Interesting, but not spectacular

Rating: 7/10 (9 August 1999)

I thought the concept for this film was highly original and fairly well-executed. Not being a fan of horror/thriller, I was quite worried that I'd be terrified, as EVERYONE I spoke with said the movie was very, very scary (my sister would not go camping after she saw it). Well, perhaps I'm jaded because I'm in my thirties, but there was only one point in the film where I was moderately startled. I was never terrified, or even remotely disturbed. While I understand the device of having the discovered footage that the three film makers shot on their quest for the witch, it was this very device that kept me too distanced to be scared. If you're really terrified by all the weird goings on and so on, I'm sorry, no matter how dedicated a film maker you are, you don't switch on your video camera. Obviously the film could not have been made without making this assumption, but I was never convinced that there was anything that scary, because the characters always had the presence of mind to turn their cameras on. Still, it's worth seeing if you're interested in how video looks blown up to 35 mm. Just one additional note: if you are prone to motion sickness, you'd be well-advised to take some gravol or wear sea bands. My partner found it very difficult to watch, and was quite queasy at the end.