The Blair Witch Mystique: Fiction Well Done

Rating: 9/10 (26 August 1999)

Such a mystique surrounds "The Blair Witch Project." I don't know why so many people are so hung up on the movie being "real." So what if it's fiction? It's well-done fiction. It didn't take away from "The Fly" for me to know that giant mutant flies don't really exist ... nor did it take away from "The Howling" to know that werewolves don't exist. Why all the squawking about this being truth rather than fiction?
I think the fact that it's filmed with relatively primitive equipment, and in a "realistic" manner, contributes to some people's refusal to believe it's fabrication. Also, while the Internet has hyped many a movie, "Blair Witch" makes more extensive use of this medium (and adds the "Curse of the Blair Witch" special on Sci-Fi.) So some of the more gullible of us, thinking anything we read or see on TV must be true, believe it.
I personally think it's somewhat frightening that we confuse the carefully done websites and the Sci-Fi special -- which dispense mythology specifically created to heighten the Blair Witch experience -- with factual news reporting. Get a grip, people. The websites and the special are absolutely BRILLIANT from the standpoint of adding to the feeling of realism surrounding the movie.
Let's just recognize "The Blair Witch Project" for the groundbreaking, interesting, and scary movie it is. That's sure enough for me!