Blair Witch

[Jeivar]

So, it's out now, and I was hoping to get some opinions on what it's like. The original kicked off a fairly annoying subgenre that never seems to recapture what made The Blair Witch Project work.

Is Blair Witch just another cheap nothing, with a notable name, or did the filmmakers actually put the work in?

[Knaight]

I have no idea. What I can say though is that Blair Witch isn't the only gem in the found footage trash pile. There's also Troll Hunter.

[Winter_Wolf]

I have no idea. What I can say though is that Blair Witch isn't the only gem in the found footage trash pile. There's also Troll Hunter.

That's a Norwegian film, right? I tried to watch it last year but just couldn't get into it. I got about as far as the abandoned car before giving up. Does it pick up later in?

On the Blair Witch, I've heard nothing at all, but then I live under the proverbial (media) rock. I even tried to rewatch the first one, but the blatant stupidity of the characters was just too much for me.

On another note, I went into a fairly creepy house today that could have been scouted for a Blair Witch like movie. I don't think it was, but it would almost fit the type. Nice enough area, but I'd not fancy having to be near it in the dark.

[Knaight]

That's a Norwegian film, right? I tried to watch it last year but just couldn't get into it. I got about as far as the abandoned car before giving up. Does it pick up later in?

It's not fast paced by any stretch of the imagination, but it does pick up significantly.

[Aedilred]

Found footage films predate Blair Witch somewhat, in fact, and I'm not sure whether its oft-cited status as the genre's progenitor is because it was special (or heavily marketed) enough for its own part to break into mainstream consciousness or because horror had become a more mainstream genre by the time of its release - or perhaps both.

The real daddy of the genre is Cannibal Holocaust, one of the most infamous of the "video nasties" that caused such controversy during the 80s. It's actually an interesting if heavy-handed film in its own right, with an implausibly wonderful soundtrack, but its major contribution to cinematic history (other than helping to get the word "cannibal" banned from British film titles for the next decade) was its use of found footage. It may not have been the first film to do so but it was the first to attract attention for it and it did it rather too well, with the result that the director was brought up on criminal charges for having caused the deaths of the actors involved (no, really).

As a word of warning in case anyone is tempted to watch it, it's one of the very few films I've seen that I would actively caution against. There's a lot of really horrible content, most notably, but not just, the animal cruelty, which makes it very hard to watch and made me sick to my stomach.

I enjoyed Troll Hunter, although I thought the found footage element was gimmicky and unnecessary. Given the way the film was structured and the conclusion there was no need for it to be found footage rather than a "straight" mockumentary. Another film worth mentioning and which qualifies as found footage (and also predates The Blair Witch Project), is Belgian film Man Bites Dog, which is very good, although also very unpleasant in places.

[Bartmanhomer]

I saw it tonight. To be honest the Blair Witch remake did some improvement with the movie. It wasn't as stupid unlike the original Blair Witch movie. The movie was more suspenseful just to see what will happen next. But it wasn't as great. The remake was so-so. I'll give this movie three out of five stars for an average horror movie and some improvement of this remake to make it more suspenseful.

[BWR]

Trolljegeren is quite funny and enjoyable. It does help if you know your folk tales, though.

[Jeivar]

I have no idea. What I can say though is that Blair Witch isn't the only gem in the found footage trash pile. There's also Troll Hunter.

Yeah, Troll Hunter is good. I liked the titular character, and his lot in life.




The real daddy of the genre is Cannibal Holocaust, one of the most infamous of the "video nasties" that caused such controversy during the 80s. It's actually an interesting if heavy-handed film in its own right, with an implausibly wonderful soundtrack, but its major contribution to cinematic history (other than helping to get the word "cannibal" banned from British film titles for the next decade) was its use of found footage.

Yes, I know about Cannibal Holocaust. But it was The Blair Witch Project that spawned the flood of knock-offs.

[norival1992]

I saw it in a theater where the music from next door (or what sounded like the projection booth) kept bleeding in. And it was a Beatles doc. So at any point where there was a tension-filled silence..

[LelouchR2]

I had high hopes for this movie because of the director. was very upset with the final product.