Massively Overrated Tripe

Rating: 1/10 (9 October 2006)

The Blair Witch Project is not the brilliant film that it was hailed as by the critics when it first came out. No, instead it's a uniquely-made (not necessarily a good thing) movie that just had masterful marketing. Before it came out, many people honestly believed that it was real. Even after they learned it was not, they were still intrigued by the eerie advertisements and the unique premise. Coming out in 1999 amid the backlash against of big-budget, visual FX-heavy blockbusters like Godzilla (1998) and The Phantom Menace also likely benefited this low-budget film.
I'm not some stupid kid looking for tons of ridiculous gore in a horror movie. I can understand the idea that sometimes "it's what you don't see that scares you." However, I also believe that you do have to see SOMETHING, even if it's just a little, to be scared.
All this movie shows is a trio of stupid kids running around lost in the woods. Occasionally they freak out after hearing spooky sounds, that's basically it. Oh yeah, at one point they find a bunch of little wooden arts and crafts hung on some tree branches. Real scary.
The plot is nonexistent, as is the backstory (I hear it's provided in a sequel which dispensed with the unique first-person video camera perspective, and was just a plain old crappy horror movie). You NEVER learn what the Blair Witch is, or even if that's what's behind the things that go on in the movie.
The characters are stupid and unlikable kids. I heard that the no-name actors were told to improvise their scenes, to make things more "realistic." Believe me, it shows. There's an entire scene where the three characters do nothing but scream "F*** you!" This movie which supposedly reinvigorated the sagging horror genre is completely overrated. There's not a single real scare in it, and the story and writing is pathetic. Save yourself the time and rental fees by passing on this film.