shows you nothing, and delivers everything - and this is very rare these days. At least not without special effects and careful staging of every scene - a luxury which The Blair Witch Project never had.The audio commentary on the DVD was good, but it spoiled the ending for me, because they confirm what is in the last frame of the movie.I totally get this movie, mainly because I've been lost in the woods before, in the night, and it was the most terrifying experience of my life. Every crack, every noise, every shadow were creeping us out. Phone batteries were almost dead, the GPS coverage on my SATNAV was poor. If you think this movie is boring and unrealistic, wait until you live the experience for yourself.It gets 4 stars instead of 5, mainly because some of the acting was poor, especially Joshua Leonard. Watch the "I kicked the map" scene, and you'll see what I am talking about.

Horror. The film has all the elements of a classic horror film. These being haunted woods, strange rituals and a creepy old abandoned house. The film in my opinion cannot be faulted in any way at all and is a classic of its genre. The plot follows a group of young filmmakers who venture deep into the creepy woods where the legendary Blair Witch haunts and kills her victims.

I originally saw the Blair Witch Project on its opening night. At that time there wasn't much information about its content or origins. I was fortunate enough to see the Blair Witch documentary on television two weeks prior. I, as many of you might have been, was under the spell. I wasn't sure if the documentary type film was 100% fiction or if it was the real deal. Such ignorance on my part, resulted in one of the most profound cinema experiences I have ever had. Many people out there refer to the movie as melodramatic, but keep in mind, this film was never meant to become a mainstream blockbuster. This was a small independent project, and it was designed to capture real human emotion: fear, anger, hatred, guilt in its truest form. True emotion should not be labeled melodramatic, the emotions portrayed in most (99% in my opinion) movies is bogus and not realistic. There were no heroes, unlike most cinematic flicks; there was just unadulterated emotion. I must say I can't blame many people for feeling let down about the movies hype. The movies was a one time shot, best enjoyed when it was new. I purchased the DVD out of respect for the actors, and creators. The respect was born from the true feeling of terror and confusion I experienced in the theater.