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'The Woods' (2016) - A Secret Sequel to 'The Blair Witch Project'?

Started by St_Eddie, May 11, 2016, 05:50:25 PM

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St_Eddie


Hundhoon

BWP is definetly the scariest film ive ever seen. The House at the end is overwhelmingly terrifying. .
It fucking traumatized me long term..even now when i enter a dark room and the thought of Mike standing in a corner pops in i immedieatly search for light.   Im acctually glad i didnt see at the cinema.
I was in the U.S  in1999 when i first saw it it had just come out on VHS and being obsessed with how close i was to Burkitsville. I was acctually in New York about 500 miles away. But still urgh.

i never saw BW2 but i always liked the Burkitsville woods back story...how Ellie arrives in 1769,coffin rock etc,...would have been interesting to see something expanding on that.




up_the_hampipe

I watched BWP for the first time tonight. I didn't think it would work on me because I've seen Paranormal Activity and all those things, so I assumed it wouldn't hold up. It did. I don't want to go to sleep. Fuckin witches mate.

According to the director Heather was just as irritating as her character. The two lads were often very angry with her so the arguments didn't take much acting.

Noodle Lizard

Quote from: up_the_hampipe on May 20, 2016, 02:08:59 AM
I watched BWP for the first time tonight. I didn't think it would work on me because I've seen Paranormal Activity and all those things, so I assumed it wouldn't hold up. It did. I don't want to go to sleep. Fuckin witches mate.

According to the director Heather was just as irritating as her character. The two lads were often very angry with her so the arguments didn't take much acting.

It's so much more effective than Paranormal Activity (and more or less any other found footage film that came in its wake).  Paranormal Activity, to me, felt very rehearsed and unbelievable, yet also considerably more lazy[nb]not to mention the characters were utterly detestable, which is a criticism often thrown at TBWP but largely ignored for PA[/nb].  TBWP may have been a case of "bung the actors in woods with cameras and then mess around with them", but there was clearly so much more thought put into the setting and mythology than PA, which was basically just "demon closes girl's doors for some reason".  One need only look at the sheer volume of (terrible) sequels to realise that PA was always a moneymaking franchise concocted by a film producer, whereas TBWP was ambitious young filmmakers working with what they had available - and it shows in the films, I think.

By the way, Heather now writes (not very good) think-pieces for sites like Huffington Post.

Mini

Quote from: Noodle Lizard on May 20, 2016, 09:49:57 AM
It's so much more effective than Paranormal Activity (and more or less any other found footage film that came in its wake).  Paranormal Activity, to me, felt very rehearsed and unbelievable, yet also considerably more lazy[nb]not to mention the characters were utterly detestable, which is a criticism often thrown at TBWP but largely ignored for PA[/nb].  TBWP may have been a case of "bung the actors in woods with cameras and then mess around with them", but there was clearly so much more thought put into the setting and mythology than PA, which was basically just "demon closes girl's doors for some reason".  One need only look at the sheer volume of (terrible) sequels to realise that PA was always a moneymaking franchise concocted by a film producer, whereas TBWP was ambitious young filmmakers working with what they had available - and it shows in the films, I think.

By the way, Heather now writes (not very good) think-pieces for sites like Huffington Post.

Very true. Apparently Oren Peli was inspired[nb]I'm using the word in it's loosest possible sense.[/nb] to make Paranormal Activity when some washing detergent fell off a shelf.

BlodwynPig

Quote from: Mini on May 20, 2016, 10:23:49 AM
Very true. Apparently Oren Peli was inspired[nb]I'm using the word in it's loosest possible sense.[/nb] to make Paranormal Activity when some washing detergent fell off a shelf.

He'd never heard of ghosts before then.

up_the_hampipe

Quote from: Noodle Lizard on May 20, 2016, 09:49:57 AM
It's so much more effective than Paranormal Activity (and more or less any other found footage film that came in its wake).  Paranormal Activity, to me, felt very rehearsed and unbelievable, yet also considerably more lazy[nb]not to mention the characters were utterly detestable, which is a criticism often thrown at TBWP but largely ignored for PA[/nb].  TBWP may have been a case of "bung the actors in woods with cameras and then mess around with them", but there was clearly so much more thought put into the setting and mythology than PA, which was basically just "demon closes girl's doors for some reason".  One need only look at the sheer volume of (terrible) sequels to realise that PA was always a moneymaking franchise concocted by a film producer, whereas TBWP was ambitious young filmmakers working with what they had available - and it shows in the films, I think.

By the way, Heather now writes (not very good) think-pieces for sites like Huffington Post.

I'd agree on that. I thought the first PA was an effective horror movie but a lot of the stuff didn't make sense and was just used for spooky purposes. I was just saying that BWP might have pioneered some tropes that are often used in similar horror films today, so I thought I'd find some of it predictable. I did sort of predict the ending, but it was no less terrifying when it played out. Speaking of the ending, why was Heather's camera moving so carefully and slowly down the stairs when she was screaming bloody murder? Presumably she'd be racing down there.

As for real Heather, the BWP director said something quite telling in a Reddit AMA a few years ago:

Quote
Do you still keep in contact with the blair actors?

Yes! Mike, Josh and I are good friends.
Heather is my FB friend!

Brundle-Fly

When TBWP won the NME Brat award for best film in 2000, apparently the actors were invited to the ceremony but they all declined saying that Heather was too shy to attend. Hmmm.

Custard

Sometimes I like to think she's still out in those woods

up_the_hampipe


Glebe


Attila

Quote from: Noodle Lizard on May 14, 2016, 04:48:53 AM
What do we reckon about the BWP, then, do we think they went back in time (hence the lack of roads, the Parr house still standing rather than being burned down etc.)?  Or is it just a big witchy hoobajooba.  Or is it hillbillies.

I've been to Burkittsville (where the cemetary is -- the woods themselves are farther over by the airport, I think), and much of my immediate and extended family are from that neck of the woods; the whole film plays out like a typical home family video to me, really. Could be any holiday get-together.[nb]I really did like the film; first time I saw it, oddly, was in England late at night -- me and a pal started out doing an MST3K with it, then got quieter and more creeped out as the film played out. Watch it with the DVD commentary on, too -- lots of neat insight how the director and them coaxed/terrified out of their actors the reactions that they wanted.[/nb]

Attila

Quote from: BlodwynPig on May 15, 2016, 10:56:39 AM
By 2076, there will be a motorway through those woods and Mary Brown will be turning tricks near the hot dog stall.

Heh --  it's actually all quite close to BWI airport, and subsequently puts it near I-95. So it's more likely to become a strip mall, and Mary Brown running a check-cashing facility next to a laundromat.

Noodle Lizard

Quote from: Glebe on June 03, 2016, 04:54:42 PM
WARNING POSSIBLY SHOWS A MITE TOO MUCH:

The Wailing trailer.

Looks good!

I'm gonna not believe the hype and see where that gets me.  Dunno what it's got to do with this thread.

Glebe

Quote from: Noodle Lizard on June 09, 2016, 09:22:27 PMI'm gonna not believe the hype and see where that gets me.  Dunno what it's got to do with this thread.

I think a couple of people had linked to other Blair-Witchy movies, so I decided to stick it here.

purlieu

Blair Witch and The Borderlands are the only found footage horrors I've found any good (Troll Hunter too if you count that as a horror which I don't really). Everything that's been said about Blair Witch in this thread is spot on. It only works if you imagine it's real and thus let your imagination do most of the work. People going in expecting a film with lots of exposition and footage of the witch are on a losing track immediately.
The Borderlands works in a totally different way, largely because of
Spoiler alert
the ending, which is still the only horror film moment to give me nightmares. Usually about one a month since I saw it, actually. Not only is it totally horrific and unexpected, but there's something about the fact that they crawled in there of their own choice that makes it so chilling for me
[close]

Anyway, any more news on The Woods? Looks faintly promising.

BlodwynPig

Although a great ending, the scenes inside their abode are truly the most terrifying for me in the borderlands film. Unbearable anticipation without relief.

Avril Lavigne

So this is now confirmed to be a sequel entitled Blair Witch, here's a rather spoilery trailer (seems to show at least 2 of the deaths in the movie).
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=girSv9UH_V8

BlodwynPig

Looks like stock horror movie shit. The lead actors are too pretty, the cinematography too sharp. Rubbish I would imagine.

mr beepbap

I thought bwp2 was pretty good when re-watching it a few yrs ago, took a critical hammering at the time.

Custard

Yeah, that trailer doesn't give me much hope. Looks generic as fuck, and you just know there's gonna be a big stupid CGI witch too. Point missing shite (possibly)

Glebe


BlodwynPig


Glebe

Quote from: BlodwynPig on July 23, 2016, 03:48:28 PMwhat a horrible website

As a CaB veteran Blodders, I'm surprised you've only realized this now.


Noodle Lizard

Quote from: Glebe on August 13, 2016, 03:51:24 AM
Found Footage 3D Official Teaser Trailer #1 (2D Version).

Shite or not? YOU decide!

Off-topic but ...

It could be alright.  It's about time someone sent up the found footage genre a bit.  On the other hand, it seems like they're really having their cake and eating it too by actually turning it into an actual found footage horror movie too.  Modest expectations.

Glebe

Petition Lionsgate for an Extended Version of "The Blair Witch Project".

Quote"In a couple of weeks I could probably take the original movie and edit a longer version. I know the fans are like 'everybody wants to see it' . . . it would be cool to do, honestly. I wouldn't hesitate to do that if Lionsgate Films hired me. I think it would a lot of fun.

"Start a petition . . . if I can get enough interest from the fans, I can bring it to Lionsgate Films' attention."

Cripes!

Puce Moment

I would like to see an extended cut - it's hard to know if it would add much, but it would be interesting after all this time to see more footage, although I suspect most of it is then getting ready to leave and walking around hungry and lost and bitching at each other.

Add me to the list of viewers who was completely freaked out by TBWP. I saw it in the cinema and it totally got to me. The ending completely fucking terrified me, and I can only think of a small handful of films that have genuinely achieved that. It's a sublime example of 'less is more' and it's hard to imagine this new film will be anything but boggins' plop.

BritishHobo

Just seen this at Odeon's Scream Unseen. I'm with everybody else in the thread - the original is such a fantastic, authentic, creeping thing, I absolutely adore it.

This, though. Meh. The problem with it can be summed up pretty simply, it
Spoiler alert
does fuck-all new. I wasn't really expecting it to go past 'standing in the corner in the house' in order to show us all the answers, but I was hoping for something a little different. The set-up was interesting, I quite liked the two local characters, I was intrigued to see how the new technology they established like the drone, the GPS etc would factor in, but... it didn't. We see two shots of the wood from the drone, and then it's out of action. The GPS has no relevance to anything. All the facial-cameras and stuff feel like increasingly tortured ways of keeping it found footage when they might as well have just shot the thing from a general perspective. And aye, there's the odd creepy moment, but since you already know the form of things from the original film, it pans out exactly as you'd expect. Ooh, they've stuck up pagan twig figures while we slept, they've piled up some stones. Oh, we're at the house, stand in the corner, witch is coming for us, END.
[close]

That's another point. It's really
Spoiler alert
badly paced. The first one was a really gripping, visceral descent into isolation and terror and madness. In this one they have a mostly peaceful night, walk all day, wind up at the camp again, and then it all goes to cock on the second night. Suddenly they're at the house, and it's the climax. I quite liked the idea of Lane taking the long way round, experiencing several days while the others experience a couple of hours, but that all happens off-screen. Peter and Ashley's deaths just feel inevitable, in a really dull way.
[close]
Mehhhhhhhhh.