Should you believe the hype...

As probably just about everyone on the planet knows, this film was one of the most hyped movies ever. The story goes that it is real video footage shot by 3 film students who went missing in 1994, and their footage was found a year later and made into this film. Amazingly, a lot of Americans believed this, and believed it really was a true story - thanks to a website which detailed the Legend of the Blair Witch. In many ways this seems laughable - if three students had gone missing, presumed dead, then would their families really have allowed their video footage to be made into a film?! I don't think so!!! Still, if people are gullible enough to believe it then whoever thought of it had quite a good idea really!

There are no big name actors in the film at all - presumably to add to the feeling that it could be a true story! No one would have been taken in at all if the lead roles had been played by big Hollywood stars!

Once the scene has been set with the interviews, the students set off into the woods, backpacking and camping out overnight. Soon, however, (and perhaps rather predictably) they become lost in the woods and the relationship between the three of them becomes strained: the two boys, Josh in particular, blame Heather, first of all for getting them lost and ultimately for taking them there in the first place. They become intent on finding their way out, but Josh throws the map in the river, believing it to be useless, so they only have a compass to find their way back to their car. Along their way in the woods, they also find some strange signs in the woods: piles of stones, and sticks arranged in crosses and bundles. First of all they find this fascinating, but soon they become scared by it, especially when they hear noises outside their tent at night - and finally, when bundles of sticks and piles of stones appear outside their tent overnight, they become really terrified.

So, that's the story for you - and now my verdict on the film. Well, first of all I would say that it was definitely not worth the hype, but that's not to say it was a bad film. The idea behind it is great - the basis being that horror lies in the imagination. We don't actually see anything scary throughout the film (a few sticks and stones are not scary in themselves!), neither do we see the Witch at the end, however, we see the students' terror at the unknown, and also form our own opinions about who or what is behind it all. For those Harry Potter fans amongst you, it actually made me think of the Boggart - the creature which takes on the appearance of whatever scares its victim most - and for me this is very much the same. The Blair Witch can be whoever or whatever you want it to be - and this in many ways makes it a lot more chilling than if it was simply a slasher, a bogeyman or a monster! If however you don't have a vivid imagination it's perhaps not the film for you!

Another thing which spoiled it for me is the constant arguing, screaming and shouting which goes on throughout most of the middle section of the film, a good 45 minutes or so (after they have got lost but before they find the house). This part went on far too long for my liking, and is very samey (which I have to admit has made it slightly difficult for me to remember in what order the getting lost, losing the map, sticks and stones appearing etc. took place, so I apologise if my summary of the story is not exactly right, chronologically speaking!) Heather's voice really started to grate on me after not very long at all!