h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

*sigh*

I have not seen the Blair Witch Project, but I HAVE seen the parts aired on the cable Science Fiction channel. And I DO know the spoiler.

I will try not to give away anything about the movie, my comments relate to witchcraft in general.

While the Blair Witch Project seems to be an intense and fascinating piece of filmwork, it is unfortunate that many of the common stereotypes about witches and the practice of witchcraft are being reinforced.

As a practicing wiccan I do find this somewhat difficult. While I know there is some strange stuff in the universe "there are more things in Heaven and Earth, Horatio, than are dreamt of in your philosophy..."
I just wish there were some other way to make movies about it without connecting it to witches.

I know, I know, it wouldnt be as much fun then, and I'm not out to abolish Hallowe'en either, but the normal, everyday witch you meet on the street [and there are more of them than you might think] just ISN'T LIKE THAT.

There, I feel better now.
*sits back and waits for the s*** to hit the fan*

I'm a wiccan too, and trust me, with a film this good it's best to let it go and focus on more serious issues against us. There's an article at http://www.witchvox.com with the directors, who said it would have worked with vampires, etc and their original idea was a cult. The witch was just to get the kids in the woods, and at least we didn't see any pointy hats. I think that the movie isn't really that bad for us, I talked to a lot of people, and the people who will take it the wrong way about us are the ones that already do.

Whoa, right on, Halloween stays. Damn, you know how much chocolate I load up on during the after-Halloween sales?

Though not a practicing pagan, I have many friends and loved ones who follow religious doctrines other than the Christian faith. I understand in most cases when pagans get upset about how the admittedly biased media 'reports' them, but when it comes to fictional tales, one must consider the source.

If a tale like The Blair Witch Project affects someone's opinions of witches, those are generally individuals who are easily influenced anyway. The movie should not be to blame. The limited mindset of the easily influenced is to blame. I ask you not to blame the messenger.

In the Scifi.com special "Curse of the Blair Witch," the directors added something that pleasantly surprised me. The portions containing the self-described witch from a mock program of 1971 called "Mystic Occurrences" was quite ingenious.

No, this does not necessarily put pagans in any better light. However, it did put pagans in a bit more realistic light, at least from my experience. I've known guys like that dude who was speaking into the camera, talking about the misconceptions of witchcraft and trying to debunk the generations of bad press.

That was not something the directors had to add, but it not only added to the realism but also sent a strong message: this movie is not about witch stereotypes. It's about Mankind's perspectives in general. Those three went out there with preconcieved notions and that's what they found. However, it's not explained whether a witch's ghost did all this, or some lunatic in the woods, or the ghost of Russ Parr, or Joshua and his girlfriend, or Rose the crazy lady from the Mobile Home park, or any number of other possibilities.

The witch in question here is not a witch. It's what one assumes a witch to be. Someone who has a fear of witches has a distinct different perspective on this movie as opposed to someone who considers witches friends. A closed minded person might immediately assume, "oh! The blair witch GOT 'em! She did it alright," but someone who is a little more open-minded will see other clues that point to much more mundane answers to the mystery. Who's right? We don't know! There's simply not enough evidence to be sure one way or the other.

But does this movie insult witches? Not at all. If anything, it insults those people who still hold to the dated preconceptions of witchcraft and pagan beliefs. It mirrors their stupidity right back in their faces.

It makes you question your own assumptions and rethink how you take things for granted. This movie makes you think. That can be nothing but good for everybody.

I agree that there are many more important issues to deal with. I am not suggesting a campaign or anything like that, just wanted to add a dimension to the discussion of the film, cause it is called the Blair Witch, not the Blair Vampire.

Your answer, as well as the ones that follow are all good and thoughtful reactions. What an incredibly intelligent lot we researchers are...

BTW, I wrote a nice note to George W. Bush following his comment that he didnt think that witchcraft was a religion and the military should rethink their position on accepting it as such. didnt get a reply, tho. Now I need one of those stickers that says 'I'm pagan, and I vote',,,

New info about that Mystic Occurrences thing in the Curse of the Blair Witch cable special. Bukan Johnson is the name of the guy who did that part of the mock-documentary. Bukan Johnson is an actual witch for real. He studies Wiccan religion. The directors asked him to incorporate their made up mythology of the Blair Witch in with what Johnson knows.

Now, why did he agree to do this? One of two reasons that I can surmise:

1) There was a paycheck in it.

2) The directors explained to Johnson what they were wanting to do and he saw an opportunity.

If I ever get the chance to actually communicate with Bukan Johnson, I hope to ask him that question.

Admittedly, without the Mystic Occurrences reference in the cable special, more people could make the misunderstanding that this is an attempt to make witches look bad. However the film itself doesn't actually create a visual of witches as bad. In fact it doesn't point fingers in that direction at all. It can be interpreted that the three lost characters in this film do more to themselves with their fear of the Unknown than any score of evil spirits could have done to them, or any stereotypical Hollywood witch could do with hocus pocus.

Johnson injected into the Blair folklore a perspective that rightly should only come from an actual pagan: historically these things DID happen. In the 1700s, nonchristians were terrorized by colonial communities for their differences of beliefs, and in many cases were either killed outright or banished from the towns to fend for themselves in an untamed wilderness. This happened. This is actual and documented. In fact, part of the reason why we have a separation of Church and State in the US constitution is directly because of the Salem Witch Trials and similar events leading up to the founding of this country.

People don't think about this much, and the more stereotypical, monstrous images of witches are prevalent in the social consciousness, thanks in part to Hollywood. Perhaps Bukan Johnson saw an opportunity to inject some realism into the mythology. He was doing his part to make a difference and I for one applaud him for it.

In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if The Blair Witch Project may owe part of its success to Bukan Johnson and any friendly witches he communicates with. Who knows? Maybe they performed a ceremony from their belief system that sent good vibes the directors' way.

I mean, my prayers to my Lord are with the directors. I wish them the best of luck and Godspeed. Good witches have their way of doing pretty much the same thing.