Don't Buy the Hype!

Rating: 3/10 (26 July 1999)

There's a reason that almost every company in town passed on "The Blair Witch Project" -- it's a very interesting idea that quickly runs out of steam and is technically demanding and artistically frustrating. There's no question there's some imagination here, but the constant hand-held camera (which offers very little in the way of style or narrative information until the very end) is nauseating and the acting ranges from tepid to simply awful.
If you've read all of the hype and "stories" about the making of the film, you know everything you need to know. If the filmmakers had either better technical ability or a stronger hand with the actors, this may have been a more successful and even spookier endeavor. As it is, the "improvising" actors have little to do for most of the film except swear profusely at each other and run around in darkness. The "spooky sounds" they hear are poorly mixed, and the audience is given such sketchy information on the exact myth of the "Blair Witch" that it's not even clear what these kids are supposed to be afraid of.
The real weakness of the film is the acting, which in spite of best efforts by "Josh" and "Mike," is hampered by the constant whining of "Heather," who seems inept as a documentarian. None of these characters seem real even on a satiric level -- they are ciphers from the get-go and have no emotional depth. As frightful as their "lost in the woods" story may be, the performers obviously lack the chops necessary to sustain the fact that there is no real story.
"Blair Witch" is little more than a failed cinematic exercise: one wishes the filmmakers would have used their first effort as a calling card to re-make the same story with a stronger stylistic hand, modestly increased budget and better-prepared actors. The reaction from most of the crowd in the full house I saw it with was mostly, "Is that it?" and there was hissing and booing at the end of the film. The folks at Artisan should be credited for getting the most out of their limited run engagement, but this is unquestionably a film that will be better on video, late at night, long after everyone has forgotten that this is supposed to be "the scariest movie ever" or some such nonsense.