Brilliant film

Rating: 10/10 (8 July 1999)

I find it interesting that among 87 comments on this film, there is only ONE negative comment, and that from a "film student" who saw it in a room full of other "film students."
Well, I'm not a film student, I don't overanalyze or compare films to Truffaut or Goddard -- I just watch them, and this film lived up to all the hype I'd heard going in. I saw it at a free preview in Portland, and the entire audience was held spellbound, dead silent during the final five minutes of this movie.
If your idea of a scary movie is Jason hacking at someone with a garden weasel, then skip "Blair Witch." You will be disappointed. Go see "I still know what you screamed about the summer before last" or whatever the current dead-coed movie is called, because that's probably more your speed. If you prefer subtle horror that doesn't shove dead bodies in your face, splash blood all over the camera lens, or rely on a shrieking string section for suspense, then you will probably like "Blair Witch Project."
In other films, technical crudity is a negative. In this, the unsteady camera, the uncertain delivery, variable film stock, etc. all help make the movie more believable. The characters are all believable and sympathetic, and the horror goes on almost entirely in the audience's minds. The last five minutes are, like the rest of the film, devoid of blood, SFX, music and monsters and yet are, unquestionably the scariest five minutes I've ever spent inside a theater.
As the release date approaches and the buzz builds, I see "Blair Witch" as being the biggest sleeper of the year. Kudos to the filmmakers, and to those fans who have been promoting it all these months. Go see this movie, or the Blair Witch will get you :)