Presented as the found documentary footage of three student filmmakers lost in the woods and never seen again, the thorough believability of the movie is its great achievement. In fact, Blair takes verisimilitude to such an extreme that it can rightly be called an experimental film. Operating out of a small production company in Orlando, Florida, the producers hired three actors based on their ability to improvise while remaining natural. As a result the characters' fatigue, irritation and confusion, and even some of their fear, is genuine. Fortunately, the minimalism is punctuated by moments of terrific humor.
Minimalism is the rule when the movie shifts gears to terror, too.
I don't want to give much away, but Blair gets more mileage out of sticks, stones, strange sounds and character reactions than any of its predecessors in the horror genre ever got out of entrails and decapitations. Overall, though, Blair is a deceptively dry viewing experience. Like all true horror, it sneaks up on you subconsciously. Even though the characters were known to have disappeared, and there was obviously something evil at work, I figured they'd find a way out somehow. The film's abrupt ending proved me wrong, but it also left me feeling a bit disappointed.