The Blair Witch Project (1999)

3 1/2 Stars (out of 4)

Boys (and Girls) in the Woods

By Jeffrey M. Anderson

Legendary producer Val Lewton (1904-51) made his career by crafting low-budget horror movies in which the scares were implied instead of shown. These pictures are still some of the greatest ever made. Co-directors Eduardo Sanchez and Dan Myrick accomplish essentially the same thing with The Blair Witch Project, which shows us the make-believe footage of three young filmmakers who were lost in the woods and never found. The movie doesn't deliver any Exorcist-type slam-bang thrills, but it does keep us tense and tingly for most of its running time. It's an original and admirable effort.