Check the web site first

Rating: 4/10 (6 August 1999)

I was so ready to be scared watching this film. I had just seen Deep Blue Sea the day before (a far "scary" film in terms of shocks & thrills) and was thoroughly disappointed. As an indy film maker, I could relate to the kids quest, and felt the acting (yes it is acting, the situation is *not* real) was wonderful. This movie succeeds based on the audience identifying with them - that is, identifying with the feeling of being alone in the woods and have some very strange things going on.
However, while all if this is very effective in setting up a very creepy situation that gets eerier and wierder as the film progresses, there is no pay off at the end. None of what happens amounts to anything. We are told at the beginning that the kids are missing (and presumably dead) and really have no more information than that at the end. The film would have been better served with some framing sequences that include the information included on the web site, which put the film in context and offers far more information on the Blair Witch and the mythology than the film has on its own. The film alone is a serious let-down. As part of a multi-media event (movie, web site, Sc-Fi channel documentary) it is an interesting, if ultimately pointless, exercise in creative film making.