Tremendous

Rating: 8/10 (13 July 2010)

i recently was on vacation in Virginia with my family...staying at a cabin type house in the woods. there wasn't a whole lot to do, so in town one day i decided to buy a bunch of movies at a local thrift store. among the ones i bought...i ended up purchasing silence of the lambs, Hannibal rising, and Blair witch project ...having seen none of them but hearing about them from others.
i loved silence of the lambs, but really wasn't scared by Anthony Hopkins portrayal of Hannibal Lecter. I enjoyed Hannibal rising, but the fictitiousness of it didn't make it frightening for me.
out of these 3 movies i was scared ONLY by the low budget, mock documentary about 3 college students looking for a witch. go figure.
the Blair witch project was unlike anything i have ever seen. the method by which it was shot created a feeling that these characters are just like any other college kid...you feel as if they could be people that you yourself know.
the dialogue was exceptionally genuine. even though i knew that the movie was not actually real life footage...i questioned that idea right up to the end. the fact that the story seems so authentic is what makes it scary. you do not just watch this movie...you're a part of it. it feels like it very well could be you looking through the video camera lens.
the terror that the kids feel from a combination of being lost, food running out, and a witch hunting them translates to the audience like you cant really imagine. sure, in some horror movies you're scared for the main character, but with this film you're almost scared for yourself, that you're in danger.
although this movie is not made of real life footage, i believe that no movie will ever be created that comes so close to reality as the Blair witch project does. if there was ever a movie that made people "feel like they were in it," it is this movie.