Fascinating, but fatally flawed.

Rating: 2/10 (17 August 1999)

"The Blair Witch Project" is a fascinating, but fatally flawed film. Like an inside joke, the movie assumes a greater understanding of the mythology behind the story than is given in the movie. The significance of story elements are lost amid the jostlings of the camera and the breathless (and frequently unintelligible) narration of events. While this jostling and narration contribute to the tension experienced by audiences in the later portion of the film, they prove to be little more than a one trick pony.
The film is well paced and edited, ratcheting up the tension as the filmmaker-characters experience the mysteries of the Maryland forest. However, it is an empty tension. It is difficult to willingly suspend one's disbelief when (1) the characters themselves defy empathy, and (2) their decision-making and behavior reflect a woeful naivete and lack of basic survival instinct.
"The Blair Witch Project" was fascinating in that it pushed a documentary narrative technique to its limit. The editing and pacing is well executed. The sound is serviceable, and the cinematography (such as it is) perfectly matches the desired atmosphere. The performances by the filmmaker-characters were remarkable.
That said, the film is flawed because of a presumed understanding of background mythology, a reliance on manic first-person narration, a lack of characters worthy of empathy, and unbelievable behavior and decision-making on the part of the filmmaker-characters.
I understand why there is electric hype surrounding this film. However, the hype reflects more on the low expectations of the mass audience than the sensibilities of film criticism.