The Blair Witch Project (1999)

  The Blair Witch Project Review

Starring: Heather Donahue, Mike Williams and Joshua Leonard

After months and months of anticipation, Blair Witch has finally gone wide, playing in more than 1000 screens. To some, it may be the film you've been looking for this year, to others, including myself, it's a flawed bone chiller.

The film begins quite uniquely. It turns out that 3 people,Heather Donahue, Mike Williams and Joshua Leonard, went into the forest to do a project on the mythical Blair Witch, and were never found. The only evidence left of their trip, was film from an 18mm video camera. The interesting thing about the use of the camera is the fact that it's 18mm, because it's as if the whole situation seemed like a reality. Unfortunately it made me a little queezy at times because it was too jumpy. Motion sickness people beware.

Another positive note is, that there are no big budget effects or big named actors to make it a blockbuster, just normal people who act like they do on a every day basis who get lost in the woods. That itself seperates it from any other film out there, but with that said, it still feels a bit staged. There are many unbelivable situations that occur, some of which gets the film lost itself. For 1 thing, it's highly doubtful anyone would tape themselves when they're scared to the bone. It just isn't human.

Many people were saying that the hype would ruin the experience, but it's a false statement. You are so intensely interested in their venture into the woods, that you clear you mind of most everything. Not too amny films can put you in that state. One disappointing thing that I noticed was the lack of terror. Sure it was chilling to hear blood curling screams in pure darkness, and eerie sounds, but that's enough to get you frightened. In fact, it spends more time trying to get to know the character's, that you wind up laughing at their jokes more than being terrified. Don't get me wrong the characters did a fine job. We all could relate to the nightmarish time they were having in these woods, becoming more frightened and paranoid by the minute.

I have to give credit to the real filmakers though, this film delivers it's originality. It's not the same old slasher flick, it's a horror film that makes you cringe in fear at the chilling sounds, pay attention to the intriguing story, ponder into what is really going on. All these emotions never pop up in one's mind when they watch a gore infested film. It dares to be different and doesn't let down.

By the end, everyone seems to lose it in the audience and on screen. The film spends a good amount of time building up to the end, where everyone sits still biting their nails or feeling sick to their stomach, but by then it's over. It ends so quickly audiences aren't sure what they saw right then and there until they have a few minutes to think about it. Strange? Maybe, but it's sure one chill fest, that will be buried in your mind for quite some time, despite it's unpleasant atmosphere.

 2 /12 stars out of 4

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