You thought you had balls of steel....

Rating: Null/10 (4 August 1999)

Putting up a review for a movie that is reviewed to death....so I am gonna make it choppy and quick.
If you were dissapointed, then I am sorry. You did not get it. If you claim you were not scared, then I am sorry. You are a lying bastard. If you claim it is a "typical hollywood horror flick", then I am sorry one more time. You are a retard.
An instant classic no matter what. Relies on the unknown and your own imagination to scare you. The fact that people were not scared, or dissapointed that whatever was chasing them was not revealed, is a sad reminder that some people need to be force fed and told what is scary, rather then allowing the TRUE magic of this EXPERIENCE take their nerves for a ride.
Home video style. Enough shaky camera work to make some motion sick. Most will complain that this makes the film crap....but again, it is another sickening fact that people need their whoppers "made their way". The low production skill in some of the more intense scenes (No to poor visuals, shaky camera from the actors own fear, to the cameras being used as their own light source!) only adds to the realism. If the camera was perfectly still, if production technique was smooth and steady while SOMETHING chased the crew down, it would NOT work. Nuff said on that.
Other things people may complain about, people arguing, long middle chunks, all add to the realism. Again, people not opening their minds to the main point of the film. It is shooting for realism, not commercials. The fact that the film is shown in the right proportions instead of blown up to fit the screen shows how much detail was put into making this thing as realistic as possible,
Where it flaws: Does not go into enough detail into the myth. It's hard to say whether actually watching the extra clips on the web site enhance the experience, or ruin it for some. It added for me. Those who have enough of a brain to pay moderate attention will know how to put together the connections to what the towns people tell the crew...and what they find in the woods later.....but the site adds it and makes it stick. Possibly the main reason some were dissapointed at the end.
Conclusion: IMO, best horror film I have seen come out of the 90's. It IS of the same level as The Exorcist, Texas Chainsaw Massacre, and The Shining over all. Final scene alone has stuck in my head longer, or as long as any of the scenes from these three, and I dont see it stop haunting me anytime soon. Oscar? Now that is getting corny...but it deserves something. Prepare yourself to sleep with at least one light on for a while.