Gimmicky

Rating: 3/10 (23 December 1999)

Past the fact that the incessant profanity just about kills any feeling I might have for the desperate characters in "The Blair Witch Project" (I side with the people who view it this way: Three pottymouths disappear off the face of the earth and good riddance.), one of the elements of a good thriller for me will always be the resourcefulness of the people who populate the story. The point of this movie is that somehow these three unfortunates fall under some kind of parapsychological spell that disorients them to such an extent that they lose their way out of a touchy situation. It's like an updated Hansel-and-Gretel story without the woodsman to save the wanderers from the wicked witch. The reason why I have a hard time going with the premise of "Blair Witch" is that I cannot understand Heather's obsession with filming the event. If I were bent on getting out of that blasted forest, I would not be carrying a camera around to film it. I also would not be photographing an apology to my parents for putting myself in this desperate situation. Frankly, I would be praying that God would get me out of that situation--and fast. This is why I can't side with the people that find this movie haunting; the basic premise comes across as a gimmick--an intellectual conceit, and the potential power of it is lost on me. The best thing I can say about this movie is that I expect the actress playing Heather to be a favorite for an Oscar nomination. The legend and the history of the Blair Witch is a far more compelling story. Catch the documentary on the SciFi channel. I found it much scarier.