Brilliant marketing of a below-par movie

Rating: 3/10 (24 August 1999)

I had high hopes for this film. The use of the documentary camera to set the perspective was interesting, and the true-to-life characters broke the artificial molds that Hollywood usually tosses us. Unfortunately, marginal story development/execution gradually tanked the film. Blair Witch was certainly creative and unique, but this alone combined with a scary premise and a low budget does not necessarily yield "quality". Some of the folks unfamiliar with art / experimental films have found theirselves without a benchmark and have aligned themselves loosely along this film's marketing efforts. Unfortunately, conformity to consumerism and to the marketing establishment often seems to define quality in our culture, so now this film is being touted as "excellent". Not by me. I will wait patiently for a better film.