This movie is not...

Rating: 9/10 (7 August 1999)

Are you the type of person who wants everything spelled out for you? Are you the type of person who must have every single question a movie raises, answered? Are you the type of person who wants tons of blood and gore to scare you?
If you answered yes to any of these questions, do NOT see this movie.
The Blair Witch Project is a rare film, perhaps the only one I've seen, that doesn't give you everything you want to hear. It will scare the pants off of you, but only if you let it. Seeing the website ahead of time works.
But if you're like me and didn't see the site, the very style of the movie will draw you in. It's a Real World-cum-documentary device that's used, and it's used to perfection. The point of view of the movie gives us an almost intrusive angle on the entire story. Instead of giving us detailed bios on the characters, the movie lets its own technique draw us in. Brilliant. (If you NEED detailed bios, or anything of the sort, see the site.)
The whole thing is eerie. The images from the film are with me a week after seeing it, and it scared me quite nicely. There are people who don't get it, don't understand it, or simply don't like the way the movie "looked". Great. Go see something flashy, then. (Heck, one guy I know complained that the film didn't take up the whole screen!) If you're looking for minor appearance details, you'll hate this film.
If, on the other hand, you want: a creative story that gives you enough but not too much, a set of characters you grow to bond and identify with, and a suspenseful ending, this is the one to see.
4.5/5.0 stars.