The Horror Movie of the 90s.

Rating: Null/10 (27 July 1999)

This is it, the movie that dethroned "Scream", which is an amazing accomplishment. There's a problem built into the horror genre, what's terrifying, over time, becomes commonplace and then tepid. I don't think people who see films like "Psycho", "The Exorcist", "Nightmare on Elm Street", etc., today are getting the same experience their parents and sometimes grandparents got the first time, audiences have become too media savvy, they know all of the rules. "Scream" didn't break those rules, it made fun of them, it was entertaining but not that scary.
"Blair Witch Project" is based on two premises which give the film it's power. First, it's almost impossible to create a special effect today which an audience will buy as real, they might appreciate an effect but they won't believe in it, they've seen too much fake stuff. "Blair Witch" gets around that problem by keeping it all off screen. And second, if you want your audience to feel an emotion populate your film with self-indulgent drama queens. I laugh at those who ever thought this film could be real but it's great entertainment.
For my money the scariest film of the past several years is still "Saving Private Ryan", the initial invasion scenes and the ones where Melish fights hand to hand to his death. Terrifying and very well done. "Blair Witch" is the second scariest but is much more in keeping with current definitions of "hipness".