In October of 1994, 3 student filmmakers disappeared in the woods near Burkittsville, Maryland while shooting a documentary called The Blair Witch Project. A year later, their footage was found.

These are the opening titles which invite you into the Blair Witch Project experience. Quite frankly, this is all the foreknowledge anyone should have going into the theatre for the film to work at its best. Editors Daniel Myrick and Eduardo Sanchez have expertly restored this footage in keeping with accuracy and chronology of this disturbing event, resulting in the most true-to-life recovered film that has ever made it to the big screen.

The film's scenario follows Heather, Josh and Mike, three student filmmakers who interview locals from a town formerly called Blair. Upon hearing several urban legends about a graveyard out in a forest where bloody sacrifices have been made, they decide to bring their cameras and check it out for themselves. As they delve deeper and deeper into the woods, the students become dangerously lost and increasingly estranged, fighting with each other every step of the way. Throw in some ambient paranormal factors, like an unseen witch tormenting them as invaders in her forest, and you have a fascinating documentary.

If you're still reading this review right now, you likely want some more backstory on the mysterious disappearance of these poor lost souls. Be careful what you wish for -- to gain more knowledge is to lose the mystery and naiveté that one needs to thoroughly be affected by this film. My suggestion is that you just turn off your computer right now and get thee to a movie theatre.

Are you still reading? All right, fine, be that way! The backstory is that this film is simply a complete work of fiction, a faux documentary or 'mockumentary', if you will. There is no Blair Witch playing mind games with these filmmakers! They're just actors! It's just a movie, folks!

Shot on a Hi-8 video camera and in 16mm film, first time directors Myrick and Sanchez use several techniques to keep The Blair Witch Project realistic and believable as a documentary. They are completely willing to put their audience through motion sickness with their running hand-held cameras. They shoot in bizarre, kanted angles, and often in complete darkness with only the terrified voices of their actors to keep us as confused as they appear to be. But ultimately, fancy camera work aside, The Blair Witch Project is a purely psychological horror movie. What makes it such a scary premise is that anyone can relate mutually to what these kids are going through. Nobody ever likes to be lost, especially in the woods. Everyone gets scared at what goes bump in the night, especially with the suggestion of the supernatural lurking about. Everyone gets flustered and paranoid, especially when they are frightened. All the right buttons are in our psyches are being pressed.

Knowing that this movie is entirely fictional forces one to see it as such -- just a movie -- instead of getting caught up in its entirely believable documentary feel. This movie scared me like no film ever has and it did so because I was totally duped. Yes, there was a nagging in the back of my brain saying "Batteries don't last that long on a video camera," but that's the beauty and originality of it; that it's good enough to be real and real enough that it could be you. The Blair Witch Project needs to be seen by every genre fan, yet in ways, I wish I never had seen it. It touched a part of me, pure terror, that I never knew I had, and I'd prefer to never have to visit again. Now that's a powerful movie.

THE BLAIR WITCH PROJECT MANTRA: It's only a movie! Get a freggin' grip, man! It's only a movie!

GROSS-OUT FACTOR: Nil. Terror has no face. The movie works so deftly in its ability to show us nothing.

STRONG CHICK FACTOR: Nil. Although Heather is the most willful of the group and the most adamant about documenting their experiences on film, this pretty much shows her to be both stupid and out of her mind. I was able to relate strongly towards the end, when Mike implores her to just "Turn that fucking camera off!" Heather also has the most intensely aggravating scream and whine. The few moments where the film drags tend to be during her desperate ravings. When the film makes it to video, fast-forward buttons may be your best friend at this time.

-- Julie Ng