Don't Go See This One Drunk...

Rating: 3/10 (9 February 2006)

I tend to like to sneak some liquor in when I go to the theater - makes me feel more like I'm watching it at home but on a bigger screen and usually makes the screening process more enjoyable...not so with THE BLAIR WITCH PROJECT. This film had more shakes then a Tijuana hooker. I literally felt sea-sick from all the shaky camera-work (the cheap bourbon may have played a part too - but I doubt it...). I know this was a micro-budget film and that the "real" feel is supposed to be what makes this films so "great" - it just made my stomach hurt.
This one is about a group of kids who venture into the woods of Frederick County, Maryland (where I just so happen to reside...) in search of some mythical witch. There's also some side-story about a crazy old guy that abducts kids, but honestly, it's been so long since I've seen this one that I don't even remember what that whole thing was about. In fact, I've lived here for quite a while and have never heard anything about any Blair Witch in the first place, but that's another story. The kids go into the woods and they disappear, and the premise of the film is that what the audience sees is the "found footage" (much like the basic storyline of CANNIBAL HOLOCAUST)...
The same reason that I give this film credit is the very same reason that I hate it - MARKETING. This film had the most ingenious marketing techniques and "hyping" that I've ever personally witnessed for a theatrical release. The endless bombardment of commercials, the "true" documentaries - everything about how this film was marketed was absolutely brilliant. Which brings me to my major gripe with the film...It didn't live up to the hype. The first two-thirds of the film is boring footage of the three adventurers getting ready for their trip, and then walking in circles in the woods - all shot through a hand held camera that looks as though the person holding it has Parkinson's disease. The very end of the film is relatively "creepy", but I couldn't figure out how it tied in to the rest, and honestly don't care to bother trying to piece it together.
I give the filmmakers credit for pulling off such a hugely successful film with no budget, and I like the idea of an independent film being shown theatrically - but THE BLAIR WITCH PROJECT just wasn't scary, and in my opinion is THE MOST over-hyped film I've ever seen. 3/10