Psychological Time-bomb

Rating: 9/10 (27 October 1999)

I went into The Blair Witch Project expecting the "SCARIEST MOVIE EVER MADE!!!!!!!!" And as I sat there, I found the movie enjoyable, somewhat suspenseful, interesting, but far from being the "SCARIEST MOVIE EVER MADE!!!!!!!!!!" That was, until the final scene. If you are paying attention to the movie, the final scene's resonnance is absolutely powerful. I made the mistake of going to the film, based on seeing ONE, I repeat ONE movie trailer, so I am not some cynnic jaded by the hype. My reaction was visceral. My body temperature dropped by a good 20 degrees and I was paranoid for a week. I believe that if people who dismiss the the film had watched it with an open mind, they would have found it as disturbing as those who enjoy the movie did. It is more a psychological time bomb than a film. I will be the first to admit that the film was not a constant terror-filled joy-ride through the darkness of our minds. But I could not imagine any other film that has finished with such a disturbing and thought provoking ending that treats the film-goer with the respect of not force-feeding everything to you. Oh by the way, saw the Sixth Sense a week later, and realized there is an upside to production values.