Too much hype, too much realism

Rating: 5/10 (8 August 1999)

You've heard the viewer testimonials. You've been to the website. You've seen the ads, and you know the premise. Upon entering the theater, prepare to experience an incredible letdown in both the horror and story aspects of this film. The Blair Witch Project almost seems to have fallen prey to its own hype.
This is not to say this is a bad film. The Blair Witch Project has no less than three things working for it that have rarely been seen in recent cinema. The low-budget advertising campaign and the savvy move of keeping the national number of screens to a minimum were both brilliant marketing schemes. And clearly, not many recent films have kept pushed the envelope of truth/fiction. The Blair Witch Project wants you to decide whether this is a true story or not, and one cannot easily make that decision while watching this movie.
But who cares? One problem with realism is the complete lack of creativity and imagination displayed by the movie. As an exercise, imagine you are camping in the woods with two others to research the supposed existence of a witch. Think about what could go wrong. This film takes all those ideas and runs with them, making you say "I already thought of that" at just about every turn. If your imagination is as "vivid" as mine, you will feel like you have already seen this movie, which tends to ruin the suspense. Although, the climax is certainly worth the wait, making it the only part of the film that meets, or perhaps exceeds, the hype.
Go see the Blair Witch Project for the climax, a scene you will be thinking about for days. But take the movie (as a whole) as an average horror film with a different edge, and see if you like that edge. Your mind may be messed with, but it certainly will not be blown away. This movie is low budget for a reason.