discuss The Blair Witch Project

Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share
21

I have to say, Heather, Josh, and whatsisname were perfectly believable as clueless film students. I shudder to think how easily something like this (the basic getting-lost part) could have happened to so many of my film-school classmates. It was so commonplace to set out on a location shoot with only a vague notion of what they were going to film, and how.
I found Heather’s soliloquy to be very moving, but I couldn’t look at the screen, because I didn’t enjoy looking straight up her nostrils. Guys (I forget the directors’ names), next time, try blocking the scenes before you shoot. I know all about cinema verite, but when it makes your key scene unwatchable, you’re going to have to sacrifice a small chunk of your art, and rehearse.

Remember, I’m pulling for you; we’re all in this together.
—Red Green

22

The following is mostly the same as my post in the “Stuff you don’t get” thread. As you might surmise, the hype surrounding Blair Witch thing is one thing I don’t get.

People say that the movie’s creators are geniuses. Actually, they just had one good idea: to let the actors improvise the whole film. The creators just had to write a few key lines of dialog, which is much easier than a whole script. After that, about all they had to do was follow the actors around and make spooky noises.

I also hear a lot of people say that the actors’ performances were “so realistic and believable.” I’ll mostly agree with this statement, but it should really be no surprise to anyone. If you want your actors to believably seem like they’ve been out in the woods for three days with little food or sleep, what could be better than to send them out into the woods for three days, then grab their food and make scary noises all night?
Also. Anyone who still believes that Blair Witch is a true story, and insists in this belief despite all evidence to the contrary, should receive a sharp kick in the teeth.

23

I don’t know of too many other people who have tried this and had it work as well (of course, if you think the movie did NOT work, this point doesn’t hold up)? I’d say it was the flash of brilliance of all the people involved that led to the success, both artistically and financially, of the film.

(Now, if you think the actors were so stupid… ie “why didn’t they just follow the creek out of the woods?”, I give my opinion on this in the thread in “General Questions”)

I’ve heard talk of a sequel and TV program in the works. As much as I love the film, my initial reaction to a sequel and TV program is pretty skeptical…in fact, my reaction is downright negative.

24

I posted a reply dealing with this movie under another topic but unfortunately, the thread appears to be done with and no new replies are coming. I hope I’m not too late here.

I have a question about the “thing(s)” they were attacked by, and then chased through the woods with the camera, the last night they were there together. Something shakes the tent violently and then there are strange sounds, like a girl sobbing. Is that Heather or whatever it is outside? Then when the tent is unzipped, immediately a character begins to run off, dressed all in white with what appears to be a pointy hat. It also seems to be the size of a child. Of course, in the darkness and with the shaking of the camera, this may not be an accurate viewing. Since I have not seen any mention here of this incident, perhaps I am only imagining this character as being an outside force. Maybe it is Heather. Is it? Or did other people also see this as someone or thing else?

My cousin mentioned he felt that the force outside sounded like children. Then what seems like a child runs off. Interesting. Could that be the spirits of the murdered children who a)came to warn them, b)came to taunt them (“Haha, you’re going to meet the same doom as us.”) or c)were sent by the witch on an errand to help her on her continuing mission to finish them off, etc.

Or am I just getting carried away?

25

I was watching it being really bored until the very last scene when I realised my heart was pounding. I guess I was scared without even realising it. Or it may have been because some dingbat in the theater let out a bloodcurdling shreik!!! I do have to say I didn’t believe that they would be lost for so long with both a creek, a compass AND the SUN to work with for crying out loud. And I didn’t think the acting was convincing because they all seemed too shrill and obnoxious, and I really doubted they would’ve kept running film all that time. Monotonous overuse of the word “Fuck” too. That really gets on my nerves. Like when it’s used in the absence of acutal dialogue. (Not when used prudently, such as in “South Park” hahaha.)

26

About scene where they run out of their tent.

The person you are seeing is likely Mike. Mike earlier had a hooded yellow raincoat, which in the light could appear to be white. The hood would definitely give a pointed effect. It is unlikely to be Heather since that shot appears to be from the hand which Heather usually uses, and unlikely to be Josh since he uses the larger camera usually. I don’t think it was supposed to be a shot of the witch or a ghost that they were chasing. After all since they were scared out of their minds, if you suddenly noticed that you were running in the the same direction as the ghost/witch you would probably run in a different direction.

27

Yes, it’s either Mike or Josh (and given what Bernard says, I believe it’s Mike). Heather has the camera and is running right behind him. You get a brief glimpse to the side. Apparently what she’s screaming about is to the side but, due to the quality of the film and the fact that she’s taping while running, I couldn’t make it out.

The shaking of the tent…I think they were running from whatever was shaking their tent.
(the witch?)

Again, I have to reiterate, they were up against a witch. It didn’t matter that they had a compass and a creek to work with. There could have been a gigantic flashing neon sign pointing to the exit of the woods. They still wouldn’t have gotten out. It did not matter what they did. They were just being tormenting them before they were finished off.

28

blech…I mean, they were just being tormented before being finished off

That’s what happens when I change the structure of a sentence without just erasing the whole thing first.

topolino@burkittsville.org

29

Rowan, you are the only other person I have ever come across who has actually seen * Vampyr. * What an awesome movie! You have to see it about six times before it starts to make sense, but it is so superbly atmospheric. (Incidentally, the “misty” look in the movie came from an accident—a piece of gauze fell over a camera lens during shooting, and Dreyer liked the look it produced so much, he incorporated the trick into the movie.) I’m wondering, have you ever read “Carmilla”? That’s a masterpiece too.

  • The Haunting of Hill House * is one of the two books which ever scared the hell out of me. (The other was * 'Salem’s Lot * by Stephen King. Ever read that one?)
    The '63 movie can’t hold a candle to the book, and from what I’ve seen of the new movie, it’s even worse. By the way, have you ever seen * Nosferatu, * Freidrich Wilhelm Murnau’s classic flick loosely based on * Dracula*? It’s the best vampire movie ever made, right next to * Vampyr. *

In a completely different genre but no less terrifying, try * Triumph of the Will, * Leni Riefenstahl’s Nazi propaganda flick. Knowing what we do about what the Nazi movement would produce, watching this thing is chilling, particularly if you understand German.

Forgive me for babbling, but I thought I was the last human being in America who actually still reads Victorian Gothics and watches German Impressionist movies from the 1920s!

30

Psst! Who wrote this?

Thanks!

31

Shirley Jackson. She also wrote * We Have Always Lived In the Castle * and “The Lottery”, both of which are good and strange, but neither compare to * Haunting. * If you’ve never read it before, you’re in for a treat. You can get it through Penguin Books—it retails for around $5.00.

32

Someone kindly tell me which part was scary. I must have missed it, and I never left my seat, not even to use the restroom.

Did I miss something?

We meet the players and learn that Heather knows how to say the word “fuck”.

Fair amount of fake interviews with the town “locals” so we can learn the story of the witch/serial killer.

Gratuitous booze scene.

Drive to the woods.

Stumble and trip up hills and across logs.

Get rained on.

Pitch tent and go to bed.

Hear spooky noises. My neighbor’s dog sounds much scarier at night.

Wake up, wander around the woods some more, find spooky things made out of sticks (was THIS the supposed scary part?) and a couple of piles of rocks (or was THIS suppose to be scary?).

Start to wonder if they are lost.

Pitch tent and go to bed.

Hear more scary noises (yawn).

Wake up and find rock piles (yawn again - wake ME up please).

Wander around, lose map, admit that they are lost, Mike (or is that Josh? I just don’t care enough about the characters to remember who is who) admits to tossing map, rough Mike/Josh up a bit. Hear Heather say “fuck” a few more dozen times.

Lost

Lost

Lost (wake me up when the scary part starts).

East? West? North? South? So confusing. . . .

Sit down and cry (them because they are lost, me because I am bored to tears.)

Pitch tent, hear more scary noises, run into the woods.

Find their things messed up and oozing slime (Gawd, please don’t tell me THAT was the scary part).

Still lost.

Still lost.

Josh or is that Mike, disappear (why couldn’t it have been that annoying Heather?)

Find bundle of sticks with teeth and tongue (maybe?). Obvious attempt to try to be scary (snore).

Pitch tent, talk about food, Heather won’t go hiking on weekends anymore, expected scene where Heather tapes her “goodbye” to mom (predictable and complete with snot/tears visuals).

Hear Josh/Mike yelling (maybe my timeline is getting screwed up due to complete boredom).

Find spooky house.

Hear more scary noises and see handprints on walls (Scary? Doesn’t hold a candle to my walls when my kids were little).

See Mike/Josh in corner.

Thump - down goes Heather (boo-freakin-hoo).

Credits roll - DAMN, anyone else notice how many other people were lost in the woods with these kids?

I can honestly say that I was more frightened watching The Haunting and we all know what a loser piece of crap that was.

>^,^<
KITTEN

Coarse and violent nudity. Occasional language.

33

Easy. Some people like special effects and having everything spelled out for them, and some people find NOT knowing what’s going on much more frightening. You just have to leave things up to your imagination, and some people don’t like that at all.

34

I was being sarcastic about the Haunting (and all it’s special effect) comment, it pretty much sucked.

I agree that it is much scarier not to have everything spelled out for you in technicolor special effects and the imagination can be much more frightening, however, the Blair Witch Project was S-T-U-P-I-D and the attempts at frights - laughable.

I was serious when I asked the questions - What did I miss? What parts are supposed to be scary?

It was nothing more than three bad actors wandering around lost in the woods for 90 minutes with a few “Shhhhhhh - did you hear that?” and about 3 minutes of running through an old house chasing their friend’s voice. Admittedly, the guy standing in the corner looked a little spooky, but you can credit that on the black and white, out of focus film.

Interestingly, in spite of those who keep saying how this movie is so frightening, all I heard while walking out of the theater was complaints at what a waste of money and time it was.

If you want to see a quality spooker, see The Sixth Sense. A most excellent movie that includes a great storyline, good acting (surprisingly, even Bruce Willis did a fine job), enough spookiness to keep you on the edge of your seat, and an ending that will blow you away (don’t let anyone tell you how it ends.)

Oh, and JFTR, I am taking my tent and going camping next weekend.

>^,^<
KITTEN

Coarse and violent nudity. Occasional language.

35

I thought the movie was enjoyable to watch but I agree that it isn’t very scary.

As I mentioned on GQ I think the primary reason is that the beginning gives away the ending, and hence any element of tension. We know from the start that all three disappear (and that means dead right?) so throughout the whole movie there is no question as to the outcome. We don’t sit on the edge of our seats wondering if they will make it (this assumes that you care for the characters which is another debate completely).

36

I liked Blair Witch, but i liked it much better when it was called Cannibal Holocaust and made by Ruggero.

To deal with men by force is as impractical as to deal with nature by persuasion.

37

I’m glad I wasn’t the only one irked by Heather’s excessive cussing. I feel like a prude sometimes, but I like to use my swear words selectively so they have impact rather than just being redundant.

38

Of all the people insulted by cussing, I wonder how long it’s been since they’ve been that age and in that situation? I’m about as far along in college as they were supposed to be, and I can guarantee you that I hear much worse from 75% of the people I come in contact with in casual situations.

39

Being lost in the woods for days without a map and the fact that you have a compass doesn’t matter because you end up back where you started no matter what you do. You hear people stalking you in the woods and to quote Heather, you’re “hungry, cold, and hunted.” You’re thinking you might die out in the wilderness. This doesn’t strike you as a good time to use those swear words you saved up to make an impact?

I think every other word I’d say, in that situation, would be a variation on the word “fuck.”

40

The cussing was one of the most realistic parts of the movie. Consider the age these people were. Yes, you are definitely being a prude. For god’s sake don’t see South Park.

Was TBWP scary? Kinda. It was chilling, which was interesting. I definitely got more creeped out by it than by any “horror” movie I’ve ever seen. I didn’t have bad dreams or get scared of the woods or anything, but I think the people who are getting REALLY down on it are perhaps being a bit snobby/overcritical because they want to rebel against the hype. If there wasn’t the hype, most of the same people would be saying it was a cool movie (not neccessarily a really scary movie, but cool/interesting).

>^,^<
“Cluemobile? You’ve got a pickup…”
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