The Blair Witch Project (1999)'s comments

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Scream1008

Wow, a 1:1 Favorite-Dislike ratio. That's crazy. This truly is a love-it-or-hate-it movie. I think it is fantastic. It's great how the mythology is explored at the beginning of the film to plant the seeds in your head as to what could be happening in these woods later on. But it's really inspiring to watch one of the greatest success stories in the history of cinema. Cost nothing to make, made a ton.

I also have to say that this movie should be the benchmark for convincing acting in a horror movie. I was so utterly convinced that these people were going through an incredibly terrifying experience by the actors' portrayals of mental degradation and anxiety. I think acting is at its best when you can be convinced that these are real people, and this was done very well.

But seriously, people...just because this film was made cheap doesn't mean it was lazily made. Quite the contrary. I think the people that dislike it either don't have the imagination to fill in the blanks of what's going on or just can't tolerate ambiguity.

11 years 6 months ago

GregT

I liked this one a lot. The backlash has been undeserved.

A horror film for those not lacking in imagination.

12 years 7 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

TheMajor

Don't watch this if you expect eye-candy, gore, knives, blood, flying chairs, zombies, sound bangs and all the other stereotypical clichés that make most cheap horrors suck.
9/10

13 years 3 months ago

SeanMX12

The most effective horror film of all time. It would be the one film i'd like to see in a theater.

14 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

Peeorpoo

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

10 years 11 months ago

whoami

This was crazy good, in my opinion. Not for everyone, but this movie scared the shit out of me in broad daylight.

12 years 4 months ago

Dieguito

Cult for its creativity at the time. First blockbuster made with a personal small camera

12 years 10 months ago

fjcaetano

Truly revolutionary, this movie has introduced the handycam perspective to action and terror movies with maestry. Used for the first time with wisdom, it puts you in first person in one of the scariest movies ever.

The suspense and the tension were perfectly built, and the fact that you never really know what is going on, and not be able to see, makes you even more anxious. It is not about the disgusting scenes, special effects and monsters, there are none. It's about always keep expecting something to happen. You can feel your skin crawl.

Remarkably cheap, this is the movie with biggest financial return in history and once you see it, it's crystal clear how it is true.

One of those movies you have to see before you die, even if you're not the terror genre fan.

9/10

13 years 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

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

Joker of Gotham

A great horror movie, seens that you are in that woods, very scary
3.5/5

11 years 6 months ago

findinghappiness

This movie isn't for everyone. Some love it (like me) and some hate it. To each his own. At least give it a try though.

12 years 6 months ago

jktomas

MariusMariusMarius

Yeah, I know how it sounds like.
No, I watch movies for a lot of other reasons, but when I have no intentions in watching a film (like Paranormal Activity), I watch it only if it has some lists and if it's on TV. If it has none, then I see no point in even bothering with it.
But I must agree that ICM is really making me a bit of check junkie...
Now please excuse me, I have some movies to watch so I could check them...

13 years 3 months ago