A film that turned me into a nervous wreck

Rating: 10/10 (21 December 2015)

On a Sunday morning in 1999 I made a rare venture to a multiplex cinema, which is 17 or so miles away from my house. I don't usually make a habit of travelling that sort of distance to see a mere film, but I felt that this one in particular was special. I mean, nobody on the face of this planet can fail to have heard of THE BLAIR WITCH PROJECT, a low budget independent production which took Hollywood by storm and became the most profitable film of all time. My expectations were high, based on the hype. Then it began...
I remembered hearing that the dizzying camera work could induce nausea, but happily I was not afflicted in this way. The shaky hand-held camera didn't annoy me in the least, and in fact within just a few minutes I was settled into the film, engrossed. As time went on, my nerves began to fray along with those of the guys on screen, and my heart beat faster. By the end of the film I might have well as been a nervous wreck. Because, more than any other film I've seen in my life, this film scared me. Yes, it was creepy and extremely disturbing too, but mainly it was just scary.
Now I've read all the negative comments about the film simply not being scary. I can understand this, because for one to be truly affected by the film then you have to make an effort to engross yourself in the events, to believe that they are real, to not get distracted by the person sitting next to you. It's easy to sit back and laugh, but it's hard to actually get into a film and be there with the characters. Thankfully I did this and I had one of the scariest experiences of my life, an experience which left me scared to go to sleep that night in case I dreamt about it (I didn't, though, thankfully).
The inventive use of the hand-held cameras really makes the viewer feel as if he/she is there in the film. Well, not totally perhaps, but halfway between reality and the celluloid strip. While the film may not be totally original (take, for example, the previous year's THE LAST BROADCAST), in the light of contemporary dull 'post-modern' horror films like SCREAM 2, HALLOWEEN H20 and THE FACULTY, this is a breath of fresh air. I've heard people moan and complain that nothing happens and you don't get to see anything. Well, that's the point...it's left up to your imagination, and I suppose that if you don't have one, then the film just won't scare you. It's the viewer who's lacking, not the film.
The acting is surprisingly brilliant and realistic. You really get to feel for the actors by the end of the film, and each of the three is a solid, well-drawn person who could be a neighbour. Michael Williams is the most likable of the three, he loses his cool first but then regains it at the end. Joshua Leonard is the most tragic of the three as he sits and cries, and you really feel sorry for his character. Many people have said they didn't like Heather Donahue, but I thought she was amazing. The best bit has to be when she holds the camera up to her face and apologises to the trio's parents. Heather is believable, sympathetic, and her performance really tugs at the heart. The film may have a high level of swearing, but then again I'm sure if I was in that situation I wouldn't mind my language. The trio are simply superb and their acting creates believable characters to sympathise with and understand throughout.
The woods are a perfect setting to conjure up fear (see THE EVIL DEAD and many others) and this film makes full use of them. Behind every tree lurks an unseen menace. I've been in the woods myself at night, and the atmosphere is just right. I don't know if I'll be able to venture into them again in the dark, though. There are also some surprisingly intense moments when the students fight amongst each other, some say that these are funny but they actually brought tears to my eyes...not because I was sad, but just because of the ferocity and violence and because I felt so sorry for the three.
The actual horror elements in the film are outstanding, subtle and all the more effective for it. The piles of stones and stick men hanging in the trees are very disturbing, as is the slime covering the backpack. The worst of all has to be the teeth and things wrapped in the cloth, a moment which is hard to watch. The night time scenes are the most chilling, with the unknown noises and even the - shudder - sound of cackling and a baby crying. So creepy, and so frightening. The bit where the tent is violently attacked from the outside comes out of nowhere, and made me jump out of my seat in terror, it's that horrible. And of course the finale in the ruined house is just totally eerie with the laughing and the jolting, disorientating cameras spinning around in a last desperate rush. The final frames of the film are the most inexplicable and unnatural and leave the viewer pondering events well after the film is over to draw their own conclusions.
As you might just be able to tell, I loved THE BLAIR WITCH PROJECT which easily lived up to the hype in my opinion. I'll be sure to buy the video when it comes out. Unmissable, a classic, I can't praise this film enough. The scariest thing I have ever seen!