Well, this is perhaps the most original presentation of a horror/suspense movie that has been brought to market in as long as I can remember. I find only two flaws with the film.

Rating: Null/10 (30 July 1999)

Well, this is perhaps the most original presentation of a horror/suspense movie that has been brought to market in as long as I can remember. I find only two flaws with the film:
1) To make the film have more of an impact, the filmmakers should not have revealed that it is not a true documentary, at least not until the movie had made an impact. The knowlege that there is actually nothing out there but a bunch of filmmakers making noise in the forest detracts from the "feeling" of the movie. I wanted to believe, and in a few scenes I did actually have goosebumps, but always in the back of my mind was the knowlege that it was all fake. The goosebumps were generated by the true emotion shown by the actors/actress on the screen. Their "performances" were great.
2) There needed to be more "explanation" of the events. While the "raw tape" shown was gritty and provided the "feel" needed to pull off the movie, I think that without a set-up there is definitely something missing. The two or three brief statements at the beginning of the film (the same statements that appear in the commercials and trailers) give the viewer a basic understanding of what they are about to see, but that's just it, a basic understanding. I walked into the theatre with almost four months of knowlege of the "story" under my belt and I enjoyed the movie more than my companion who had heard very little. If you haven't been reading the updates on the website and watching the special on Sci-Fi, you missed a great portion of the whole mystery and feeling that is the Blair Witch. A bit of an intro would have been appropriate, in my opinion.
In all, I enjoyed the movie. I recommend it. Don't expect Hollywood at all when you walk into the theatre...but expect to get some chills.