Frightening And Unsettling

Rating: 9/10 (17 June 2017)

I'll be honest: the first time I watched this movie, I wasn't even able to get through the first half hour of it due to boredom. Because of this, I didn't think it would scare me when I decided to give it another chance. However, as the movie began to intensify and the paranoia of the characters began to settle in, I finally realized what made this movie so unsettling. Basically, a bunch of students venture out into the woods to film a documentary on the Blair Witch (after interviewing various folks about their thoughts/opinions on/experiences with the mysterious figure). Things soon begin to go awry in the group as they realize that they've lost their way out of the woods. Odd and creepy things begin to occur, adding to the fears of the characters. And that's what makes this movie so creepy and unsettling: the complete and utter vulnerability of it all. What makes this movie scarier than the Paranormal Activity movies (another found footage film) is the fact that these students are in the middle of nowhere. They don't know their way and they even seem to be going in circles every time they attempt to escape the woods and find the car. I felt the fear that the characters were feeling; I was immersed in the movie, which really doesn't happen to me much in horror/thriller movies. The grainy imagery and shaky camera-work adds to the sensation, making it seem like footage from a rugged, armature-ish documentary. Now, the reason why I gave this film a 9/10 instead of a 10/10 is because of the odd ending. It's not really a "bad" ending, I just feel like it could've been done differently. Although the movie takes awhile to get to the scary stuff, it contributes to the whole "starts simple but gradually gets creepier" vibe. 9/10 movie, definitely worth a watch.