100 Scariest Movie Moments: #30 The Blair Witch Project

I’ve been contemplating how to make what I have to say about The Blair Witch Project extend for more than a scant few paragraphs, and I’ve come to realize that it cannot be done. I really don’t have that much to say on the matter of a movie that has been talked about, parodied and generally referenced for well over a decade.

As for what I do have to say, firstly, I find the movie enjoyable, and secondly I find it scary. For a film to check both of these boxes, even among the 100 movies I’m reviewing, is quite an accomplishment. There are several films on this list that I haven’t enjoyed watching (Alice, Sweet Alice and The Howling being good examples), and very few actually frighten me (I tend to look at movies from a more analytical perspective). So while The Blair Witch Project did not have me jumping out of my seat in sheer terror, it did manage to at least make me feel a little uncomfortable

I could point to certain “down sides” in the movie. For instance, the characters are not particularly memorable. (This is most likely the reason why this movie didn’t catapult any of its actors to super-stardom). Also, the story is so simple that many of the scenes could be re-edited in almost any order, and I don’t think I would be able to tell the difference. However, I don’t really see these as true negatives. In other films, they might have been, but this is a film about tone. It’s style over substance. So to me, there are no genuine “down sides” to such a film.