Blair witch project - 12 years on...

[mrb]

Book of Shadows is great! It has that bit with the woman chomping on the owl, what an image. It also plays with reality within it's clearly more conventional structure in quite an effective way; i thought it was quite scary. Plus the chicks are hot in the sequel, in the first one it's just that snot nosed, wooly hatted, bleating dwarf.

[cloud]

To be honest, the only thing I liked about the sequel was the DVD release that contained the documentaries. Between that and the DVD release of the first movie I don't think I've ever enjoyed extras as much as what I have with those. The whole back story they created and the way in which they filmed the interviews and archive footage really gives the first movie that extra edge. I love movies that are given a rich story to work from, that's part of why I love the SAW series because there's so much going on and so much depth to what is happening.

[thehamish]

Check this out, TBWP in colour!!! Ahem

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N4izXz765iA

[christats]

Films such as Blair Witch and Paranormal Activity are probably ok if you are sat in a cinema with people who scream at the slightest twitch. I generally don't get reaction horror. Both are borefests.
Cloverfield was a film I wasn't going to bother with, but I enjoyed it as its got some visual monster action going on. Give me Cannibal Holocaust over those 3 anyday. A visionary classic, if a bit unsavoury.

[TheRoadWarrior]

Films such as Blair Witch and Paranormal Activity are probably ok if you are sat in a cinema with people who scream at the slightest twitch. I generally don't get reaction horror. Both are borefests.
Cloverfield was a film I wasn't going to bother with, but I enjoyed it as its got some visual monster action going on. Give me Cannibal Holocaust over those 3 anyday. A visionary classic, if a bit unsavoury.

It's stange how we perceive things, I don't much go for the 'reaction' or 'fright tricks' nowadays, let's face it, once you've had a few of the ambush techniques thrust upon you, you tend to get bored as it's a limited range. But BLP was pretty devoid of fright tricks, in fact the general criticism seems to be that nothing much happens and that it was overhyped.

Each to their own, though!

[Slinker]

I love TBWP personally I just think everything about it works. The locations were excellent and the background story about the witch and children was frightening. The interviews and overall acting was a very high standard and the film just had this unnerving feel running through it which amplified and built up to a interesting and scary ending.... To this day its one of the only films that has actually sent goosebumps down my arm in the cinema and for that I give it my utmost respect! I love the fact that it wasn't visceral and left a lot to the imagination.... So if you don't agree then basically its obvious your wrong :P TBWP is a great horror movie

[mrb]

they should remake it, with Lindsay Lohan as the blair witch.

[TheRoadWarrior]

You would have to be incredibly naive to have thought the movie was real, there were credits, a huge media frenzy and the filmmakers were doing interviews promoting it. Heh. I also disagree entirely with Kel E's post, basically saying it was all hype and no substance? See what I don't understand is if people would prefer to be spoonfed narrative and outcomes in movies. You say the ending was "cheap and a rip off", how? That ending has led to a lot of discussion down the years and I don't see what's wrong with leaving things to the imagination, if anything it shows ambition on the filmmakers' part and that is an area where BWP most definitely worked imo.

Good post TheRoadWarrior, I agree with that. I'll never understand the hate it gets on forums, I regard it as a masterpiece. As for other work by the directors, I definitely enjoyed Altered, that was a solid backwoods alien invasion movie, shot in a different style to BWP and not in any way scary, but definitely fun.

I'll take a look at ALTERED. Thanks.

[TheRoadWarrior]

there's this....
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BbeXG...eature=related

http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0617130/

loved TBWP at the time, a cross between Carry On Camping & CH i felt haha. Rewatched in response to the slew of ripoffs that followed (though I dig a few of them as well...) and to me it had dimished slightly, but the last 10 minutes is still up there....you either get it or you don't.

Oh... thanks for the links Hamish, late back to the table I'm afraid and can see some more food has been eaten, or is that spat out!

[TheRoadWarrior]

I love TBWP personally I just think everything about it works. The locations were excellent and the background story about the witch and children was frightening. The interviews and overall acting was a very high standard and the film just had this unnerving feel running through it which amplified and built up to a interesting and scary ending.... To this day its one of the only films that has actually sent goosebumps down my arm in the cinema and for that I give it my utmost respect! I love the fact that it wasn't visceral and left a lot to the imagination.... So if you don't agree then basically its obvious your wrong :P TBWP is a great horror movie

Good to hear from you Slinker, we're gaining some traction, we're going all the way to the Whitehouse on this one.

[TheRoadWarrior]

they should remake it, with Lindsay Lohan as the blair witch.

Not possible I'm afraid: the witch doesn't drive or crash cars.

[TheRoadWarrior]

Book of Shadows is great! It has that bit with the woman chomping on the owl, what an image. It also plays with reality within it's clearly more conventional structure in quite an effective way; i thought it was quite scary. Plus the chicks are hot in the sequel, in the first one it's just that snot nosed, wooly hatted, bleating dwarf.

I know, I Know, chopping up hot chicks kind of goes with the cabin in the woods type of horror film, but that snot was important, it was real, we got something other than a dismembered barbie doll by the end.

[TheRoadWarrior]

Watched that Altered trailer and it looks very promising.

Trailers however are such bo-locks these days, with the flashing image-underscored sound combo as the default hyping!

All IMHO... of course.

[christats]

To this day its one of the only films that has actually sent goosebumps down my arm in the cinema

In a cinema next to someone who twitches at the drop of a hat maybe. At home with a bag of doritos and a pint of cider maybe not.

[Slinker]

In a cinema next to someone who twitches at the drop of a hat maybe. At home with a bag of doritos and a pint of cider maybe not.

No man....same thing on my own in the house with my surround blaring ! Very atmospheric and frightening movie. Nothing else has creeped me out like that moviewise
P.S. I had monster munch and a barcadi breezer :P

[cloud]

christats, considering you have such a patronising attitude towards the likes of BWP and Paranormal Activity, I'm just curious as to which movies have either scared you or creeped you out. I find it extremely patronising that you only seem to think that people who are easily scared got anything out of those movies, yet people on these forums namedrop movies made before those films yet they've never scared me in the least, maybe I should make fun of people for that?

[TheRoadWarrior]

In a cinema next to someone who twitches at the drop of a hat maybe. At home with a bag of doritos and a pint of cider maybe not.

I don't think it matters where you are dear chap, or what you eat, especially what you eat, and if the cider is like the stuff I used to drink a long time ago, it would be a matter of missing large sections of the film.

BLP represents things that are universal, it's a kind of horror that comes from our own wired-in and deep seated fears, the skill is that the filmmakers open us up to that. If they hadn't or failed it would be stand out. But they did. Too many people reacted badly, or well, both being the same thing for this not to be the at least a reasonable statement of objective truith.

I don't believe everything is subjective, it's just that some things are not always understood or appreciated.

[TheRoadWarrior]

... you know, I'm going to open up a new thread, damn it, on the Modern Horror Film vs Older Established Horror, this may be controversial, but I'm going to take the latter up until the 1970s, and divide that off from the 80s. This is because many of the New Wave horrors of the 70s are being made, and to date, I think say, an Evil Dead, has the feel of being something different to the 70s films, and feels linked, tenuously, to what came later....