The Blair Witch Project

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)

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)

Rubbish that denies the assumption that a successful film should offer a distinctive story or a well though-out concept. The only artistic motivation of Blair Witch is to “look like real footage” and it succeeded only because viewers weren’t yet able to debunk that “authenticity”. If this film was released today, it wouldn’t make any waves. 90% of its runtime is people being lost in the woods and the remaining 10% is filled with some sort of tension when the wandering in the woods moves into a scary cabin. It has cult status and won’t deny it, but personally I hate it and it bores me like most other found-footage movies (with the exception of: Cloverfield, REC and Troll Hunter, and actually even Jákl’s Ghoul is quite better). 20% (01/17/2021)

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)

I avoided this movie back when it came out with the thought that it wouldn't be my cup of tea. If I had listened to my instinct, I wouldn't have wasted a few bucks and almost 90 minutes of my precious time. But as years go by, as they say, people become foolish. So I was expecting many things, but I have to admit that I was equally shocked. While watching it, I had to constantly remind myself of the fairy tale "The Emperor's New Clothes", for which I have a personal version based on my own experiences. Once upon a time, in the 80s, a friend came up with the idea of teasing others and pulled out genuine marijuana, when he mixed used tobacco with several terrifying ingredients (yes, even just thinking about it now makes me feel sick) and let others smoke it. Everyone felt incredibly sick, but they all spread rumors that it was an incredibly beautiful experience, and not only that, they even believed it because, over the years, when at least some of them experienced the real taste and effects of marijuana, they still reminisced about their first experience with it. It's a bit like that with this movie, which is one of those that aren't interesting from a cinematic perspective, but rather from reading enthusiastic reviews. This sort of awkwardness isn't even seen in the works of film school students, and the desperate absence of anything that could be called an atmosphere with a large dose of imagination is unbelievable. This film doesn't contain a single interesting shot, a single cinematically interesting moment, or a single acting performance, and the only thing commendable is the marketing, which cleverly utilized the emerging phenomenon of the internet in the 90s to launch its advertising campaign and build a reputation as an independent cult film. After watching it, I had a night shift and climbed up the ladders of the technological shafts of a power plant block, where I didn't encounter a soul all night and only listened to the monotonous sound of fans and operating technological units. Sporadic lighting, insulation, and giant machines. If this film even had a hint of horror potential, I should have at least felt a breeze of fear. But it was nonexistent. This cult completely passed me by, and truth be told, I understand it the least out of all of them. Overall impression: 0%. (04/14/2009)