The most misunderstood movie in horror history. (POSSIBLE Spoilers).

Rating: 9/10 (29 May 2000)

Note: This comment MAY contain spoilers, depending on your point of view. If you haven't seen TBWP, and don't know the background of the film, STOP reading NOW.
There isn't much to say about this film that hasn't already been said. Everybody and his brother (or sister, as the case may be) has made and reiterated their point about this film. But the fact remains, that this low-budget wonder turned box-office hit is a scary movie.
Myself, I watched this movie at home, with all the lights turned off, and the volume turned up high. I didn't watch it alone, however, and now I wish I did. The main problem with my viewing of the film was that I had already heard all the hype, and as much as I tried to stay away from it, I knew most of the background of this film. That is another thing I regret.
The fact is, I believe that if one views this movie as it was intended to be viewed, with no background knowledge, it will scare the daylights out of the viewer. It is a classic terror film. I know there are many who would disagree with me.
While I do not believe that this film can be ranked up with previous horror hits such as The Exorcist, the result was the same in many movie theaters in North America. People complained of dizziness, nausea, and some had to leave the theater early because they couldn't take it any more. The same thing happened with The Exorcist. The symptoms from Blair were often the result of watching the shaky, multi-camera views, while The Exorcist was a blast of both imagery and sound that left the viewer reeling in his/her seat. The result of the whole experience, agree with me or not on both counts, was terror.
There are those horror movie buffs out there, I'm sure, who complain that Blair was not classic horror, that the premise was faulty and the background was simply unbelievable. Yet, I'm sure that these were people like me. They knew the background of the film, and were thus not affected as the writers, directors, and cast had originally intended. I believe that if people saw this film as was meant to be, they would have been scared out of their wits. I also think that many people, on examination of the film, downplayed how it made them feel. In other words, the same people that say the film was terrible, probably sat in the theater and were scared themselves at some point during the film.
Overall, I believe that this is the most misunderstood movie in horror history. If it had been viewed by the masses as it was originally intended, it would have scared the pants off almost anybody. I know it scared me... even though I already knew what it was all about. As I have said in the past, any movie that can make me think when it is over, is one that I enjoy. This movie will leave many questions in your mind, but as I said before, only if viewed as it was originally intended.
My Rating: 9/10