MUBI

I had a conversation the other day with a friend of mine who was really big on Blair Witch when it first came out. We both enjoyed it and we watched it many times. The first time through was amazing, it was like nothing I had ever seen before.

Then once the mystique and mystery is gone, every subsequent viewing is worse than the one before it. There is no re-watch value. The yelling and arguments work the first time but they’re so repetitive that it’s asinine and aggravating upon re-watching the movie.

The handheld camera adds to the atmosphere, it throws the audience into the movie but like the dialogue it gets stale. It’s more irritating than atmospheric and it only masks the problem that it’s really three people running aimlessly through a woods until they find a shack and die.

The only things that still work are the final couple shots, the kids voices and hands on the tent and the fact that they took the “show don’t tell” motto to the extreme. Unfortunately there’s no real payoff. If you need further proof, watch the sequel…no scratch that, no one needs that.