seriously scary film

Rating: Null/10 (9 August 1999)

When I began voluntarily reading novels in my early teens, my author of choice was Stephen King. I've always felt his stories (with some notable exceptions) were best left in book form, because too many special effects were required to make them into movies. To me, that's the problem with most horror films. You see enough gore, and it's like you're a doctor working in an emergency room. You become unaffected by it. The Blair Witch Project was different. The scariest thing on earth is the unknown, and in Blair Witch, less is most definitely more. No special effects or musical soundtrack is needed. You see fright developing in the characters' faces, their voices and the progressive shakiness of the camera work. Being in the woods, even if you are not lost, is a fertile breeding ground for fear. In broad daylight, there are unidentifiable noises that spook, and at night it's even worse. This was by far the scariest movie I've ever seen. I didn't want to drive home in the dark.