The Blair Witch Project

A review by The Banshee 

"I see why you like this video camera so much. Its not quite reality."

Imagine, a legend old as time, a villain that hates children more than the piped Piper and a student documentary crew ready to break open the legend and expose the truth.

This all seems like the perfect recipe for a five star movie, and yet I can only say that the movie was good. It was interesting, not too long or short and it had the real found footage feel, all that I could ask for, and yet it felt as though something was lacking.

After some introspection and research done on the movie I have realised that I missed the glimpse of the mysterious element, the thing that should conjure a bloodcurdling scream. I missed the big Horror. Now maybe I was preoccupied or maybe I'm just not ready for the brilliance that is this movie (as this movie is a lot of peoples favorite, so clearly I am missing something) but for now all I can say is that this was an above average good movie, just not a great one.

The visuals are great, the pace is good and makes you feel just on edge enough so that you are not worn out or underwhelmed during the movie. It was the end that left me wanting... I kept waiting for that one WOW element that would make the intrigue and suspense come together, and I never seemed to find it. Some of the lore was a bit clunkily placed, taking me a moment to remember its significance (and some Googling) when a piece of the cinematography seemed important but I had no idea why.

I liked the human element of the movie. The betrayal, the madness and the pure anger. Even the offscreen audio said by certain characters contributed to the horror felt during the night scenes. This contribution of audio and barely audible words greatly influenced the viewing experience especially in scenes where the target of the camera wasn't clear or where the scene was too dark too see much.

Cinematography wise, the movie isn't a stand out yet it is still striking. There isn't any beautiful scenery that gives the movie a dreamy or beautiful aesthetic. No, this movie had hard shots, fumbled and blurry images and constant movement of the camera, and it was brilliant!! It perfectly matched the feel and the aesthetics of the movie and its theme. The movie and its visual aspects give it an eerie feel, making it haunting-precisely on par with the marketing and feel of the film.

I love found footage movies! They keep you on your toes and the ugliness of their shots makes it feels more real. It gives the film an innate human aspect, something most horror movies lack, and this is precisely what makes the film more scary. Usually I would complain if a movie was made only for the Wow factor, yet here I feel that it could do with some more pizzazz.

This movie aced most of its criteria, it was haunting and interesting, yet it was also a bit confusing and the ending was lackluster.

I would definitely recommend the movie to more people! And I would definitely give it another watch with the hope of maybe liking it even more or maybe finding that which I felt it was lacking.

• Visuals: 5/10
• Sound quality: 6/10
• Visual effect: 9/10
• Sound effect: 10/10
• Character growth: 5/10
• Acting: 8/10
• Total: 8/10