Objective, comprehensive review of The Blair Witch Project

Rating: 8/10 (8 August 1999)

Let me start by saying I've seen this movie twice and read at least one hundred user reviews to give me a perspective through other people's eyes. Quickly put, the idea of this movie is a low budget film where the three actors portray student film makers which also substitute as the camerapersons, while the two writer-directors are off eating lunch at Chi-Chi's (its a tough life). The dialog was all improvised with no real script, except for the two writer-directors leaving general instructions in film canisters at strategic locations in the woods. The acting was very good, although I don't know if you would call it "acting" per se (where everything is predetermined) as opposed to "guided improvised method acting" where the actors were more or less living the movie as it was happening (for instance, the writer-directors deliberately diminished their food supplies and made the scary noises at night, for the sake of realism). For those who were distressed by the lack of a plot, consider that if you ever get lost in the woods, you will probably not have a plot either.
I can see how people would view the acting as either fake or authentic; sometimes the characters seemed to be considerably more horrified of things than they should've been; however, the actual *manner* in which they acted horrified was quite authentic. This is most true of Heather, the narrator and main protagonist of the film. I believe the trick to enjoying this movie is to either A) believe the movie really happened, B) believe it is a mockumentary but see the acting as totally believable, or C) believe it is a mockumentary and forgive over-reactions when they occur. If you fall into categories A or B, you're off to a running start. If on the other hand you are a C person, to fully appreciate this movie you must willingly suspend your disbelief when Heather over-reacts, and assume that there was something really scary there instead of something not so scary. I believe this flaw could've been corrected by using, say, blood splattered on the trees or something else which would've more strongly implied imminent violence without actually portraying it; however this would have forsaken the movie's "no-gore" concept. The first time I watched it, I fell into the B category, but the second time I watched it I leaned towards C. Nevertheless, the movie had even more of an effect on me the second time around. Without my realizing it, my heart was pounding at the end, and that night my mind was irrationally convinced that the coat-hanger next to my bedroom door was a floating witch guarding the only exit so that I would not be able to escape. This movie flicked a switch somewhere in the back of my mind, convincing me despite my best rational efforts that evil things lurked in the dark recesses of my home.
Another thing that might put unsuspecting viewers off is its differences in production values and approach to horror. The most obvious are the ones afflicting all low budget movies: no money means unpolished lighting and camera work, cheap sets or costumes, no effects, etc. One main difference I was pleased with is no score. We had no music to take us by the hand and tell us when to feel what for who; our reactions to the events were thus more natural, a refreshing change. The acting was improvised in a mostly relaxed manner, so we were spared the often- excessive melodrama of Hollywood-type productions. The approach to horror was that of gradually increasing creepiness that gets under your skin, as opposed to "Look!! I'm a scary monster!!" and blood-and-guts scares.
Heather bears the most responsibility and delivers the most dialog, sometimes becoming overly talkative as she tries to fill in all silences with narrative commentary. I was also mildly annoyed at her occasional screech- screaming, but it was realistic and I would've been annoyed if I was there too. There is also one scene where I really, really, really wanted to hand her a Kleenex. As for comments about the level of swearing; I'm absolutely sure that neither of the three actors were even aware of their language until prudes pointed it out, since swearing profusely (especially in tense situations) is only natural for people this age.
All in all, I was quite pleased. I have heard that there are other similar indie productions (Cannibal Holocaust, The Last Broadcast, etc) that were made before this one, which are probably quite envious of this movie's success (this movie as it turns out is making thousands of times its cost in profit). Despite its qualities and successes, I hope there are no sequels or prequels. There is speculation as to if it will ignite a "new" style of horror film making. PS: After reading all those other reviews, I have started to wonder... why is it that the entire theater always either "laughs at the whole movie" or "come out scared sh**less".