Scary? Bambi was scarier...

Rating: 2/10 (12 February 2005)

I had heard some mixed comments about this movie, so when i rented it I really had no expectations. I'm glad i didn't, because this is one of THE WORST films i've ever seen. Not only is the plot weak (although the idea of this story being real was very well marketed), it was not at all scary! Let me just say, I scare fairly easily, and yet by halfway through this film, I was falling asleep with boredom. The movie follows three teenagers on a film making adventure into the woods to create a documentary on a local legend - the Blair Witch. Then while they are in the woods, (suposedly) creepy things start to happen... Thats pretty much all there is to this film. Not even the descent into helplessness by the main characters as the journey unfolds could hold my interest (and I sat through Gosford Park...twice). Nothing scary ever happens, just a few weird noises and abnormal rock formations, and thats basically it. I suppose the scares in this movie are meant to come from fear for the main characters in their somewhat unfortunate situation. Sadly, because nothing seriously dramatic (or even attention grabbing) ever happens, as a viewer I couldn't see what the big deal was. I know its supposed to be realistic, and we're meant to see ourselves in that situation, but by that stage I was disenchanted with the whole painful ordeal. Of course, there is the question of the mysterious Blair Witch herself. She is supposed to command fear because we never see her, leaving her as an invisible force of danger. Sorry, still not good enough. Because we are never shown the witch in the act of moving rocks or stalking the teenagers, we are meant to assume it was her, I quite honestly didn't feel threaten at all. Even the (exciting?)climatic sequence left much to be desired, such as an actual conclusion, and I found myself relieved that I could then find a more riveting was to waste my time (such as watching paint dry). If you are one of those people who thought that The Blair Witch Project was the scariest film of all time, I suggest you watch Bambi. It'll scare you senseless.