The most frightening thing about this movie was that it felt so real. In fact, some people still weren't convinced it was fake after that last piercing scream and the screen went blank. This is a shockingly original "mockumentary" that proves that, despite recent advances in movie-making technology, imagination is still the most awesome special effect. Armed with only two cameras, three college friends trek into the deep woods of Maryland to make a documentary on the legend of the so-called "Blair Witch." Things do not go well. Despite the scares, of which there are many, and the overall feeling of dread that pervades the film, in the end, the audience doesn't ultimately get to witness anything. And it's still downright terrifying. Unfortunately, the novelty of its unique Internet-marketing strategy and fake documentary style can never be repeated, despite numerous studio attempts to capitalize on the formula, because we now know it's all just a movie... isn't it? The Blair Witch Project practically invented the found-footage genre, which spawned both big-budget disappointers like Cloverfield and low-budget spookfests like Paranormal Activity (which itself spawned a million sequels - and that's perhaps the scariest thing of all).
Michael Perone has written for The Baltimore Sun, Baltimore City Paper, The Island Ear (now titled Long Island Press), and The Long Island Voice, a short-lived spinoff of The Village Voice. He currently works as an Editor in Manhattan. And he still thinks Michael Keaton was the best Batman.
