MovieChat Forums > The Blair Witch Project (1999) Discussion > It was the year 2000....

It was the year 2000....

posted 9 years ago by sanjeev_madhavan
27 replies | jump to latest

And I was at an uncle's place. He had a BOSE surround system then. I see a DVD on the counter called the Blair Witch Project. Hmm this is interesting, i said to my self and popped it into the player. It was already 11:30 PM.

Switched off the lights and sat down to watch the movie. :O

The last greatest Horror Movie. That was 15 years ago. I feel sad that there hasen't been another one that actually gave me the same experience as this one ever since.

Its just really really sad.

I wonder when the next true horror movie will ever come out.

[–] somesunnyday 9 years ago

Your story sounds similar to mine although I went to the cinema to see it when it first came out. Ever since I've seen this damn film I'm doomed to walk the earth thinking nothing will ever come close.

[–] DrDanielChallis 9 years ago

I remember in 99 when friends were telling me I had to go see it

"To see some shaky hand held? No way - especially not at full price!"

Given how much I enjoyed Cloverfield, I wish I would have seen this in the theaters!

One night, decided to have some friends over and we popped it in - really was a pleasant surprise! I recall that website that still looks pretty much the same today. The created mythology and backstories and ghost stories from the townspeople - great stuff

[–] Narcissist00 8 years ago

POP POP POP....STOP WITH THE POP

[–] JackSparrow92 9 years ago

I don't get the latter-day criticism of this movie. Maybe it's just because it's nearly seventeen years old and found-footage movies are a dime a dozen these days.

For its time, it was completely original, at least for high-profile movies. Unlike most horror movies, it doesn't become really suspenseful until the second half; during the first half, it shows the wearing-down of the three leads as they become more and more lost, as well as colder, hungrier and more tired.

Secondly, it has none of the usual horror movie cliches. Basically no gore. No on-screen violence. Nothing jumping out an anybody. No scary music. And yet it still manages to be creepy and highly effective.

I remember watching it for the first time with my dad at home shortly after it was released on video. When it ended, we sort of looked at each other and said something like "wow... that was REALLY creepy."

A great movie, though perhaps not for people who need their horror movies spoon-fed to them.

Revenge is a dish best served cold.
-- Klingon proverb

[–] DrDanielChallis 9 years ago

this is a perfect summation of the movie

no gore, no cheap jump scares, no cliches - basically, just the human element, and the unexplained, which lets our imaginations fill in the blanks

there aren't enough of these type of horror films - this flick still creeps me out to this day, even 17 years later

[–] packtherac 9 years ago

BWP and The Witch are the two best horror movies of the last 20 years. Hands down.

[–] Troyal1 9 years ago

Funny you say that. I've been thinking about how bad horror movies are recently but I went to see the witch last night. I don't think it's as good as this. But it definitely has that extremely creepy tone. I think it's the darkness and woods. I live in the woods.

Troyaltrollwalker(Darth Spino)

[–] tj-94 9 years ago

Secondly, it has none of the usual horror movie cliches. Basically no gore. No on-screen violence. Nothing jumping out an anybody. No scary music. And yet it still manages to be creepy and highly effective.

This is precisely what makes an effective horror flick - it leaves much up to the viewer to fill in the blanks; its not what you see, its what you DON'T SEE that makes it effective.

[–] Kawada_Kira (7282) 3 years ago

I think this post puts the finger on part of what I like about this movie: it has none of the common horror cliches that are a dime a dozen. No jump scares or suspenseful music or anything. Just a great portrayal of three people slowly circling the drain while under attack by something they never see and can't understand.

[–] jpowell180 9 years ago

I remember getting psyched up about the film in late '98, from the film's website - which states that the events that occurred were real.

I ran a carpet cleaning telemarketing room at the time, and told a couple of cute college chicks about it.

Finally, in June of '99, I went to the theater and saw it; since I was all psyched up about it being real (even though I knew it wasn't), it was an extremely entertaining (and scary at times) experience!

I returned home, and my little brother and his wife were there; they saw how creeped out I was, and I told them they just HAD to go see BWP; so, off we went to the theater - 2nd time in one day for me!

In the theater, there was this one idiot sitting behind us, who was cracking jokes and making fun of the film before it even started; I felt sorry for him, because he got *nothing* out of the film due to his attitude.

Almost five months later, I bought the DVD at the Suncoast in my local mall; I was working a tech support job then, and worked the night shift, so I was home during the day; I popped in the DVD and it still scared me, at home during the daytime!

I've seen it many times since then, and while the scariness has worn off, I still find it entertaining (and I still find Heather Donahue quite attractive!).

[–] DrDanielChallis 9 years ago

Really enjoyed reading this

this and Scream were two movies in the 90s that had a ton of word of mouth and really had me amped prior to watching- H20 was another one which I did see in theaters - it was pretty much what i hoped for, better than H5 and Curse IMO and got to see Laurie Strode on the screen

The mid to late 90s were a great, great time - not necessarily the best in horror, but, it was the rebirth of slasher (Scream I/II, Urban Legends, I Know What You Did Last Summer, H20, etc) and of course, found footage started with this one - definitely groundbreaking at the time. I remember some of the conversations with my friends and family after I watched it

"Yes, it was shot on handheld."

Response: Wait, so this actually happened? How did they recover it? Gotta be fake

"Well . . .just go into as if you found a missing person's tape that could help to explain their dissapearance."

good times

[–] Mr_Ectoplasma 9 years ago

I first saw this movie on VHS back around 2001 or so. I was in junior high at the time, and my dad let me rent it. My dad played in a band and would have shows sometimes on the weekends, so he'd get my brother and I a pizza and we'd have the house to ourselves for the night. I remember my brother went to bed, and I stayed up and watched it by myself. It scared the crap out of me. It of course didn't help that we lived in the middle of the woods.

Still one of my favorite movies honestly. It's just super, super effective in what it sets out to do.

[–] cdjunkee-1 9 years ago

I was 15 when it came out on video. Everyone at school was talking about it. Having watched "Scream" had gotten me turned on to horror films so I really waneed to see it. When it was done I couldn't sleep I was so scared. The following week of school I talked about my theories with a friend about what we thought happened. There is something primal and eerie about the film. When Heather is telling the story of Coffin Rock it plays like a movie in your mind. No eerie music or flashbacks are needed. Your mind fills in the blank.

[–] somesunnyday 9 years ago

 to all the previous posters on this thread. You can't buy good taste!

[–] TrickGrimes (3) 7 years ago

Can’t buy shitty opinions either, but random internet guys will throw them around for nothing.

[–] alexmoviefreak 9 years ago

I think milestone Horror films that are really creepy are The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, The Evil Dead and The Blair Witch Project, the three films give me the same feel.
I am waiting for the next milestone too.

[–] DrDanielChallis 9 years ago

yessir - absolutely agree

Blair Witch was the last time I saw a horror movie and knew it was a type of movie I've never experienced before

I may get blasted for this, but, I think the one film that has come close to, maybe not groundbreaking, but definitely a new experience or a twist on this genre, was VHS - installing a wrap around and anthology theme to the found footage was original. VHS is a love or hate thing, but, I think it did a great job of bringing something new to the table. It was at least new for me - correct me if found footage and anthology has been combined prior to VHS.

I feel as if we've had a good 10 or 11 years of really solid to really good horror from indie filmmakers, but, it seems to be dying down again as they venture out into other genres and subgenres

I was so disappointed by Late Phases and Howl (they were ok, not terrible but not great IMO) that I think the werewolf genre is still waiting for something better

I wonder what the next horror craze will be . . .are we on the verge of another slasher resurgence? Seems like we're due for one given the terrible response to the studio remakes - we're due for something original or a really great, original story from one of the slasher franchises not named Scream.

[–] flavia_cj 9 years ago

This movie traumatized me for months.

I watched "The Blair Witch Project" in 2000 when I was about 9 years old with my older cousins and I remember I was in the room with them, and I thought it was just another documentary on Discovery Channel or something. I really believed everything I was seeing was real. Just imagine the impact that this movie made in my mind. Those final minutes of "The Blair Witch Project" was the truly nightmare on screen, I had never experienced that feeling of dread before. After I understood it was just a movie, but by then it was late. I don't know what scared me most. The Fear of the dark ? Fear of unknown sounds at woods? Fear of strange symbols? Fear of walking in circles? The fear of being persecuted for a witch or something you do not see? I just know that all this stuck in my mind for weeks and I take weeks sleeping with the light on to recover, no kidding. I grew up, 16 years later I'm fine. Today I think it's was a comic tragedy, but was not funny in those days ...

Well, I'm not a fan of horror movies and I'll never watched this movie a second time, but I have to recognize the merits of this film to be scary. Congratulations to all those involved, this film *beep* my childhood.

[–] Kawada_Kira (7282) 3 years ago

Man I wish I'd seen this movie when I was a kid, to get the full effect. I was 9 years old when it came out, but I never actually saw it until I was 21.