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-   -   Am I The Only Person In The World Who Thinks That Blair Witch Is A Masterpiece? (http://www.sonicyouth.com/gossip/showthread.php?t=40278)

Skuj 06.26.2010 09:19 PM

Am I The Only Person In The World Who Thinks That Blair Witch Is A Masterpiece?
 
(And did I make this thread before?)

SpaceCadetHayden 06.26.2010 09:37 PM

First question: yes. you are. I have an anti-psychotic prescription you can help yourself to.

Second: Who cares? It was probably ignored then as well.

noisereductions 06.26.2010 09:53 PM

no he's not. I love it.

Skuj 06.26.2010 10:04 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SpaceCadetHayden
First question: yes. you are. I have an anti-psychotic prescription you can help yourself to.

Second: Who cares? It was probably ignored then as well.


It will be funny if this thread grows to 10 pages of adoration, and I bump this post.

Dr. Eugene Felikson 06.26.2010 10:30 PM

Easily one of the best horror films of the 90's. Much better than Scream.

SpaceCadetHayden 06.26.2010 10:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Skuj
It will be funny if this thread grows to 10 pages of adoration, and I bump this post.


Sounds like a great way to lose faith in humanity.

demonrail666 06.26.2010 11:16 PM

Probably my favourite horror film of the last twenty years.

space 06.26.2010 11:41 PM

my favorite song has no name.

Skuj 06.26.2010 11:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by space
my favorite song has no name.


What's it called then?

Anyway....It is one of my life's passions to defend Blair Witch until my last breath. The careful, gradual buildup of suspense in that film is something that begs to be worshipped by all those who aspire to be creative. "Just follow the fuckin stream" shout so many detractors....nevermind that The Witch was able to do so many supernatural things in addition to fuckin up the geography? Sheesh!

To me, the shock of the ending comes from the realization that this Muthafucker (ie The Witch) is real! (Well, as far as the film is concerned anyway.) Mike could never be coerced to face the wall unless otherwise. Until this moment, all can be explained by mistakes / confusion / local hillbillies tormenting, but when we see Mike facing the wall, we go "shit....wtf?.....it's real", and the home-made film-on-the-fly feel of all that leads to this moment makes this an even bigger shock. ie In a home-made film, we are witnessing something supernatural.

At least that's how I see it......maybe I got it all wrong, hahaha....

People often mention bad acting all round as a way to hate this film, and I simply cannot agree with this at all. And, Heather is annoying, yes....but that's her character. Her gradual loss of authority and descent into hell is extremely convincing.

space 06.26.2010 11:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Skuj
What's it called then?


[untitled]

the brackets denote that it is not called 'untitled', so much as it just is. I could tell you which album that it's on, but that would defeat the purpose.

IT JUST IS.

I don't care if I'm the only one in the world that thinks that it's a masterpiece (not possible...because it IS).

put yr cares in a corner.

Better_Than_Deux 06.27.2010 12:23 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Skuj
It is one of my life's passions to defend Blair Witch until my last breath.




you need a hobby

me. 06.27.2010 12:24 AM

I like it as it cost so little to make,but made loads,not saying that making loads of money is essential to good film making,but it's good when it happens...i enjoyed too.

pbradley 06.27.2010 01:27 AM

The Blair Witch Project was too linear for my taste.

FreshChops 06.27.2010 01:45 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Skuj
(And did I make this thread before?)


considering that at the time, it had a huge cult following, made sick money (possibly the largest profit margin at the time given it's low budget), had an uncanny amount of repeat viewings when it was in theaters and spawned a whole new genre of film making including TV shows and even sequels ... I assume you're not the only one. Also, taking into account the aforementioned, I'd say it could be considered a masterpiece.

I thought it was good.... entertaining and all.... then I moved on. Is all good though. In terms of the psychological effectiveness of the film making, documentary style, it's was very well done. It would be tragic if all films followed this formula (as many have tried and failed), but for what it is, it's a gem in it's genre.

noisereductions 06.27.2010 08:33 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dr. Eugene Felikson
Easily one of the best horror films of the 90's.


I agree.

Quote:

Much better than Scream.

I disagree.

SuchFriendsAreDangerous 06.27.2010 01:14 PM

no. I also thought it was a masterpiece combined with brilliant marketing.. the website and quasi-realism of their press kits etc etc was pure genius. people honestly thought it was real, shit even I was confused, thinking some of it was real, some of it was a movie (not the film itself, but the storyline)

Great flick. that basement scene was pure terror, who the fuck would actually run up in that house in the dark?

and to genuinely frighten the cast for that realistic effect? brilliant!

when me and my pops left the small, shitty hole in the wall theater we had to go to see it before it blew up all supermainstream, we were terrified even to walk through some bushes afterwards!

EVOLghost 06.27.2010 09:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by space
my favorite song has no name.


endless, nameless?

atsonicpark 06.27.2010 09:49 PM

I thought it did a lot of things that a lot of people had already done way better before -- the "fake documentary" thing and such.. hey, it's Cannibal Holocaust! Obviously, the subject matter was a lot more pop and mainstream. The whole child murder thing reminds me of those docs PARADISE LOST, that whole rednecky backwoods feel. And funnily enough they got the director of those docs to make the sequel to Blair Witch. Odd.

I remember hating it when I was 11 years old or whatever when it came out and saw it in theaters. I've seen it proobably 5 or 6 times though; it's usually strangely compelling and interesting, but you have to be in the right mood for it. I live in the woods, so watching it here at 3 in the morning is genuinely frightening.

Still, the shakey camera, the awful acting, and .. well .. just how BORING (as in, nothing happens in it -- but, again, it still can be strangely compelling) it is doesn't really make it a masterpiece imo. But it's certainly clever. I like it for what it is, and like I said, I have felt compelled to watch it many times in my life. I'd probably give it a 7/10. I think the film is only as good as you are, if you assign your own sense of paranoia and fear to it. I think it is genuinely unsettling and frightening at times, can't say that for any film except maybe DER TODESKING and KICHIKU DAI ENKAI and BEGOTTEN and VISIONS OF SUFFERING. Certainly can't say it for any mainstream film, except for the trip sequences in ALTERED STATES.

I think, in the right setting, it can be quite an unsettling treat. In other settings, it can be a total hilarious bore. But it's still a monumental achievement, an important film, and definitely the best mainstream horror film of the 90's, imo.

Also, for the sheer audacious fact that a movie like this PLAYED IN THEATERS NATIONWIDE. I mean, the thing was brilliant! People believing the shit was real -- what a fucking marketing campaign. Of course, that made it a lot more disappointing to actually watch, for most people, but by then, they'd already paid their money. A real shame about that camera though. I just can't handle supershakey cameras. I'm not saying they should've lugged a fucking tripod or a dolly out in the woods, but ... er, well, yeah, they could have had a tripod. They cost $20! It wouldn't have made the film any more/less "realistic", they're making a documentary, a "real" "professional" documentary probably would've been... not-so-shakey... in the non-running scenes. I dunno, I personally get nauseous and dizzy with stuff like that. But that's just a minor gripe.

Skuj 06.27.2010 11:47 PM

Josh....did he go insane, disappear, lure the other 2 into the house, and kill them?

Atsonic....nothing happens? Awful acting? No. Just NO! :) I enjoy your post though.

atsonicpark 06.28.2010 12:17 AM

Yeah, nothing happens. People talk to people, people drive to woods, people set up in woods, people walk around the woods, "duh I kicked da map in da mud", the tent shakes, lots and lots of blackness, girl cries, people disappear, camera falls over, end. And I thought the acting was quite annoying and awful, aside from Josh. I think that's actually the biggest fault with the film. And trust me, I dig bad acting, but it definitely takes you out of the film a bit. I thought the coolest thing was this was all those actor's first movies, and they all used their real name.

Let's talk about BLAIR WITCH 2... haha. Nah, let's not. Haha. Too bad, the guy who directed that did those Paradise Lost films, Metallica's AMAZING "some kind of monster" dvd, and all sorts of other goodies..


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