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The Blair Witch Project (1999)
Topic Started: May 6 2013, 05:26 PM (519 Views)
First Cool Hive
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THE BROKE MEGAN FOX
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Three film students vanish after traveling into a Maryland forest to film a documentary on the local Blair Witch legend, leaving only their footage behind.



You either like it a lot, or you want it to burn in hell. Which team are you?
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Callie
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A.K.A Sorority Biatch
love the poster tho

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shiley740
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#TheAgeOfAquaria
So, while I contend that this is FAR from as scary as people have made it out to be, I'm willing to FINALLY (fans can rest at long last, I won't be terrorizing you any longer) give it the respect it deserves as a horror classic past just its #MasterfulMarketing™ after literally watching 7. found footage horror films back-to-back all day leading up to this "magnum opus" of the sub-genre because it had been a HELL of long time since I last revisited it & since I love giving movies I hate a second chance to see whether it's just me or if a movie really is shit, I felt today was an appropriate time with the horror kick I've been back on. One thing in particular that I just completely failed to appreciate that specifically popped out to me today (because, yes, one of those 7 films was the damnation against cinema kind, B*W*) was the fact that this is honestly probably one of the best paced horror films to ever exist. Even though I'm not the biggest fan of the central group (aside from Heather, I do love Heather), each & every one of them have very specific traits that are revealed so naturally because of the heavy use of improv vs trying to throw in a stilted screenplay of stereotypes like B*W* did (which is also probably why them screaming obscenities at one another for a big portion of the film was pretty jarring for me back in the day), which subsequently brings about the central conflict of Heather vs the guys on her getting them lost relatively early on before the "activity" even starts. Because you can very clearly see the intent of ensuring that a human conflict remains at the forefront so that the supernaturalistic element doesn't become hokey like in MANY films that've followed this one, I also don't subscribe to the belief that Mike & Josh brought Heather out there to kill her (which I know is a very popular theory). I mean, pay attention, y'all, shit doesn't start until AFTER. they've fucked with those damn rock formations (rock formations very suspiciously absent from B*W*, mind you), which isn't even getting into the fact that the literal ONLY part of the film that could even feed into that theory in the ending because Josh has been missing for like 20 minutes or so. But that does a complete disservice to how fantastic the psychological degradation is, gradually building, breaking these motherfuckers down, leading RIGHT into the utterly ICONIQUE finale that I've personally always enjoyed even if I've only now started appreciating the whole, climaxing the film at the most PERFECT fucking moment & leaving everyone SHOOK for years to come. I mean, the fact Lionsgate even thought they could ever follow THAT??? A sin. This isn't even getting into the fact that B*W* is just A) jump-scare central without the mental degradation, B) inconsistent with the very subtle, but very present rules of the witch (people have seen the bitch in the past & she doesn't fuck with you unless you fuck with her shit), C) repetitively churning out the mythology this already perfect built-up (& not bothering to add anything particularly new to the game, either), D) overcompensating by throwing as many stick figures in your face as possible, E) resorting to copying other horror classics (the "claustrophobic" scene is literally ripped straight from The Descent), F) as fake & polished as they come, stripping away the raw realism that makes this still feel real to this day. Like, the ONLY good part about B*W* existing is that it got me to finally see that this movie isn't as shit as I used to make it out to be, so, thanks bitch, you just made the best even better by being so inconceivably stupid. :divari:

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Shawn
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Pray for mercy from Puss... in boots.
You finally seeing how good this is :blessed:
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shiley740
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Shawn
Jul 6 2017, 11:15 AM
You finally seeing how good this is :blessed:
The universe has been building it up 2 this moment. This is my soap opera plot twist. :sadga:

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Kevin R.
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And you are... a zombie bride?
shiley740
Jul 5 2017, 11:29 PM
So, while I contend that this is FAR from as scary as people have made it out to be, I'm willing to FINALLY (fans can rest at long last, I won't be terrorizing you any longer) give it the respect it deserves as a horror classic past just its #MasterfulMarketing™ after literally watching 7. found footage horror films back-to-back all day leading up to this "magnum opus" of the sub-genre because it had been a HELL of long time since I last revisited it & since I love giving movies I hate a second chance to see whether it's just me or if a movie really is shit, I felt today was an appropriate time with the horror kick I've been back on. One thing in particular that I just completely failed to appreciate that specifically popped out to me today (because, yes, one of those 7 films was the damnation against cinema kind, B*W*) was the fact that this is honestly probably one of the best paced horror films to ever exist. Even though I'm not the biggest fan of the central group (aside from Heather, I do love Heather), each & every one of them have very specific traits that are revealed so naturally because of the heavy use of improv vs trying to throw in a stilted screenplay of stereotypes like B*W* did (which is also probably why them screaming obscenities at one another for a big portion of the film was pretty jarring for me back in the day), which subsequently brings about the central conflict of Heather vs the guys on her getting them lost relatively early on before the "activity" even starts. Because you can very clearly see the intent of ensuring that a human conflict remains at the forefront so that the supernaturalistic element doesn't become hokey like in MANY films that've followed this one, I also don't subscribe to the belief that Mike & Josh brought Heather out there to kill her (which I know is a very popular theory). I mean, pay attention, y'all, shit doesn't start until AFTER. they've fucked with those damn rock formations (rock formations very suspiciously absent from B*W*, mind you), which isn't even getting into the fact that the literal ONLY part of the film that could even feed into that theory in the ending because Josh has been missing for like 20 minutes or so. But that does a complete disservice to how fantastic the psychological degradation is, gradually building, breaking these motherfuckers down, leading RIGHT into the utterly ICONIQUE finale that I've personally always enjoyed even if I've only now started appreciating the whole, climaxing the film at the most PERFECT fucking moment & leaving everyone SHOOK for years to come. I mean, the fact Lionsgate even thought they could ever follow THAT??? A sin. This isn't even getting into the fact that B*W* is just A) jump-scare central without the mental degradation, B) inconsistent with the very subtle, but very present rules of the witch (people have seen the bitch in the past & she doesn't fuck with you unless you fuck with her shit), C) repetitively churning out the mythology this already perfect built-up (& not bothering to add anything particularly new to the game, either), D) overcompensating by throwing as many stick figures in your face as possible, E) resorting to copying other horror classics (the "claustrophobic" scene is literally ripped straight from The Descent), F) as fake & polished as they come, stripping away the raw realism that makes this still feel real to this day. Like, the ONLY good part about B*W* existing is that it got me to finally see that this movie isn't as shit as I used to make it out to be, so, thanks bitch, you just made the best even better by being so inconceivably stupid. :divari:
This, all of it. This is why I enjoyed this movie, as imperfect as it was -- it sold me on its authenticity in a way that other found-footage films, even many good ones, failed to. It may ramble on and have characters who revel in their worst qualities, but it's precisely that lack of Hollywood polish that made it feel like it could've actually been the work of amateur filmmakers who got more than they bargained for. There have been only two found-footage films since then that managed to really capture that sense of realism, the first Paranormal Activity (though not the sequels) and Phoenix Forgotten, and the latter was arguably more of a mockumentary until the third act.

If nothing else, watching B*W*, as you so fondly refer to it, makes this look a lot better in comparison.
----------

My blog: Kevin's Review Catalogue
All reviews, A-Z
Latest review: The First Purge (2018)
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shiley740
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#TheAgeOfAquaria
Kevin R.
Jul 7 2017, 04:58 PM
shiley740
Jul 5 2017, 11:29 PM
So, while I contend that this is FAR from as scary as people have made it out to be, I'm willing to FINALLY (fans can rest at long last, I won't be terrorizing you any longer) give it the respect it deserves as a horror classic past just its #MasterfulMarketing™ after literally watching 7. found footage horror films back-to-back all day leading up to this "magnum opus" of the sub-genre because it had been a HELL of long time since I last revisited it & since I love giving movies I hate a second chance to see whether it's just me or if a movie really is shit, I felt today was an appropriate time with the horror kick I've been back on. One thing in particular that I just completely failed to appreciate that specifically popped out to me today (because, yes, one of those 7 films was the damnation against cinema kind, B*W*) was the fact that this is honestly probably one of the best paced horror films to ever exist. Even though I'm not the biggest fan of the central group (aside from Heather, I do love Heather), each & every one of them have very specific traits that are revealed so naturally because of the heavy use of improv vs trying to throw in a stilted screenplay of stereotypes like B*W* did (which is also probably why them screaming obscenities at one another for a big portion of the film was pretty jarring for me back in the day), which subsequently brings about the central conflict of Heather vs the guys on her getting them lost relatively early on before the "activity" even starts. Because you can very clearly see the intent of ensuring that a human conflict remains at the forefront so that the supernaturalistic element doesn't become hokey like in MANY films that've followed this one, I also don't subscribe to the belief that Mike & Josh brought Heather out there to kill her (which I know is a very popular theory). I mean, pay attention, y'all, shit doesn't start until AFTER. they've fucked with those damn rock formations (rock formations very suspiciously absent from B*W*, mind you), which isn't even getting into the fact that the literal ONLY part of the film that could even feed into that theory in the ending because Josh has been missing for like 20 minutes or so. But that does a complete disservice to how fantastic the psychological degradation is, gradually building, breaking these motherfuckers down, leading RIGHT into the utterly ICONIQUE finale that I've personally always enjoyed even if I've only now started appreciating the whole, climaxing the film at the most PERFECT fucking moment & leaving everyone SHOOK for years to come. I mean, the fact Lionsgate even thought they could ever follow THAT??? A sin. This isn't even getting into the fact that B*W* is just A) jump-scare central without the mental degradation, B) inconsistent with the very subtle, but very present rules of the witch (people have seen the bitch in the past & she doesn't fuck with you unless you fuck with her shit), C) repetitively churning out the mythology this already perfect built-up (& not bothering to add anything particularly new to the game, either), D) overcompensating by throwing as many stick figures in your face as possible, E) resorting to copying other horror classics (the "claustrophobic" scene is literally ripped straight from The Descent), F) as fake & polished as they come, stripping away the raw realism that makes this still feel real to this day. Like, the ONLY good part about B*W* existing is that it got me to finally see that this movie isn't as shit as I used to make it out to be, so, thanks bitch, you just made the best even better by being so inconceivably stupid. :divari:
This, all of it. This is why I enjoyed this movie, as imperfect as it was -- it sold me on its authenticity in a way that other found-footage films, even many good ones, failed to. It may ramble on and have characters who revel in their worst qualities, but it's precisely that lack of Hollywood polish that made it feel like it could've actually been the work of amateur filmmakers who got more than they bargained for. There have been only two found-footage films since then that managed to really capture that sense of realism, the first Paranormal Activity (though not the sequels) and Phoenix Forgotten, and the latter was arguably more of a mockumentary until the third act.

If nothing else, watching B*W*, as you so fondly refer to it, makes this look a lot better in comparison.
I think what RLY sold this shit & makes it stand out from the rest of the pack is that Sanchez & Myrick were literally just drawing inspiration from documentaries that they thought were scarier than most horror movies, whereas basically every other FF horror movie just draws inspiration from the OG & fail 2 recapture that magic cuz it's all so damn staged. So, yes, while it is imperfect, I think the only rly, honest, true way 2 make a FF horror movie is 2 be imperfect since so many things that happened were left up 2 chance, like how none of the actors knew that the legend wasn't actually something from the town, how they didn't know that the tent scene was gonna even happen, how Sanchez & Myrick planted actors during the "interviewing" segment, how Heather & Josh gradually became more hostile 2wards 1 another during production 2 the point that all of that footage was scrapped since Mike was intentioned 2 be the antagonistic 1, how becuz of that hostility they literally changed "killing off" Mike 1st 2 Josh & had Josh leave the tent after Heather & Mike had already gone 2 sleep, & how, like I already mentioned, them walking around in a circle right back 2 a log over a stream quite literally happened on accident, capturing their genuine reactions. The beauty of this is that Sanchez & Myrick trusted the actors so much 2 let them run wild w/in the constraints of their outline while they left them isolated from the rest of the crew 2 let that feeling of "cabin fever" settle in, which is also y, 4 me, it's literally IMPOSSIBLE 2 recapture what made this so special even if we keep on getting shit-fest after shit-fest. There was so much that GENUINELY happened during production that the film captures that, 4 the most part, all that was dramatized was them being murdered & there being an actual witch, so, even tho I've yet 2 c Phoenix Forgotten, I already know it & the PA franchise just can't compete (even if I think some of the PAs r very well-made). They're simply not low budget enough. :uhoh:

Ain't NO doubt about B*W* tho. Ik as SOON as I saw that shit that it was gonna make me hate this SIGNIFICANTLY less (I just never expected 2 a degree that would make me c this 4 as great as it is) & me watching that as the 2nd film of my 7-film FF-fest w/ this being saved 4 last the other day established that contrast even MORE sharply. :guessagain:

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Callie
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A.K.A Sorority Biatch
im shooken

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shiley740
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Living_Bread
Jul 7 2017, 08:56 PM
im shooken
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Shawn
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Pray for mercy from Puss... in boots.
This idea doesn't sound terrible especially if it's an anthology series.

http://bloody-disgusting.com/tv/3467376/blair-witch-project-developed-series/
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Callie
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What makes me love this so much is that it still scares me when I watch it. I get so much anxiety in my soul whenever all of the characters minds start to crumble. Like the confession scene with Heather is still really terrifying, and I like that the character's begin to show their worst qualities as it felt natural in the progress of the movie. The more uncomfortable they felt, it showed

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