Looking back on all the Blair With Project brouhaha...

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It's one the sillier pop phenomena of our times, innit?

I mean, a) it's just three students running and screaming around the woods with shaky camerawork!, and b) it's not scary. At all.

I never got it, and have been perplexed by stories of how much it scared American cinemagoers (y'know, adults puking and seeking psychiatrist help after being scared to death). I can only imagine it being scary to someone who actually believed that it was for real, but... come on, how can a sensible adult with a reasonable IQ think that such story can bypass unavoidless media attention and heavyhanded police investigation, and go straight to the cinemaplexes?

The sequel is far superior: it actually resembles a movie of some sorts, is very enjoyable B-shlock, and has got a hot goth chick (the original was so lame it couldn't even achieve THAT!).

Also discuss: is it just me, or we have come to a point in our culture where horrors just aren't scary anymore as they used to be? The only way they get me nowadays is thru effective but cheap BOO! jump-out-of-yr-seat sudden scenes with dramatic violins. And, yes, I've seen "Audition". "The Others" was a noble attempt, building a truly creepy atmosphere throughout, but however spooky it was, all of it was still surpassed on the scare-o-meter by that old lady peeking into the cupboard BOO! moment.

― Mind Taker, Wednesday, 12 March 2003 17:31 (twenty-two years ago)

The puking was due to motion sickness, not being scared.

― Nick A. (Nick A.), Wednesday, 12 March 2003 17:34 (twenty-two years ago)

I didn't think Blair Witch Project was scary, apart from maybe the bit at the end. My flatmate, on the other hand, was terrified, and tried to avoid going into dark rooms for a few weeks after - if she could, she'd get me to go and switch the lights on for her first.

― caitlin (caitlin), Wednesday, 12 March 2003 17:35 (twenty-two years ago)

Ummm... That part about reasonable adults with sensible IQs was not meant as an insult to anyone who enjoyed the film, sorry if I got a bit over the top.

― Mind Taker, Wednesday, 12 March 2003 17:35 (twenty-two years ago)

Oh, I wouldn't call her a reasonable adult with a sensible IQ either :-)

― caitlin (caitlin), Wednesday, 12 March 2003 17:36 (twenty-two years ago)

I liked the film. I can't say horror films scare me a lot, but I thought this movie really built up the tension and fear of its characters extremely strongly.

― Martin Skidmore (Martin Skidmore), Wednesday, 12 March 2003 19:04 (twenty-two years ago)

still havent seen it!

― stevem (blueski), Wednesday, 12 March 2003 19:37 (twenty-two years ago)

The big problem with this movie is that only the last 25 minutes really work, but you have to sit through the preceding 60 tedious minutes in order for the last 25 to have full impact.

― Dan Perry (Dan Perry), Wednesday, 12 March 2003 19:45 (twenty-two years ago)

Me neither. I am a k-wimp when it comes to horror films and am nervous even when it is some Hammer campy gorefest that something scary will somehow sneak in.

― Tom (Groke), Wednesday, 12 March 2003 19:45 (twenty-two years ago)

Dan is OTM. I found the first hour very boring - a bunch of students wandering around the woods bitching at each other.

― caitlin (caitlin), Wednesday, 12 March 2003 19:46 (twenty-two years ago)

Tom, I'm a total horror wimp too and I loved BWP (above comment notwithstanding).

― Dan Perry (Dan Perry), Wednesday, 12 March 2003 19:47 (twenty-two years ago)

I think the slow build of that film actually contributed to the actually-scary last third of the film; without that bland tension build-up, that...oh shit, I was about to give plot spoilers. :D Well, I thought it started very god-awful, and was about to just give up, but after I gave in and watched the last bit, I was pleasantly surprised by the emotion in the film. I think the inclusion of a hot goth chick would have made it ENTIRELY more watchable though.

And I'm not particularly scared by scary movies, but there were a few moments during Donny Darko that had me WAY creeped out; which is an amazing film, if I may say so.

― nickalicious (nickalicious), Wednesday, 12 March 2003 20:08 (twenty-two years ago)

now The Bare Bitch project, THATS a movie

― stevem (blueski), Wednesday, 12 March 2003 22:33 (twenty-two years ago)

Nick, you said exactly what I said, only in a more complimentary way. :)

― Dan Perry (Dan Perry), Wednesday, 12 March 2003 22:36 (twenty-two years ago)

I've always figured horror movies that become phenomena, much-talked-about movies, get reputations for being scarier than they really are: cause more people go see them than ordinarily watch horror movies. (I didn't think The Sixth Sense was super-frightening, either, or The Ring, but "that's the scariest thing I've seen since the Exorcist!" was the first thing I heard about both of them -- I liked em both, though).

I mean, if people didn't see comedies very often, they might laugh at Caddyshack 2.

As far as BWP itself goes, ditto what Dan said -- I think I liked the movie more on cable because the shaky-camera was a lot less distracting.

― Tep (ktepi), Wednesday, 12 March 2003 22:41 (twenty-two years ago)

I have the DVD and one day will listen to the commentary, which might be amusing and might not be.

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Wednesday, 12 March 2003 22:57 (twenty-two years ago)

Actually, now that I think about it, I get worked up by really retarded not-that-scary-at-all movies too like Final Destination and The Others. I thought I was tough, but it turns out I'm a sucka.

This does not change my stance on Donny Darko, which I still consider one of the finest films of the past few years.

― nickalicious (nickalicious), Wednesday, 12 March 2003 22:59 (twenty-two years ago)

The Erotic Witch Project really does seem like the best movie of all time on paper, featuring as it does lesbian sex and monkeys, but the reality doesn't quite live up.

― Daniel_Rf (Daniel_Rf), Wednesday, 12 March 2003 23:34 (twenty-two years ago)

I'll offer another vote for the Liked It category (admitting that the first sixty minutes could be a bit annoying). I think Pauline Kael expressed my problem with most horror films best - instead of attempting "suspense," most attempt "dread," the outcome is obvious, there's no mystery, you just sit waiting for the gross violence. "The Blair Witch Project" was genuinely suspenseful. As was...um, the ORIGINAL Haunting, Final Destination, and, um, um, not much else, post-Halloween.

― Anthony Miccio (Anthony Miccio), Thursday, 13 March 2003 00:59 (twenty-two years ago)

I thought it was just okay. I didn't find it even vaguely scary, though. But my opinion doesn't count for much, because I almost never find horror movies scary. Real stuff scares me.

― ChristineSH (chrissie1068), Thursday, 13 March 2003 01:31 (twenty-two years ago)

I thought it was a better concept than an executed movie.

― j.lu (j.lu), Thursday, 13 March 2003 01:37 (twenty-two years ago)

A lot of people thought it was scary because they thought it was an actual documentary.

― Curt1s St3ph3ns, Thursday, 13 March 2003 01:48 (twenty-two years ago)

I thought it was terrifying. I nearly walked out halfway through because I was so freaked. Didn't sleep at all that night. (I was house sitting in a nice wooded area.) I made a conscious decision right when the movie started to suspend disbelief and get sucked in.

The sequel was horrible.

― bnw (bnw), Thursday, 13 March 2003 02:20 (twenty-two years ago)

The sequel was one of the stupidest ideas ever. Therefore it was made.

(BNW -- I need your mailing address!)

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Thursday, 13 March 2003 03:18 (twenty-two years ago)

i've never been scared by a movie before in any way, but blair witch project scared the shit out of me. i was gripping the arm rests and shaking during the really dark, active parts.

the only other movie that's even come close to have that type of effect on me is 'don't look now' - the ending freaked me out, though i was watching it in a totally dark room during a rainstorm.

― j fail (cenotaph), Thursday, 13 March 2003 03:27 (twenty-two years ago)

(Blair With Project? is he pregnant?)

― t\'\'t (t\'\'t), Thursday, 13 March 2003 03:48 (twenty-two years ago)

Speaking of horror movies I so didn't find scary, which apparently lots of people did...

What about Texas Chainsaw Massacre? Just *not* scary. Almost funny in parts, even.

Silence of the Lambs -- huh? The book is great, the movie's crap. Anthony Hopkins veers between *bad* yankee drawl and Richard III variously, losing all the understated presence and charisma the character really has. Jodie Foster was good, but the rest of it was a shambles. About as scary as a pair of old knitted socks.

I am interested in why anyone might have found these scary.

― ChristineSH (chrissie1068), Thursday, 13 March 2003 10:33 (twenty-two years ago)

texas chainsaw massacre is great. it makes you feel so hot and sweaty and dirty and hillbilly.

― chaki (chaki), Thursday, 13 March 2003 11:04 (twenty-two years ago)

what a load of codswallop. I spent most of the movie shouting "if you're lost in the forest, why don't you just climb a fucking tree to see where you are?"

obviously I wasn't in the cinema

― j0e (j0e), Thursday, 13 March 2003 11:09 (twenty-two years ago)

Thought the film built up the tension well. Didn't find it particularly scary, though, since I knew too much about the film beforehand. Oh, and the ending was signalled WAY too clearly at the start.

― robster (robster), Thursday, 13 March 2003 11:18 (twenty-two years ago)

I spent most of the movie shouting "if you're lost in the forest, why don't you just climb a fucking tree to see where you are?"

Haha, me too. Although I think I used the word "cunting".

― Matt DC (Matt DC), Thursday, 13 March 2003 12:51 (twenty-two years ago)

What was worse was that for three or four awful weeks it was IMPOSSIBLE to complete a simple task like burying a dismembered body in the woods without having to hide from lager and black-addled students running around with video cameras. I'm rather glad the sequel was a flop.

― Matt DC (Matt DC), Thursday, 13 March 2003 12:53 (twenty-two years ago)

(I didn't think The Sixth Sense was super-frightening, either)

Neither did I, but I'm slightly ashamed to admit that the ending made me cry - it was so sad!

― caitlin (caitlin), Thursday, 13 March 2003 13:27 (twenty-two years ago)

one of my friends commented that it was just like going into your back garden at night and filming a bush,occasionally getting yr mates to throw a stick at it
i quite liked the film but i couldn't argue with that...

― robin (robin), Friday, 14 March 2003 00:34 (twenty-two years ago)

It didn't scare me at all. I'm very susceptible to horror, too, I can't sleep for a week after a good ghost story (I almost never watch horror movies, they freak me out too much). I watched it at a friend's who lives in a farm enclosed by woods, so you'd think that'd at least be scary, but no. No more than woods in the dark usually are.

― Maria (Maria), Friday, 14 March 2003 00:40 (twenty-two years ago)

was the sixth sense even meant to be frightening?

And really...!?!?!?!? does anyone know anyone who actually fell for the Blair Witch hype?!

― ailsa (ailsa), Friday, 14 March 2003 01:11 (twenty-two years ago)

four months pass...

How someone could not be freaked out by "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre" is truly stupefying.

Personally speaking, I loved "The Blair Witch Project," though I made an effort to see it quite early upon its release and avoided initial reports about, thus it seemed pretty fresh to me. In the wake of all the hype and hoopla about the film, it was inevitable that people were going to feel let down -- no film could live up to that.

But, on its own, I think it's very well done for what it is (a low budget horror flick with a relatively original gimmick). I also believe in the theory that what's left unseen and unexplained is a good deal scarier than some wanky special effect.

The sequel is far superior:

Those five little words remove all credibility from your argument.

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Friday, 8 August 2003 06:50 (twenty-two years ago)

Blair Witch creeped me the fuck out.

This was only helped by the freaky goth kids who camped out in the LES for weeks before it came out. It was a cult. It was weird.

Is TX Chainsaw Massacare made less or more freaky by Matthew McCauhgney and Renee Zewliegger. Discuss.

― Texas Sam (thatgirl), Friday, 8 August 2003 06:53 (twenty-two years ago)

Dan is otm about this film, though make "the last 25 minutes" the last 10 minutes. The closing reel is fucking petrifying, but Jesus, the rest of the film is silly. And dull. And the girl must be the most annoying cinema character ever.

― The Lex (The Lex), Friday, 8 August 2003 08:39 (twenty-two years ago)

I know people who won't go camping because of it.

― oops (Oops), Friday, 8 August 2003 08:50 (twenty-two years ago)

The problem was that it was a small, decent indie film with an unbelievably good marketing campaign (it made the cover of Time magazine, fer chrissakes) that pushed it to the masses who aren't used to intentionally small films. Really, years from now, people will be studying this episode in business school marketing classes. The sequel was godawful and pointless; the acting was sub-mediocre at best.

― Ernest P. (ernestp), Friday, 8 August 2003 15:52 (twenty-two years ago)

http://images.zap2it.com/ltvimages/images/people/50-80/w/lisawhelchel.jpg

― Horace Mann (Horace Mann), Friday, 8 August 2003 15:58 (twenty-two years ago)

http://images.forbes.com/images/2001/06/07/tony_blair_new_150x140.jpg

Oh, and Dan otm.

― dleone (dleone), Friday, 8 August 2003 16:05 (twenty-two years ago)

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