The Blair Witch Project (1999)'s comments

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Ned F. Knapp

very good movie with affecting scinaria

4 years 2 months ago

This definitely required a darkened room and a relatively high sound volume to be fully appreciated. I watched with neither and didn't "feel" the chills. I'm glad they made it though, and they made it well.

5 years 6 months ago

Falkhorn

I wanted to shoot myself in the head during the whole movie. The characters were annoying and were too stupid to realize that following down the river would have solved their problem since the beggining. This little issue ruined the atmosphere and I didn't feel scared at all at any moment.

Would not recommend to anyone who knows how to use a map, tell the 4 cardinal directions with the sun or have some basic survival knowledge.

6 years 2 months ago

Jashezilla

Awesome movie! For people who don't understand the ending: spoiler

7 years 4 months ago

americanadian25

Decent, something of an in the moment film, but definitely one that's left a mark on the genre.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nedY8Ja-SBM

7 years 6 months ago

Asiklassi

http://www.avclub.com/article/the-new-cult-canon-ithe-blair-witch-projecti-2271

7 years 10 months ago

Abdullah Ozu

waste of time

8 years 5 months ago

hidalgon16

I think we can all agree that found footage style movies are typically viewed as the bottom of the barrel when it comes to horror films. However this, was created at a time when found footage could be viewed as an unique film technique rather than a cheap cop out to make some quick cash. This film is not good because it was the first, its considered great because it is the best of its kind.
That being said, this is a slow burn. It requires patience, and quite a bit of tolerance along side that. Hold little to no expectations before watching this film, do not view any trailers or highlight reels of the film before hand. Go in blind, and allow this film to take you along for the ride. This is not a gore fest, this is not a compelling character study, this is not a thriller, but this is a master of its craft in sustaining suspense. Watch this film alone, in the dark, late at night, because this is something that will keep you up thinking until the last wee hours before daylight.
Highly recommend, especially if you happen to be camping in the woods.
8/10

8 years 9 months ago

xoxLettermanxox

I give the movie credit for the filming style, the premise, and the way it was filmed with a great deal of improvisation and spontaneity. BUT the movie wasn't all that scary... I was missing the whole edge of your sit thing. Though I am someone who does not find jump scares to be scary, and I don't like the cliches of scary movies.... I thought this one was unique but not terrifying...

2.4/5

9 years 2 months ago

essaywhu

This film was huge when I was in high school. The movie and its ad campaign (passing the footage off as real) is probably the film that defines those years for me. It can definitely be a love it or hate it thing though. For me, it is truly frightening because the characters and the entire situation seem real and believable. Everybody is annoying in it, but they are acting just like I would if I was in the same situation. The ending is one of the most frightening in film history, but most of the film is all psychological. Don't expect to see special effects or anything like that. Everything is in the viewer's mind.

9 years 6 months ago

CinemaDump

The Blair Witch Project was all the rage back in 1999 but I was only nine at the time. I've also been a baby about horror movies for quite some time (I've grown out of that thankfully). A film class I did in high school actually had TBWP as part of our movies to watch during class so I prepared myself by watching it on my own before seeing it in class to not look like a wimp. Yup, I was pretty scared at the time but at least I didn't look like a wimp later on.

Honestly though, TBWP is quite an accomplishment for Daniel Myrick and Eduardo Sánchez, the film's directors. Apparently the movie was made for around $20,000 and went on to gross over $248 million which is just insanity. They did all sorts of crafty moves like planting real actors when the main cast didn't know and giving them less and less food every day of shooting to raise tensions even higher. The actors were almost going through what the viewers were too while making the film. The marketing for the film was also groundbreaking and is for sure a huge reason why The Blair Witch Project did so well.

The film opens with a caption that says that three filmmakers disappeared one year ago while making a documentary in Burkittsville, Maryland. This film is the tape that was found and edited together. We're introduced to Heather, Josh and Mike who are on their way to Burkittsville to make a documentary about something or someone called the Blair Witch. Stories of people going missing and other strange phenomena are gathered from local townspeople before the three characters make their way into the woods to film some additional footage of important landmarks. They end up lost and harassed by something unseen in the woods every night.

What's amazing is how effective The Blair Witch Project is. To me, one of the best kinds of genuine scares you can get is not knowing what is really there. What's really in the dark? Myrick and Sánchez use sounds effectively to make the viewer have an image in their head of what is haunting the three main characters. Also, the interviews the characters have with the local townsfolk are also great at setting the stage and creating some suspension of disbelief.

The simplicity of the film also extends to its usage of props that are basically just rocks and sticks. How this stuff ends up being creepy is largely because of the actors. All three of them, who are playing themselves, react genuinely to what's around them and to their situations. Heather Donahue somehow got the worst actress award at the Razzies of that year but that's a big mistake. I'm not saying she's Meryl Streep, but c'mon.

The story of The Blair Witch Project is like a mountain range. It's daytime, all is well. It's nighttime, uh oh. Daytime, phew. Nighttime, oh shit! You feel the dread that the characters do every time the sun is setting because you're just as tense as they are. The found-footage filming technique just feels so real, unscripted and it's just beautifully terrifying.

The Blair Witch Project is one of those movies that became a target because of its success. When people hear about a movie being really scary, they'll watch it and point out how it's not scary with glee. If you don't invest yourself into the film, of course it's not going to be scary. I'm sure that the kinds of scares that TBWP has isn't scary for everyone but personally I'm amazed at how the directors made something out of so little. I've watched this movie probably four times now and I'm always relieved when it's over. Its impact hasn't lessened despite knowing what's going to happen. It's made to live on and I believe will be hailed as a classic in the future.

8/10

9 years 10 months ago

Pad

I want my 80 minutes back.

9 years 11 months ago

DisneyStitch

It's a horror movie that plays nearly 100% on your own personal imagination. That's probably the cause for it having just as many fans as people who really don't care for it at all. *YOU* personally have to fill in the blanks. If you are a movie watcher who can fill up the entire absence of an antagonist on screen in your mind, then you'll most likely enjoy it. On the flip side if you need even the slightest hint of what kind of evil is hunting the characters then you'll be kept waiting for something that won't be shown. To me, there really isn't enough happening on screen to give some sense of what kind of danger the 3 characters are facing. Even when we make it to the end it appears that at least a few things will be explained and shown, but we are left pretty disappointed. Personally, I need at least a little bit to go on if I'm going to be scared or creeped out and in the end I got nothing, almost like it all could have been some elaborate prank on the characters involved. On the bright side, it does showcase beautifully what kind of blockbuster can be made with a simple portable camera and a few relatively no-name actors.

10 years ago

Peeorpoo

A well-made film. Very creepy. Like Scream1008 said, the actors did a great job.

10 years 11 months ago

filmspaz

I dunno if this counts as a spoiler or not, but now any time I see an animal facing the wall at the zoo, I am going to walk briskly in the direction of the next exhibit.

11 years 3 months ago