chilling but stomach-churning

Rating: Null/10 (9 August 1999)

Well regardless of what you think of Blair Witch Project you have to admire the buzz it's generated. I for one loved it - and, like some have already said, you'll either love it or hate it. During the screening it was interesting to watch the characters interact as they slowly fell apart. I don't think it was particularly abrupt and it felt natural. I think the lack of script may have helped to this end. There were a few spots that felt contrived however (Mike singing the the national anthem?! Cmon!).
Some people are claiming this film rips of this or that but the world's full of less-than-original ideas. Ferrari is basically building a souped-up ripoff of Ford's Model-T. I can say the movie for me was unique. Resist the urge to bail early (which I to some degree had, though not from boredom) and also to judge it the moment the credits roll. It didn't give me sleeping problems and honestly I could have walked around in the woods after seeing it but once my brain crunched on it for several hours I was left with an unsettled feeling (more so than for any other film in recent memory), that of the hopelessness felt when one is truly lost.
That's scary, that's what I took from the film. The stuff with the sticks, rocks, etc is secondary and serves the witch premise but honestly who can claim they wouldn't still be panicked if they were lost in the woods, even if there were no noises, sticks, etc. I don't care if you do have a compass and map or you're a seasoned backwoodsman, if you're in unfamiliar forest until you stumble on that road something, however small, will gnaw at the back of your mind saying "what if..."
I remembered as I watched how someone on IMDB early on wrote it was so stupid that most of the audience was "laughing at it". He missed the point, I laughed, we all laughed, simply because the characters were so hopelessly screwed. To those who wrote "I'd never have done such-and-such, that's so moronic" I say panic can induce all kinds of erratic and idiotic behavior. I know when I panic - truly panic - I usually wind up digging a deeper hole for myself to fall into. Intellect just doesn't come into play.
One more thing. To those who disregard the warnings of motion sickness BEWARE: this is worse than anything I've ever encountered. I can read in the back seat of a car going 80 mph on a winding country road and I NEVER get sick. About 2/3 the way through this movie I had to cover my closed eyes with my hands to give my stomach a chance to settle. I missed maybe 10 minutes of movie doing this repeatedly. I should have gone in pumped up on Dramamine. The drug should be handed out at the door to the theater and should be mandatory for all viewers.