The Blair Witch Project

At the time of its release, The Blair Witch Project was literally a revelation in our movie theaters. I remember being scared shitless during the screening. It felt so authentic that I was really scared once when I got lost in the woods while looking for mushrooms and managed to get out of it only about two hours after dark. I immediately recalled this film. I consider The Blair Witch Project to be a near-perfect mystifying horror film. Moreover, those woods near Burkitsville, Maryland, have so much in common with the ones near where I live that I couldn't set foot in them for weeks after seeing it. (85%) (10/28/2020)

Sam Raimi taught us over twenty years ago in Evil Dead that nothing good hides in the dark forests, and The Blair Witch Project adds that the biggest carriers of fear are people themselves. If this film is taken as a pure cinematic experiment that a "serious" filmmaker would avoid, it can be considered a "serious" spectacle. Otherwise, it can be seen quite off because as a whole, this film offers nothing beyond the trio of scared students, plenty of cursing, shaky handheld "eights" and "sixteens," and absolutely nothing else, not even music. Indeed, it's hard to believe that the cracking of branches, unknown giggling, or children's screams can evoke a sense of horror that makes one's hair stand on end. Just as the presentation of The Blair Witch Project is very personal, so too will each viewer's perspective be as personal, because everything there is to love about it can be criticized without any inhibitions. I’m giving it four stars for the original idea and also for the fact that in the final ten minutes, I almost crushed the remote control that I was holding in my hand. (08/14/2005)

Had I seen the film at the time of its release, I would have been happier, but in 2023, I have to say that the greatest magic of The Blair Witch Project is somehow gone and it has suffered a similar fate as, say, the radio play of War of the Worlds. The film is certainly watchable, but it can't be enjoyed like it was in 1999, when it was something truly unique. My fault, I know, but on the other hand, I didn’t have this problem with the original King Kong, Hitchcock's Psycho, or Jaws. That said, I definitely can't deny it its thick atmosphere during the night scenes, where I really tried not to blink so I wouldn’t miss anything... Yeah... What wasn't there (to be seen) in the end. (05/03/2023)

I didn't find it scary at any point, and let’s not talk about the atmosphere and the actors. But I'm fascinated by how much the filmmakers, on such a non-existent budget backed up by the brilliant website of its time, caught naive people out with a fable about a real documentary. When I was at school, almost everyone believed it. (04/11/2005)

This is how a cult is created. With a good idea, a well-thought-out campaign, and an ending that will be discussed long after the credits. I recommend watching it for the first time alone at night, you will never forget it. The final three minutes are still the peak of horror for me. However, even after years, I have no intention of testing the effectiveness of the situation. (12/23/2004)