Despite never actually sitting down and watching this, I could've summarized it completely on sheer account of being a millennial. The overarching plot, the big moments, the lore, the behind-the-scenes, it's all etched into my '90s DNA like the Captain Planet theme song. And having seen plenty of its found-footage progeny from the ensuing two decades, I also know how it feels when one of these babies is working.
About 30 minutes in, a smile crept across my face as I realized The Blair Witch Project was working, like gangbusters. The first third is admittedly pretty unremarkable - a few key mysteries are put in place - but once the trio gets lost in the woods and the mania starts to set in, few found-footage films capture that acute terror better.
There are some deceptively clever narrative and craft choices made, but the critical component that elevates it to the next level, in my opinion, is the acting. All three actors perfectly unravel in authentic and chilling ways. So often do performances in these films feel overcooked, and I worry that it will be hard to return to the authenticity of performances like these during the infancy of the genre.
The finale arrives at the perfect time, and while I knew shot-for-shot how the film would end, it was pretty incredible to see the final frames sting my wife's eyes like daggers and watch her jolt away from the screen in abject horror.
Despite never actually sitting down and watching this, I could've summarized it completely on sheer account of being a millennial. The overarching plot, the big moments, the lore, the behind-the-scenes, it's all etched into my '90s DNA like the Captain Planet theme song. And having seen plenty of its found-footage progeny from the ensuing two decades, I also know how it feels when one of these babies is working.
About 30 minutes in, a smile crept across my face as I realized The Blair Witch Project was working, like gangbusters. The first third is admittedly pretty unremarkable - a few key mysteries are put in place - but once the trio gets lost in the woods and the mania starts to set in, few found-footage films capture that acute terror better.
There are some deceptively clever narrative and craft choices made, but the critical component that elevates it to the next level, in my opinion, is the acting. All three actors perfectly unravel in authentic and chilling ways. So often do performances in these films feel overcooked, and I worry that it will be hard to return to the authenticity of performances like these during the infancy of the genre.
The finale arrives at the perfect time, and while I knew shot-for-shot how the film would end, it was pretty incredible to see the final frames sting my wife's eyes like daggers and watch her jolt away from the screen in abject horror.
1
