A masterpiece of suspense and terror...not horror

Rating: 9/10 (26 July 1999)

Being in the woods in the middle of nowhere is scary in and of itself-scarier when you tell ghost stories-scarier still when you're in a ghost story. This simple truth has finally been exploited to(almost)maximum effect and create a truly gripping movie.
Blair Witch Project is a brilliantly conceived and executed film
that unfortunately cuts itself too short just as it's momentum finally starts to build to a fever pitch. The situation for the three protagonists gets increasingly desperate and weird and genuinely scary but the climax is overly abrupt to say the least and leaves the viewer distinctly unsatisfied(although the last shot is haunting).
The film also spends too much time concentrating on the three tired young filmmakers bickering amongst each other and basically breaking down mentally(although the actors all give very impressive performances-It's easy to forget that this is a movie and not a documentary while you're watching it). These scenes are very well done but go on too long and it's nothing you haven't seen in Deliverance. They detract from the overall impact in the long run.
I would still recommend this film but I have to admit I needed just a little more gore and a little less mystery.