Letters: Sep. 6, 1999

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THE BLAIR WITCH PROJECT

"Their terrifying and disturbing movie stands alongside Hitchcock's thrillers. Like a fine wine, it is to be savored and revisited." KARL LOGAN Auburn, N.Y.

The Blair Witch Project leaves things unsaid, undone and unanswered [CINEMA, Aug. 16]. One truly gets scared by not knowing everything. Whether by design or accident, the makers of this film have created a movie that lets the audience use two things that Hollywood rarely engages: intelligence and imagination. CHRIS BYZEWSKI San Diego

The public has been enduring the Blair Witch Project with little comment, but seeing it on the cover of TIME is the last straw. If 81 minutes' worth of twigs and leaves is all that's required to create a successful blockbuster, we've solved the unemployment problem. MICHAEL VAN EESBEEK Windsor, Canada

It's funny that in the technology-driven '90s, our idea of horror is a walk in the woods. DAVE DOUGLAS Summit, N.J.

My husband and I saw Blair Witch last weekend and hated it. But we have nothing but admiration for the directors--$100 million in ticket sales so far from a $35,000 movie. Go, go, go!!!! MARISA GRAZIANO ROBERT GORMAN Blue Bell, Pa.

Hey, Freddie Kruger! Retire the mask, put down the ax and take a lesson on how real horror evolves! Nothing so purely frightening has happened in a good 30 years. I have never understood why contemporary Hollywood's "Oooh--scary!" people wouldn't support the proved fact that the unseen beast is the most hair raising of all. Hail to Daniel Myrick and Eduardo Sanchez for following their instincts and not the usual commercial formula. AMANDA STEAD GHIO Warren, Conn.

The success of the Blair Witch Project suggests that the film industry is on the verge of a great democratization. The technology is now in place to change the way films are made, sold and shared. Thanks to computers, digital cameras and the Internet, many independent filmmakers can afford to make, market and distribute their own work. Perhaps the immense pool of film talent that has lurked just beyond our local multiplex movie theaters has a better shot at the big screen now that it's armed with the resources to create a blockbuster of a different flavor. The savvy directors of The Blair Witch Project are pioneers in what is destined to be a new era in film. ADRIEN GLOVER, CO-FOUNDER Undergroundfilm.com New York City

The Blair Witch Project is being touted as a long-awaited antidote to the slick, overhyped, multimillion-dollar products of Hollywood, and that is just what it is. It stands for the proposition that with only a shoestring budget, inferior equipment, no script and three of the most unattractive, foulmouthed performers imaginable, you too can make a movie that is every bit as rotten as anything ever dreamed up by the major studios on a bad day. THOMAS A. DIMAGGIO York, Pa.

Three potty mouths in a thicket. ALYCE CROW Linwood, N.J.

As a Gen X-er, I'm really impressed with these young, talented filmmakers who aren't afraid to push the line when it comes to entertainment. As a moviegoer, I found watching an entertaining movie worth every penny of admission. I was scared out of my mind! SARA MILLER New City, N.Y.