Superficial people won't "get" this film

Rating: Null/10 (6 September 2003)

I just revisited Blair Witch and it remains among the top 2 or 3 scariest films I've ever seen, possibly number one. It works on a psychological level that can't be compared to "traditional" horror attempts. If you find yourself "trying" to get into it, you're probably wasting your time.
I think this movie is best watched alone on TV at night, or with a small crowd that won't interrupt with banal comments. In fact, I don't think you should talk at all during this film because so much of it relies on "being there" and staying there until the end.
I think many people are too shallow or short on patience to get drawn into it, and that accounts for most of the negative reviews. They are simply not describing the same experience had by those who got into it. For me, that happened shortly after the interviews with the townspeople, especially the one with the strange lady at the trailer park. When this film works on someone, it becomes reality, and reality can be overwhelming if you're lost in the woods and the sun is sinking.
Negative reviewers try to dissect it with criticisms of the plot and pacing that have no bearing on how it works for a receptive mind. It doesn't need a traditional plot or special effects because it wasn't meant to work on an in-yo-face level. Notice how short some of the bad reviews are? It's as if they were told to hate it and just want to join the fray. Many probably saw it in a big, sarcastic crowd that prevented them from reaching the trance-state that creates so much of the tension.
It's too bad I'm defending this film by attacking the personalities of its detractors, but I'm afraid that's necessary! To sum it up, if your main musical fare is Hip Hop or Britney Spears you'll probably find Blair Witch dull. But if you can sit still and enjoy slow classical or ambient soundscapes you may find yourself mesmerized. Flaky viewers (or those who'd never understand their own flakiness) need not apply.