Rating: 
Summary: The fallout is here...
Review: BWP has some tense moments. It remains interesting for most of the 70 or so minutes it runs, partly because I was expecting to be frightened by something (I never was), and also that I would finally find out what all the fuss was about. I think the fuss was this: people were actually dumb enough to think this was real. If that were the case, then yes, this movie WOULD be the scariest film of all time (yet not the scariest work of fiction - Orson Welles achieved that with his infamous radio broadcast). Yes, I did find moments that were eerie, partly because of the fact that there were no obvious Hollywood camera techniques used that remided you this was just a movie. Occasionally it seems like something more. Occasionally. Yet the trouble is, this is not the scariest movie of all time, or if it was, it does so because it exploits (admittedly not that smart) people's gullibility and ignorance. I do not find this particluarly admirable. To say this movie is near the level of "The Excorcist" makes me extremely sad. The latter movie actually earned its thrills through talent and imagination. BWP does it by deceptive marketing hype. There are deadly problems with this movie, though. One is that it is too short. Which is in a way a blessing, because the movie gets tiresome rather quickly. The actors are unable to come up with anything that is interesting enough, rather than swear at each other, and get scared. Yet herein lies the problem; I do not consider BWP to be a feature length movie. When it finishes (and the ending is confusing and bad), there is a sense of, "That's a joke, right. Where's the rest?" But it's over. It did not seem as if I had actually watched a movie. But it gets worse. There is no pay-off. You are frightened by a witch throughout the movie, but the audience is never treated with enough respect to SEE the witch. This is unacceptable, mainly because it goes against every rule not only in filmmaking, but in suspense in general. You can't have buildup without release. You cannot have leadin without leading any where. If BWP were a house, it would have no roof. Yet we are patiently told by BWP's defenders that the reason why we needed to see the witch is an example of our lack of attention span or imagination. That's wrong. We needed to see the witch because it, if the scene were done correctly, we would have been frightened to death by it. BWP *succeeds* in building tension. But it does nothing about it. Any one who knows about film will know what I mean by this - we could have had a quick glance at the witch, even for a microsecond, it wouldn't have mattered. There would have been a myriad of ways to make the shot look spooky. Perhaps the film-makers were just too stupid to know how to light it, who knows? It's true that a lot of critics like this film, but I am sure a lot of them feel rather uncomfortable about giving it so much praise. Simply because something is different, does not necessarily mean it is artistic or good. I cannot personally respect those reviewers who did not give the audience adequate warning about this movie and who unwittingly (or wittingly?) added to the hype surrounding it.
Rating:
Summary: Much ado about nothing
Review: I kept reading and hearing about how frightening and engrossing this movie was. After watching it, I have to say it was one of the worst movies I've ever seen. It certainly doesn't measure up to all the hype it has received.
Rating: 
Summary: See THE LAST BROADCAST instead
Review: Blair Witch was a fair spin on the whole "mockumentary horror" idea, but it is hardly original. A few years earlier, a better movie came along, but through some tragedy, isn't getting the kudos it really deserves.Blair Witch is rambling, the cameras are so shaky that some audience members would get nauseated during a viewing, and the scares, although bona fide creepy, come few and far between. If you want to see a superior movie with a very similar concept that is much better constructed, less shaky and ultimately more creepy, pick up a copy of THE LAST BROADCAST. It may be hard to find, but it's worth it if you can.
Rating: 
Summary: The Blair Witch Project: Simple, Yet Creepy And Effective
Review: THE BLAIR WITCH PROJECT chronicles the adventures of three film students who wander into the woods of Burkittsville to do a film project about the legend of the Blair Witch. The students disappeared without a trace. A year later, their home video was found & it chronicles their ordeals before they disappeared. The film was a very creepy horror film, yet the horror is not shown. The three students are subjected to a nightmarish ordeal in the woods, yet the viewer can't see it. Therein lies the effectiveness of the film: the horror is suggested, not shown. What the viewer THINKS is happening to the poor students is more frightening that what is actually shown on film. The power of SUGGESTION is very potent indeed & this film shows what suggestion & perception can make for some effective horror films. The film grossed over $130 million from a budget of around $40, 000. It is one of the most successful independent films of all time. This movie may disappoint the casual horror film fan who is used to blood & gore in a typical horror film. Yet, one must view this film with an open mind. Some of the best horror films DO NOT have to rely on blood & gory special effects to be scary. THE BLAIR WITCH PROJECT may not be as scary as THE EXORCIST, but the film must be judged on its own merits.
Rating:
Summary: Project Grade: F (see me after class)
Review: If you are one of those reluctant community volunteer parents who managed to get suckered into being a Brownie or Cub Scout leader with a bunch of obnoxious kids who can't tell the difference between a computer mouse and a field mouse, and you're looking for a quick way to finally convince the neighborhood committee to fire you, THEN THIS IS THE MOVIE FOR YOU! Yes, it will rescue you from hormone hell, otherwise known as puberty, aka middle school kids. How can I be so sure this movie will do the dirty deed? Read my TOP TEN reasons (even if you are NOT a Mr. or Mrs. One-of-the-Thousand-Points-of-Light): 1. The only thing scary about this film is the way the three project team members treat each other. Can you say obnoxious to the core? I knew you could. 2. Roughly every third word is the f-word, enough to put make a South Park punk blush or a sailor jealous. If the expletives are deleted, you're left with gibberish, which might sound like a witch after all. 3. Leaves. Lots of leaves. This film was shot in the Maryland woods in late autumn. Imagine yourself on a National Geographic special, only the film crew is drunk, very drunk. Half of this film is shot looking at the ground. 4. Heather, the team leader, should have her mouth duck-taped. Unfortunately, the guys were too stupid to bring any. 5. Generation X in all its g(l)ory. Uh, duh, how do I use a compass and how can I find my way out of the woods? They bring a survival book but apparently can't read it. Shows you what happens when a generation is raised indoors with electronics. This group couldn't find their way out of a cereal box. 6. Suspense is a tad bit lacking. I did, however, catch my breath once--but only to see if I was still breathing. The plot moves more slowly than Senator Strom Thurmond speaks, or about the same as your pet turtle swimming in a jar of molasses. The last ten minutes are better but I think the film crew was just eager to get things wrapped up to get out of the rain. 7. Camera angles. In addition to the leaves--lots of leaves--the tent shots are all from the vantage point of a beetle. Two guys and a girl sleeping together...hmmm...you think they could have been a little more imaginative than "what's that?" "did you hear that?" 8. Bogeyman. Well, if the official reviewers can say it, I can say it, right? WE NEVER SEE IT/HIM?HER. Oh, I know, we should let our imagination run wild. But by the time you realize you won't see IT (which is actually the film producers running around like fools), you don't give a flip anymore. Your imagination is asleep. 9. Low Budget. Yeah, I know big budget doesn't always work (e.g. Waterworld) but, heh, $40,000. I mean, they had to give credit to a juice company for pete's sake. The producers should be required to reinvest this money in...yes, the Girl and Boy Scouts of America! Now that would be fittingly ironic. 10. Cost. I paid ten kwai, or about $1.25 for my nefarious copy. I was ripped off. This film is 77 minutes long, much less if you don't read credits. I think that violates some unwritten rule or something. I mean, come on, 67 minutes? Gotta run. I have firecrackers to light--now that's more suspensful.
Rating:
Summary: Things I learned from this movie
Review: 1- When people are running around in total panic they will still remember to film the action. 2- Male film students have the patience of Job and will submit to a domineering idiot female for days on end. 3- Male film students are also too stupid to hide surreptitiously throw away all the extra film, tapes and batteries and thus end the agony. 4- Film students are to stupid to follow a stream downhill when lost in the woods. 5- Film students are too stupid to walk towards the sun in the morinig and away from the sun in the afternnoon and thus walk East, out of the Appalachians. 6- No one ever went broke underestimating the taste of the American public. (Not an original observation.)
Rating:
Summary: It's not as bad as I thought
Review: Like most of you, I had been hearing about "the scariest movie of all time" when I went to see BWP in the theatres and like most of you, I was extremely dissappointed. But, after seeing it on television a few times, I realized it's not really that bad. There are some truly suspenseful moments. I am a big horror fan and love movies that come up with new and creative ideas, however I would take Freddy Krueger over BWP any day.
Rating:
Summary: A Nightmare of a Film
Review: I can't believe the hype this movie received. As a film, it has to be the WORST horror movie ever made. The directors should have taken the money they invested in this film and used it to pay for additional semesters at film school. The plot is ill-conceived, the cinematography non-existant. I totally understand what they were attempting to do, but it just didn't work. The idea that someone would go into a wood which is unknown to them, without a guide of some sort is ridiculous. Especially when they know there could be some strange goings-on. The characters are all paper thin and the dialogue was attrocious. I especially was sick of the girl by the end of the movie and praying someone would either kill her off or the darn movie would end. Spend your money on someother movie and give this piece of trash a wide berth. I give this movie one star only cause I have to.
Rating:
Summary: Dumb City Kids Get Lost In The Woods
Review: This movie stinks. A trio of dumb city kids go off into the woods with little food, but apparently a truckload of film and try to film a documentary about the "Blair Witch". We are treated to about 20 minutes of a black screen and a good 15 minutes of some pretty trees. Other than that, these guys just go about scaring themselves and boring the viewer. The 'documentary' aspect of the film is overdone, as these guys can't even manage to hold the camera straight most of the time, and the dialogue rarely rises above a fourth-grade level. All in all, about as interesting as watching paint dry.
Rating:
Summary: No sense
Review: I enjoy a good scare as much as the next person, and I can suspend my disbelief as I venture into this horror genre; however, I can't accept this movie on its letter or on its merit. This movie is incomplete, vapid and a display of immature, illogical behavior. These film students are completely green: They know nothing about the woods; they have a limited vocabulary; and they have no sense of direction. They could've compensated for all of these failings by using a little bit of common sense (I've read the other reviews about how these students should've used basic camping skills to find their way out, but what if these students have no camping skills at all. Solution, bring a guide). I can suspend disbelief so long as some semblance of sense is present. After all, all good cinema requires some logic. The people who rave about the movie would say. well, the fear factor overwhelmed these students logic and reasoning. I would retort, they could have avoided this mess, if they would have used logic before they entered the woods anyway. Avoid this movie.
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