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

Can anyone tell me what the fuss is about the Blair Witch Project? It has just opened in Australia, though I had heard about it earlier this year. I have rational friends trying to tell me it is a true story, on the basis of a TV documentary they saw about it. What's it all about? Surely it isn't true - I am reminded of Orson Wells and The War of the Worlds, and of Picnic at Hanging Rock (which many people thought was real).
Can anyone provide any information for me?
Much obliged
Bran.

Right, firstly - it isn't a true story.
Secondly that is all I'm going to say about it because no-one likes a spoiler! All i can say is go and see it with an open mind and you'll probably enjoy it. Although i should add, don't go if you are prone to motion sickness - this is the reason they show pictures of people coming out from seeing it looking ill, not because it is scary.

Thanks - good idea not to provide spoilers.
Cheers
Bran.

There are lots of interesting facts about it, and indeed pretty much any film at the internet movie database.
www.imdb.com
it is especially worth reading once you've seen blair witch.

Shanksh!
Bran.

Hi Bran,

While I've not seen it and really don't plan to (I gave up on deliberately scaring myself years ago; this appears to appeal to the twenty-somethings, though) my take on most of the fuss is that the film/video-makers used low-budget techniques, improvised locations and household technology to create something powerful that's frightened the ESTABLISHMENT because they haven't figured this stuff out yet and know they're losing money as a result. (How's THAT for a run-on sentence?)

Where Hollywood "must" spend $40 million US on a film that's worth a quarter of that (and does about as much business), independent filmmakers are using computer technology (in post-production), a rawness that's really attractive to some, and the ability to speak to their generation that's leaving the older, wiser and sclerotic utterly confused.

Remember the flap about how Robert Rodrigues managed to make his roast-beef Western for $7 million and turn a huge profit?...(That's the one that was shot a second time, on film, and cost a bit more than that - though not much - and starred Antonio Banderas).

Or how Quentin Tarantino attracted all that attention with a no-budget, little picture called "Reservoire Dogs" and proved he has talent that I haven't seen since?

Or how "Easy Rider" confused the ESTABLISHMENT by refusing to play by the "rules" and spoke to a generation?

Those are the first examples that leap to mind, and most of why The Blair Witch Project is doing so well - from my perspective.

Fruitbat

Firstly, TBWP: I was very unimpressed. If you want to watch a 'trapped in the woods by unknown evil powers, made on a shoestring and really scary' watch The Evil Dead. TBWP was a prisoner of its own technique, and suffered from being as improvised as it was.

Second, Robert Rodriguez' first movie, 'El Mariachi' was made for $7,000 *not* $7m. The sequel, Desperado, was made for $7m (and looked a lot more expensive). Get the DVD and listen to the commentary where he explains all the things he did to save money. Inspiring stuff.

Thanks folks! I'm not actually sure if I want to see it ... but seem to have developed this interest in the "phenomenon" of the film. I have some so-called "scientist" friends who saw this documentary on TV about it and were raving about it being a true story and so damn scary that it outdid The Exorcist. Either it is a great bit of marketing or people are more gullible (a bit of a strong word but I can't think of another one - impressionable, maybe) than they would otherwise like to think.
Good points about independent film-makers sticking it up the big studios.
Cheers
Bran.

I've had people trying to tell me it was a true story as well. The truth behind it is, they may not have had much of a budget but they had a f**king amazing publicity agent. All these "rumors" were started by the TBWP team - many over the internet - one of the most popular - after it being a true story - is that they didn't tell the actors what was happening, they just put them in the woods and scared seven shades of s**t out of them. NOT TRUE!!!! Don't belive this, it is just cleverly constructed hype. "Don't believe the Hype" as someone put it. Hats off the publicity guys though, they did an amazing job....

Hi Bran,
"people are more gullible (a bit of a strong word but I can't think of another one - impressionable, maybe) than they would otherwise like to think. "
I'd say that's fair comment; look at the huge flap over The Phantom Menace....There's also a generation out there that has no sense of anything before 1970 and they're the ones that are inheriting the power of the Internet. They're the ones driving video-games into whatever the next generation is. They're the ones that are easily impressed with computer graphics and aren't paying much attention to quality writing....assuming they could recognise it if they came across it.
I've never understood the point of deliberately scaring one's self; I find reality does that all too well, too often.

If you want to see a truly great, scary film, check out The Cat People of 1942...I was going to list some more and discovered that I don't know many .

Fruitbat

The Blair Witch Project is not a true story. Since filming TBWP, Heather Donahue is due to record three other films and Joshua Leonard is due to record four other films.
They can't be dead.................can they?????

Hi.
There is another forum on TBWP if you are interested in checking it out. If you look for The Blair Witch Project-Overhype? in search the guide .
Have fun

Try and see the BEL AIR BITCH PROJECT. Its a cracker.

Thanks for the tips.
Bran.

I saw someone summarise the BWP pretty well on a chat room:

"It's just a blank screen with someone saying what the f**k was that?!?!?!"

Nice