This is a seemingly random topic.. but you'll come to expect that. I am a secret talk radio junky, and a show was discussing the other day that there haven't been many movies in the last decade or so that have had that "phenomenon" effect like Jaws, The Godfather and Star Wars did. They named a few, such as The Matrix and the Titanic. The entry I would add to the list is the Blair Witch Project. And I know this is a movie that people either LOVE or HATE.
Why am I posting about this? Well.. I've found I will judge a person based on their opinion of this movie. Actually, I almost got fired from a job over this movie. I used to work in a kitchen in a retirement home. A nurse came stumbling into the pantry blabbering on about this movie and that.. and then proceeded to say that the Blair Witch Project was the stupidest movie she ever saw. I then said that I thought that she just didn't understand it. She kind of took offense to this and said "What is THAT supposed to mean?" And I then told her that I found that most people who didn't like the Blair Witch Project didn't have much imagination. They weren't able to appreciate it because they could visualize themselves in the situation. I mean, the whole movie is in first person (pretty much) and it's pretty easy to get pulled in; If you can't manage that, you probably don't have much skill in that area. So I guess she went and told my manager and I was told I'm not allowed to have conversations with the nursing staff.
Anyway.. I don't even know why I posted about this. It's been lingering in the back of my brain. What do you guys think of the movie? Sure, it drags on a lot and it has very bad acting, but there a few scenes in the movie that make the whole thing (i.e. the tent banging/running wildly through the woods, and the very end). Also, to name your opinion on the movie you have to state whether you saw it in the theatre or on video. It makes a difference.
anotherben [email] said at 9:06 AM 06-10-2004: i saw it in the theater and it made me seasick. wretchedly miserably hate-the-world nasty-green seasick. i don't get seasick. i did not like the movie. lots of whine and cheese.
milky [email] said at 4:24 PM 06-10-2004: Yeah, I hated the whine and cheese. Only movie expect the last Matrix where I heard people yelling bullshit and cursing the screen. People ran out of the theater after, mutter about how they wanted their money back.
I admired the hype machine, though. Got me into the seat.
Darryl X. said at 9:30 AM 06-10-2004: Never saw it. I resent "demographic" movies, where they aim their shitty movies at an age group. The trailers for that moved screamed "TEEN."
Jeremy_Notloggedin said at 9:33 AM 06-10-2004: the trailers were all text. i don't really see that angle. the only demographic they could go for is snot-nosed weiner kids who get lost easily.
Darryl X. said at 9:35 AM 06-10-2004: Oh come on. I recall a cute 18-year-old blonde with dilated pupils looking into a video camera at point blank range and tersely whispering "I'm so scared." TEEN.
josh [email] said at 9:51 AM 06-10-2004: I recall a homely blonde wearing a parka with SNOT RUNNING DOWN HER FACE.
If it was a teen slasher pic, she would have been a Britney Spears clone in almost no clothes, and there would definitely not have been snot running down her face.
josh [email] said at 9:50 AM 06-10-2004: No stars, shot on digital video, no real plot, no jokes, no nudity, no violence, no special effects... Really teen, man, really teen.
Darryl X. said at 11:30 AM 06-10-2004: I'm talking about the kind of teen that has a Betty Page haircut and wears emo glasses and goes on to major in drama. Anyway, like I said, I didn't see it. And I think she's cute, anyway.
Darryl X. said at 11:39 AM 06-10-2004: Oh, Christ. I meant that the movie was obviously engineered with a TYPE in mind. And most people of that TYPE that I've encountered in my life were TEENS or 20-somethings still trying to sleep with (or be) TEENS.
josh [email] said at 11:44 AM 06-10-2004: What makes you say it was engineered with a type in mind, considering the fact you've never seen the film?
The movie is basically an art house film - there is NOTHING in it that I can think of appears to teenagers except for the fact that it is creepy. And I just don't see why you think "creepiness" appeals only to teens.
Darryl X. said at 11:49 AM 06-10-2004: Come to think of it, Josh, to be frank, I think the fact that you are defending it so heartily proves that it struck a loud chord with the very "type" I'm referring to.
Darryl X. said at 11:44 AM 06-10-2004: And, having just looked at IMDB, it did indeed to be popular with that group that is "generally considered the teen demographic." So it seemed to stir up the Jason/Freddie crowd after all.
josh [email] said at 11:56 AM 06-10-2004: Let's see:
there are no stars or even professional actors
the actors are unattractive and ungroomed
there is no violence
there are no "things jumping in front of the screen" shock scares - in fact, there are really few if any "scares" at all
there is no real plot - the movie was improvised
you never see "the monster"
they never explain anything
the whole movie is pretty much people talking and walking
there is no special effects
it's shot on video
no musical soundtrack or even score
it's the opposite of MTV style editing - it's slow as hell
there is no sex, or even romance
there is little or no humor, except un-intentional humor
nothing much happens
I honestly can't see why someone would say that this movie is designed to appeal to teens, because on paper it seems like something that would really NOT appeal to teens.
Again, all I can see is that the movie is creepy, and PERHAPS, that the characters curse. But neither of those things seem like things that appeal to teens specifically...
I'm honestly curious to why you think this movie is for teens? To me, this is pretty much the opposite kind of horror film than a 'Scream' or a "I Know What You Did Last Summer', which are two movies I would hold up as perfect examples of teen-friendly horror : fast paced, pop culture jokes, attractive actors dressed fashionably, MTV-editing, MTV music on the soundtrack, plenty of set piece gore scenes (but nothing too extreme), love and romance, a plot, a twist, jump scares, etc...
Is it just that you think ALL horror movies appeal to teens? If that is your reasoning, I can accept it, but would disagree.
josh [email] said at 12:05 PM 06-10-2004: Also, I can talk about horror movies - which I love more than almost anything else - pretty much indefinitely.
Darryl X. said at 12:45 PM 06-10-2004: Let me try this again: I didn't see the movie. I saw the trailer while seeing god-knows-what-else. "Amistad," I think, which blew.
My INTUITION told me, as I watched it, that this movie was geared towards the art school type teens in the audience. That was how the trailer seemed to play out. After following your link and re-watching your trailer, my opinion is changed somewhat. TEENS is probably too general. I apologize. The trailer seems to target a more disaffected sub-category. I will call them ANGSTERS.
These are those teens and, yes, 20-somethings, so filled with pseudo-intellectual pretensions that "text" and a scary symbol will cause them to turn to their clove-cigarette reeking companions and whisper with enthusiasm: "We have GOT to see that! Right after we have a latte' and buy an Ani DeFranco CD."
Then, these same ANGSTERS will sit through the movie and discuss it--as loudly as possible--in a nearby coffee house or restaurant, using words like "abneigent" or "catharsis" while looking mock-thoughtful.
But, again, I didn't see the movie. These are just the ideas that the trailer gave me.
josh [email] said at 12:51 PM 06-10-2004: Okay, cool - Like I said, "teen horror" to me is Scream or I Know What You Did Last Summer, thus my confusion and disbelief at your comments.
jake. said at 2:07 PM 06-10-2004: These are just the ideas that the trailer gave me.
Exactly. Your claims have no basis in anything that was actually in the trailers, or in the movie, or the film-maker's intent.
You're just spouting the bias of your own insular perceptions.
Also, I think you're confusing the movie with it's big budget sequel, which was a very different phenomenon.
brad [email] said at 2:02 PM 06-10-2004: It's disturbing how much you like horror movies. Half the time I pass by your room, and the door's closed, I hear some woman screaming or moaning in agony.
brianbibbly [email] said at 9:56 AM 06-10-2004: Hmmm, my impression of the Blair Witch Project:
I was intrigued with this movie simply because it did so much with so little. If I recall, it was also one of the first movies to generate tremendous buzz via it's interactive website. I might be wrong about that.
It was interesting in that it allowed the viewer to create the suspense or horror by taking a 'less is more' approach. But I am unsure if this effect was intentional on the part of the filmmakers, or simply a byproduct of not having the budget or backing to create something more. If the 'gonzo' style in which it was filmed was purposeful, then I give it a thumbs up. If not, then I think it is pretty much just low-budget drivel.
However, the absolute best part of that movie is when Josh wakes up to find blue slime all over his backpack and exclaims, "Why does the blue shit have to be on my shit!?"
myriam [email] said at 9:57 AM 06-10-2004: i liked the web-site build up; i was fooled. but then i never saw it... partly because i felt i already had after like the one-year long lead-in. also i think some people just aren't big fans of that type of movie (suspense, real-life drama, etc) so it's probably possible to be neutral on it.
Jeremy_Notloggedin said at 10:02 AM 06-10-2004: ..and you kept hearing about how people were leaving the theatres and crying in the aisles and shit. i wonder if that actually happened..
Jeremy_Notloggedin said at 10:05 AM 06-10-2004: ..and you kept hearing about how people were leaving the theatres and crying in the aisles and shit. i wonder if that actually happened..
craig [email] said at 10:08 AM 06-10-2004: I saw it on opening night at a theatre in New Orleans. I had heard little about the movie. I liked it very much after seeing it, but quickly forgot about it. I haven't seen it since.
abby [email] said at 11:44 AM 06-10-2004: i saw it opening night at CITY PLACE in silver spring. people were screaming their disapproval and leaving and throwing candy at the screen. it was like watching a video in homeroom. despite that, i enjoyed it quite a bit. it seriously creeped me out, the actual tent-banging and the giggling children, the fucking dolls, the goddamned house, and that old woman in the trailor!
Woody said at 11:58 AM 06-10-2004: It seemed to work for my wife as well. She had to go out and feed the horses that night, I snuck out and started clicking rocks together behind the barn. She knew it was me but couldn't stop herself from being all freaked out.
cecil [email] said at 12:34 PM 06-10-2004: I saw it in the theater. It's a movie where I really appreciate the idea of it, but I can't say I thought it was "good". My reaction was, "wow, that movie made me feel weird. wow, I was basically looking at nothing for 90 minutes. Good job."
Bendependent [email] said at 12:56 PM 06-10-2004: it's no peewee's big adventure. in fact, it's pretty much the opposite of peewee's big adventure, which is my favorite movie of all time.
now that movie has everything!
creepy in places (large marge)
teen starlet (dottie)
it is full of stars or at least people who should be stars
they are attractive and overgroomed
there is violence (peewee vs. francis in the pool)
there are "things jumping in front of the screen" (large marge)
there is quite a wonderful plot
you see "the monster" (and man does he want that bike)
they over explain everything
the whole movie is pretty much people talking and walking and driving and riding trains and hitchhiking and riding bikes
there are so many fabulously low budget special effects
it's shot on film
the score kicks ass
there is romance the way romance really is
it is filled with intentional humor
absolutely everything happens
not to mention ninjas, a helpful monkey, truck drivers, dinosaurland, an Indian named Amazing Larry, bikers, random bits of claymation, clowns, the devil, a fortune teller, an escaped convict, a hobo, the alamo, bullriding, godzilla, santa claus, a beach party, twisted sister, and a million other things...
yeah. your favorite movie sucks and mine rules. we should totally fight.
josh [email] said at 1:03 PM 06-10-2004: Pee Wee's Big Adventure is a pretty great movie. I vividly remember rewinding and rewinding the Large Marge part an obscene number of times at some sleep-over.
brianbibbly [email] said at 1:06 PM 06-10-2004: Pee Wee's Big Adventure is the best movie of all time. I remember right before Primus came on at Lollapalloza (whatever!) they played the Pee Wee movie music over the loudspeakers. I was so elated that I prostrated myself in the mud and rolled around like a lunatic.
cecil [email] said at 1:15 PM 06-10-2004: Also the heroic action scene: pet store on fire, and a chase scene that rivals Bullitt. If Bullit were on bicycles.
Jeremy_Notloggedin said at 1:56 PM 06-10-2004: actually, i don't particularly like blair witch that much. i would definitely rate pee wee's big adventure above bwp. I mean.. the first goddamn scene when he gets out of his bed and puts those pink rabbit slippers on and says "sniffsniffsniff, sniffsniffsniff" and all of those breakfast making contraptions....
craig [email] said at 1:22 PM 06-10-2004: Why do you scoff whenever I ask a question? It's not like you people don't go on endlessly about other random bullshit.
kara [email] said at 2:03 PM 06-10-2004: Bama"
Originated from Black youth in Washington DC.
1. Original meaning was "cant dress well" or "fashion misfit"
2. Now the word has a more general use meaning "person", as how Whites use "Dude"
bratpop said at 5:06 AM 06-11-2004: I kind of liked the uh, font.
Normally I hate it when horror movies try to also be comedies, but if this is the opposite end of the spectrum, that explains why I'm not a horror fan anymore.
reggie [email] said at 2:04 PM 06-11-2004: I thought BWP was pretty cool. It's actually one of the few horror movies that I found somewhat scary but I don't really "scare" easy. Here's the big Reggie-theory on Blair Witch Project:
SPOILER WARNING
SPOILER WARNING
OKAY CONTINUE AT YOUR OWN RISK
First of all this movie's best attribute is that everything's suggested and nothing is explained, leaving our imagination to do most of the work. Which would you say is scarier being locked in a room with a big blood-thirsty bear or being locked in a dark room with a blood-thirsty bear that you can't see? I'd say the latter is a much more frightening scenario and the filmmakers of BWP exploit that about as well as you can.
We say BWP doesn't really have a plot yet if you look at it the film does consist of two of those classic story-telling elements they taught us back in grade school. Man vs. Man, Man vs. Nature and Man vs. Himself. There's no real man vs man conflict here but there's definitely man vs nature as well as man vs himself.
I don't think it's much of a stretch if you conclude that the woods in BWP are haunted. That's essentially what the movie's about. But what's cool about BWP is that the woods use the kids' own paranoias against them. The first part of the movie we see Heather and crew interviewing the locals about what stories they may have about the Blair Witch and the woods and we see a number of completely different stories and tales from every single person. This is important because it leaves a wide range of possibilities of what they might face in the woods. Yet since there's no firm story as to what has happened over the years there's also the sense that nothing at all could happen and everyone's crazy. The next part of the film the kids enter the woods and that's when things start going crazy. When you consider the fact that these kids really have no idea what they're doing, what they're looking for or even where they're going plus their heads have all been filled up with all the local myths and legends there's a whole lot potential for these haunted woods to have a field day.
Blair Witch Project is both a testament to the power of myths and urban legends as well as kind of an homage to the importance of man not to take nature for granted. Arguably the most chilling scene in the movie is the one at the beginning where they're interviewing a mother and her child keeps covering her mother's mouth and crying as she's recalling one of the stories that she's heard. These are the kinds of stories that parents tell their kids to keep them from doing things they shouldn't be doing. Think about it, there's some really effed up things parents tell kids to help discipline them. Even with one of the most joyous and festive holidays in the world, Christmas. Remember, if you don't go to sleep on Christmas Eve Santa (a mythical being as it is) will sprinkle pepper in your eyes. That's a horrible thing to even think about but it's one that parents have used for years. Even nowadays in post-9/11 society, the govt. uses our paranoias to control us. What exactly is a Yellow Terror Alert level? Does anybody really know the difference? Not only that but we didn't think we were susceptible to terror attacks before 9/11 and we were still attacked. A phony little code-system has no effect on whether or not some madman decides to attack us. The entire war in Iraq is based on a myth.
ANYWAY I didn't mean to run off on a tangent there but I think that somewhat emphasized my point. That point is that somewhere along the line with enough repitition a myth could become a reality. The Blair Witch Project is an examination of just that.
Somewhere up there I mentioned some crap about man taking nature for granted. Well look what happens in the movie. The kids go into the woods vastly underprepared and even worse uneducated and they get what comes to them. Oh sure they've got flashlights and a compass and even a map but all of that ends up proving completely useless. But it's not just that they go into the haunted woods and get trapped. They went into the haunted woods with their own agendas and their own youthful arrogance in an attempt to dominate their surrounds but not exist within them. How come the two fishermen don't get lost too? Most likely because they're local and respect the woods and are perfectly happy co-existing with them. But there's another aspect to the whole dependence on technology thing. A friend once asked me how come they didn't stop filming. Why, if they're lost, do they continue to shoot? Well, what else is there to do. Those cameras are the tools of their trade and they're main reason for being there. The cameras serve the physical purpose of giving them something to do, or rather to keep their minds occupied yet the also serve a metaphysical/phorical purpose. Quite simply to shut off the cameras is to cease to exist. To paraphrase the old cliche if a trio of kids get lost in the woods and there's no one around to see them are they really there? Symbolically enough the movie ends as soon as the cameras stop rolling. There's no denouement, no epilogue what's done is done. What exactly happened is left up to the audience. What we see is what we get but what is it that we see? Another friend of mine said that he would have liked to have seen a figure a foot or something move across that screen in the film's closing shot but I disagree. Even something that vague would give in to the conventions of the genre that the filmmakers so clearly wanted to circumvent.
I hope at least some of this makes sense. It's kind of a collection of ideas randomly thrown together. I think if you look real closely you'll see a solid critical breakdown of the Blair Witch Project.
shelly [email] said at 2:38 PM 06-11-2004: i never heard that santa would sprinkle pepper in your eyes if you didn't sleep. is that like a variation on the sandman?
reggie [email] said at 1:02 AM 06-12-2004: I don't know, but I'd heard this not only from my parents but my grandmother as well as other guardian-types when I was wee lad.
