"Blair Witch" Revives Faith in Originality and Terror in Horror Films

Rating: Null/10 (31 July 1999)

Sick of the recent wave tepid and trite horror to come from Hollywood, I am delighted to report that this film revives not only the genre itself...but filmmaking as a whole. This "mockumentary" follows three film students into the Maryland woods in search of the mythical Blair Witch. They disappear...and the footage found four months later details what terrifying occurences befell them. While knowing the film if ficticious, the viewer is still left with a feeling of uneasiness watching the slow and painful mental and physical breakdown of the central characters. The tears and sheer fright portrayed on screen by the actors, however, is real. With this in mind, certain scenes carry more impact and leave the viewer both frightened and quesy. The scene in which Heather apologizes to the families of her friends (and her own family) while crying is especially moving...she then closes with the line: "I'm scared to close my eyes and I'm scared to open my eyes." A few words summarizing her fear and anguish to emotional climax.
This film plays on the old "things that go bump in the night" scenario and puts it into a perspective where every sound heard becomes relentlessly horrifying. Every little thing that goes wrong becomes seemingly bigger and more engulfing. Here, the characters' panic becomes increasingly more profound and their fear paramount. By the end of the movie, they lapse into a state of total shock as things become more and more harrowing...and the final scenes show a blood-curdling glimpse of pure terror in the wake of an unbelievable nightmare.
"Blair Witch" works on so many levels, and is by far the most orginal film to come along in many years. With no need for the Hollywood image of mainstream horror, it sets itself apart on the sole purpose of a horror film: the scare the audience. In this film, you will not find the typical, boring cliches of the slasher film...nor the trappings of FX-laden frighfares...no "Buffy", "Party of Five" bad actors/actresses...no "hip" teen music or look. What you will find is a well-made, well-conceived, and well-produced picture with exellnt casting and a feel that will linger with the viewer forever. This film challenges the viewer to use the imagination...and to think of the deep, dark horrors of our own minds in the darkness.