Comments to potential viewers and disappointed viewers

Rating: 10/10 (9 August 1999)

"The Blair Witch Project" is one of the best movies to come along this year for many reasons. It features some of the best acting that I have seen in a long time, is shot creatively, and presents thoroughly believable characters in a story that is character driven. Plus, this film manages to truly get under the skin, providing a creepy and tense emotional experience.
Now here are some things that this movie does NOT offer:

Unnecessary state-of-the-art special effects

Scripted dialogues (neither the kind that are too stale and poorly written to be believable nor the kind that are too well-crafted or clever to seem real)

Verbal masturbation by actors (i.e. - overacting, show-off acting, or any kind of acting not necessary to successfully portray a character)

Cheap-thrills

Gratuitous sex

Gratuitous violence

Cardboard characters in a pre-packaged plot device

Happy endings with "closure"

Spoon-fed entertainment with no thought or feeling

Unfortunately, the above list is what the average movie viewer wants, and when a film comes along that doesn't give them any such gratification, they tend to get lost.
When one watches this movie or ANY movie for that fact, one should try to experience the film. Be there with the characters. That means no talking to your neighbor, no asking aloud what just happened (as if someone else _knows_ the answer), and no stepping outside of the film to sit safely in your chair. Concentrate on the events unfolding before you and give yourself over to what is precious about art: an emotional experience.
If you let yourself go with this film, it _will_ work its magic on you.
Does that mean you will jump out of your seat or get spooked?
Doubtfully, though some people may. Most likely you will not have that kind of reaction - that is the fun roller-coaster kind of fear that audiences have come to expect from entertainment. This film is about real fear - the kind of disturbing emotional experience that comes from watching three individuals slowly transform into hysterical animals afraid of being trapped in a situation that is beyond their control.
Why does it work? Not because of the fear of what's not on the screen, as many reviewers like to say. No, it works because - when you let yourself go with the film - the actors don't seem like actors performing for your entertainment; they seem like real individuals grappling with a horrifying situation.
Anyone who gripes about why the filmmakers continue to film or why they do this or that is just actively trying to fault the film or isn't paying attention. Such a person is on some level resisting the experience of allowing himself to go with a very real and creepy film. The film explains that Heather is a film junkie who films everything compulsively. There are plenty of people who do this on trips. In addition, the film reveals that documenting everything is Heather's way of coping with a horrible situation.
At several moments when it may seem silly to the third-party viewer that the cameras are still rolling, one must bare in mind that just because the camera is on doesn't mean that the cameraman is actively filming the events. The operator could have simply forgotten about the camera.
Think about it: if you were filming something and were suddenly scared half-to-death, you wouldn't stop and turn the camera off; you would simply run, and that's exactly what happens in this film in many cases.
At other times, the filmmakers continue filming in order to hold on to some sense of order in the chaos that has engulfed their reality. They are clinging desperately to one of the last remnants of the normal and modern world from which they have been separated by the increasingly menacing woods.
"The Blair Witch Project" is an intelligent and inventive film that demonstrates what filmmaking is all about: an emotional experience. When a viewer goes in merely expecting something safe and entertaining, he will be sorely disappointed by "The Blair Witch Project". Such a case is sad, for the viewer who allows himself to go with this film will experience a truly disturbing and rewarding piece of art.