The summer of 1999 seemed to be the summer of sleeper hits. The raunchy teen comedy "American Pie" opened at #1, displayed legs strong enough for it to reach a final gross of over $100 million, and no one ever looked at apple pie the same way again. "The Sixth Sense" was an intense psychological thriller that came out of nowhere, remained number 1 at the box office for weeks, and made a young boy's utterance of the words "I See Dead People" chilling, terrifying, and unforgettable. Then there was "The Blair Witch Project."
My first exposure to "The Blair Witch Project" was a dark poster with the following tagline: "In October of 1994, three student filmmakers disappeared in the woods near Burkittsville Maryland, while shooting a documentary. One year later, their footage was found." I thought, "Holy crap, what an awesome concept!" I thought it was for real, as many others did. How could they make this into a movie? I was so intrigued by the concept, it easily became my most highly anticipated film of the summer, probably the year.
At that time in my life, I was going to overnight camp for an entire month, and I found it more than necessary to see a film the day/weekend it came out. I was essentially heartbroken that I would be at camp when "The Blair Witch Project" was released. In the meantime, I had articles and reviews sent to me, as well as watching footage from the film on the computer during the computer hobby we had (I actually wasn't supposed to, but oh well).
The day I came home from camp, I went to the theater to see it. I have to say that my first viewing of the film left me incredibly disappointed. I felt that nothing was scary until the final scene, and then it ended, leaving me wanting more. All of this time anticipating the viewing of what critics and the masses alike were calling "the scariest movie of all time," and I just didn't see all of the fuss. It was a huge letdown.
Upon more recent viewings, and also as I have gotten older, I can now see how excellent it is. It has a slow build-up with some truly creepy scenes, and the anti-climactic ending is intense, frightening, and well-documented. It is, after all, the reason why the massive amount of found-footage films exist and are successful today. It is the granddaddy of found-footage horror films.
If you were one of many who were extremely disappointed by your initial viewing of "The Blair Witch Project," I highly recommend another viewing. It really is quite a unique experience, and the film progresses at an appropriate pace to build tension and suspense. Watch it in the dark. Watch it late at night. Chances are you will be scared, and you will rethink ever going into the woods, especially without knowing where you're going.
My first exposure to "The Blair Witch Project" was a dark poster with the following tagline: "In October of 1994, three student filmmakers disappeared in the woods near Burkittsville Maryland, while shooting a documentary. One year later, their footage was found." I thought, "Holy crap, what an awesome concept!" I thought it was for real, as many others did. How could they make this into a movie? I was so intrigued by the concept, it easily became my most highly anticipated film of the summer, probably the year.
At that time in my life, I was going to overnight camp for an entire month, and I found it more than necessary to see a film the day/weekend it came out. I was essentially heartbroken that I would be at camp when "The Blair Witch Project" was released. In the meantime, I had articles and reviews sent to me, as well as watching footage from the film on the computer during the computer hobby we had (I actually wasn't supposed to, but oh well).
The day I came home from camp, I went to the theater to see it. I have to say that my first viewing of the film left me incredibly disappointed. I felt that nothing was scary until the final scene, and then it ended, leaving me wanting more. All of this time anticipating the viewing of what critics and the masses alike were calling "the scariest movie of all time," and I just didn't see all of the fuss. It was a huge letdown.
Upon more recent viewings, and also as I have gotten older, I can now see how excellent it is. It has a slow build-up with some truly creepy scenes, and the anti-climactic ending is intense, frightening, and well-documented. It is, after all, the reason why the massive amount of found-footage films exist and are successful today. It is the granddaddy of found-footage horror films.
If you were one of many who were extremely disappointed by your initial viewing of "The Blair Witch Project," I highly recommend another viewing. It really is quite a unique experience, and the film progresses at an appropriate pace to build tension and suspense. Watch it in the dark. Watch it late at night. Chances are you will be scared, and you will rethink ever going into the woods, especially without knowing where you're going.