This is an attempt to rectify the damage done by the endless hype and misinformation about this film. I have seen countless individuals miss out on this film because they have the wrong mindset. Had there been no preparation, the following would not be necessary. However, had there been no hype, you probably never would have heard of the film, so it's a double edged sword. I'm here to dull the edge for you, so you can swallow it safely.

If you've already seen "Blair," and were disappointed, I'm sorry I didn't get a chance for you to see the following words before someone else ruined it for you. Hopefully you can read this, see it again, and then you'll understand. Please read this whole thing and then give the movie a second chance.

If you've already seen "Blair," and were as fascinated by it as me, welcome to the Cult! *smirk* Help me spread the word. Read the rest of this and share it with anyone who you want to share the film with.

If you have yet to see "Blair," and don't know anything about it, STOP READING. Go SEE it. Look at the hype that comes from Haxan Films like their website or the Curse of the Blair Witch tv special, and then see the movie. Don't listen to ANYBODY else! You are primed to see it best if you go in knowing only what Haxan Films wants you to know. Trust me. Stop reading now.

If you've never seen "Blair," but you've heard it's real, you're absolutely right. Every moment of the film really happened. Now STOP READING! See the tv special or the www.blairwitch.com webpage. Or just go straight to the movie itself. Turn yourself over, you're DONE.

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No. I really mean it. Stop reading.

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Okay. Good. Now, for the rest of you...

If you've never seen "Blair," but you've heard it's a hoax, I need to explain something to you. And trust me on this, because I did what I'm going to ask you to do, and I enjoyed the film immensely, but it takes a bit of concentration, and imagination.

It is a hoax, or rather it's based on the concept known as "urban legend." Urban legends often have some semblance of truth to them. They're in the realm of possibility. No doubt as you were growing up you heard some tales of your neighborhood or a nearby city which had strange elements. Maybe an old hermit that lived down the street, or some people who insisted the forest near that school was haunted. Perhaps you heard about some strange cult of people who lived on the outskirts of the city that drank blood or something. Maybe you've been to a historic landmark and heard tales of ghosts, like a lighthouse that has a mermaid nearby. Perhaps as a child you hunted for buried treasure or searched for Bigfoot. The possibilities are endless.

The town of Burkittsville Maryland, where this story was filmed, does have its share of these stories, but they aren't the Blair Witch tale. They're interesting in their own right and you should research them. However, the producers engineered the Blair Witch phenomenon.

Now, I'm explaining all that to you just because you already know, and just because I want to insure you're not thinking I'm trying to snow you. You know the truth. I'm telling you the truth.

Now. Let me tell you another truth. You're not going to like this movie unless you believe it's real. It's called "suspension of disbelief." If you don't have it, you're going to see the 'faults' of this movie matter-of-factly. You'll be focusing on the fact that at times the editing is choppy and the cinematography is awful. You're going to realize that these actors had no dialogue and were making it up as they went along. You will see every weakness of this film as a weakness, when the truth is, the weaknesses of this film are its strengths.

So. You have to UNLEARN what you have learned, my young Jedi. If you succeed in this unlearning, phrases like "as long as we're smoking we're still alive," or "it's NOT the same log!" or "what was that?" will have powerful and hidden meanings for you that you will take with you to your grave.

This movie IS real. I used to date a friend of Heather Donahue. She never came back. Josh and Mike? They never came back either. You know people who knew them too. And when you see the film, you will be able to say to yourself "I was there!" And you'll know deep in the pit of your soul just how real it was.

Suspend your disbelief. For the two hours you sit there and watch the film, every movement of the camera is real. Those three young people were really in that forest and something very real happened to them. They weren't acting. That's fear and sadness and the pits of hell waiting to swallow them up.

I can tell you how it ends, because you already know. They disappeared in 1994. Their footage was found a year later. They never came back. That's how it ends. It's not the destination, my young grasshopper; it's the journey.

See how they're slowly losing their sanity? See how the camera shakes? It's doing that because she's cold and hungry and scared and she wants to go home. And you're there with her, and when you hear those noises you too will go, "what was that?" And you'll want to crawl into a fetal position and hope you make it to morning.

Trust me. This movie is as real as the beating of your own heart, and when you realize that, you'll never be the same again.