Reasonably tense mock documentary horror film

Rating: 7/10 (5 August 1999)

Having been as curious as anybody else over the buzz this film has been generating ever since Sundance, I went to see it on opening day to see what the fuss is all about. Some critics said that it's the scariest movie they've ever seen, even scarier than THE TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE and THE EXORCIST. Well, I wouldn't go THAT far. This movie is extremely well-made and well-acted, and the filmmakers certainly deserve credit by stretching their shoestring budget extremely well. The film is shot entirely with a video camera and a 16mm black and white film camera. The woods where the three ambitious young filmmakers go to explore the Blair Witch legend are claustrophic and creepy. The film borrows inspiration from many horror films such as THE EVIL DEAD, THE TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE, DELIVERANCE, FRIDAY THE 13TH, and I SPIT ON YOUR GRAVE, and NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD. The difference here is that there is virtually no blood or gore on display, which will no doubt disappoint some viewers. The emphasis is on the characters' psychological and mental deterioration as they get lost deeper and deeper in the woods. The only complaint I have about the film is that it doesn't really pay off by the conclusion. It builds a reasonable amount of tension, especially during the nighttime scenes, and we keep waiting for some big revelation, and we don't really get it. Time and again scenes keep building and toying with us, and we expect to jump out of seats by something scary, but it never happens. It's like watching a porno movie without any sex scenes.