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Is 'Paranormal Activity' the Next 'Blair Witch Project'?

jayman

Thinker
jayman
Joined
Nov 1, 2008
Messages
198
I found this article on AOL. Which talks about this new movie "Paranormal Activity" being the new "Blair Witch Project". I say it could definitely be the next "Blair Witch", in that it will be laced with a lot of fiction and, with it's hype, could make a lot of money. I could be wrong. The article includes a trailer. Even though I don't believe in ghosts or legitimate haunted houses, the trailer for this is still kind of creepy. I wonder if the trailer would create the same effect if they replaced the creepy music with circus music.
 
It looks awesome! I definitely plan on seeing it here in Austin, which is fortunately one of the few towns it's playing in, as soon as I can.

For the record, I hated Blair Witch; it wasn't scary, I could see right through its ridiculous shenanigans, and worst, the "climax" was a non-ending that revealed nothing and accomplished less.

But this movie looks genuinely frightening... and I haven't been frightened in a movie theater in a loooooooong time. :cool:
 
imjohn said:
I have heard only good things about this movie.
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Same here. It sounds like it might be a horror movie for me. I like suspense but I hate gore.

As for the concern: I thought this is where the idea of ghosts and such belong, in a clear work of fiction.
 
Paranormal Activity was an awesome film. I caught it in Minneapolis last weekend. They managed to get an audience to respond more effectively than other films with huge budgets. That so much of it is offscreen means that when something does happen, or when you do finally see somthing, the whole theatre responds.
 
Agent : Orange said:
Paranormal Activity was an awesome film. I caught it in Minneapolis last weekend. They managed to get an audience to respond more effectively than other films with huge budgets. That so much of it is offscreen means that when something does happen, or when you do finally see somthing, the whole theatre responds.
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At any point did you see the words "Based on True Events" or "Based on a True Story"? Are any of the filmmakers claiming that?
 
Josh111485 said:
At any point did you see the words "Based on True Events" or "Based on a True Story"? Are any of the filmmakers claiming that?
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They have made sure to say that this is a work of fiction and not "Based on a true story".

We saw the movie, and all but the ending (the studio added a little) was a pretty good, scary movie.
 
As far as the "Blair Witch" effect goes...That wasn't the first time a controversy like that happened or a film was done in that style. When Cannibal Holocaust first came out, authorities we're so convinced that it was actually a snuff film, that they seized it at the premiere and it wasn't allowed to be shown for nearly 20 years. If you can handle some seriously disturbing gore, along with a pretty eerily realistic danger, than I recommend it...But it is definitely NOT for the faint of heart. Its probably one of the most disturbing and nauseating horror films ever made.

The premise of Cannibal Holocaust was similar to Blair Witch. It was hyped as found footage from a documentary crew that was investigating cannibalism and was captured and eaten alive. Scary stuff. They mix some real imagery in with the fake to make it spookier, similar to what they did with Faces of Death.

Blair Witch never even came close to Cannibal Holocaust...I am curious about this film though I've heard really good things...
 
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Josh111485 said:
At any point did you see the words "Based on True Events" or "Based on a True Story"? Are any of the filmmakers claiming that?
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They don't explicitly use those words but the film makes it pretty clear they want the viewer to feel as though you are watching "real" footage. A title card thanks Paramount pictures, the families and the San Diego Police Department. There are no credits at the end either. Overall this really added to the creepy factor for me.
 
bryan said:
They have made sure to say that this is a work of fiction and not "Based on a true story".

We saw the movie, and all but the ending (the studio added a little) was a pretty good, scary movie.
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Interesting. In the version we saw the film opens and ends with title cards and there are no credits presented at any time, implying that the studio is releasing the footage as it was recovered.
 
No, no - you guys, when they're talking about the movie being "the next Blair Witch", they're not talking about the quality of the movie. They're talking about the initial popularity of the movie relative to its budget and marketing campaign. The Blair Witch Project was red hot when it hit the movie theaters, despite not having any trailers, and very little marketing to speak of save an internet site and a SFC mockumentary.

This new movie's marketing campaign is practically non-existent. It's only being shown in very select cities. It's relying entirely on word-of-mouth for promotion and the test is whether it will become as faddish as Blair Witch was.
 
from the link:

I'm inclined to agree. No other film this millennium has proved so shockingly chilling ('The Descent' comes closest) -- or packed the kind of lingering effects to leave you shaken and utterly terrified of your own home.
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I don't understand how mature, intelligent adults, can be truly shaken by ghost stories, any more than they would live in fear of being mugged by Santa Claus ..

I can't remember the last ( scary ) movie that really scared me; in the sense that I was scared after I left the theater, with the idea that I could actually find myself a victim of the subject matter of the film .

I'll check it out when it is released on DVD, just to see if my cynicism doesn't run as deep as I think it does ..
 
Sunray Breaker said:
As far as the "Blair Witch" effect goes...That wasn't the first time a controversy like that happened or a film was done in that style. When Cannibal Holocaust first came out, authorities we're so convinced that it was actually a snuff film, that they seized it at the premiere and it wasn't allowed to be shown for nearly 20 years. If you can handle some seriously disturbing gore, along with a pretty eerily realistic danger, than I recommend it...But it is definitely NOT for the faint of heart. Its probably one of the most disturbing and nauseating horror films ever made.

The premise of Cannibal Holocaust was similar to Blair Witch. It was hyped as found footage from a documentary crew that was investigating cannibalism and was captured and eaten alive. Scary stuff. They mix some real imagery in with the fake to make it spookier, similar to what they did with Faces of Death.

Blair Witch never even came close to Cannibal Holocaust...I am curious about this film though I've heard really good things...
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I saw that years ago. It was a fake but a scary fake. Overall I didn't like the movie but it was scary at times.
 
Skeptical Greg said:
I don't understand how mature, intelligent adults, can be truly shaken by ghost stories, any more than they would live in fear of being mugged by Santa Claus ..

I can't remember the last ( scary ) movie that really scared me; in the sense that I was scared after I left the theater, with the idea that I could actually find myself a victim of the subject matter of the film .

I'll check it out when it is released on DVD, just to see if my cynicism doesn't run as deep as I think it does ..
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The scares don't come from imagining that your home is actually haunted or that the things in the movie could really happen to you. The scares come from the tension and atmosphere that the film builds up while you're watching it.

Of course, this works only if you allow yourself to get into it. I suppose that if you convince yourself that the film won't have any effect you can sit through it without flinching. But it seems to me that it's necessary when watching any horror story to suspend your disbelief for a little while and appreciate the creepy ambiance. If you can't do this, save yourself the money for the rental because you likely won't be satisfied.
 
Agent : Orange said:
The scares don't come from imagining that your home is actually haunted or that the things in the movie could really happen to you. The scares come from the tension and atmosphere that the film builds up while you're watching it.

.....
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My comments referred to ' taking the scare ' out of the theater with you; as indicated by the reviewer, and many other viewer reviews I have seen.

Here is the current AOL News story ..:

Real 'Paranormal Activity' Reactions: New Movie Seriously Haunting Fans

So, should you believe the hype? Well, it's been haunting me ever since I saw it a week ago -- I'm still sleeping with all the lights on (and forcing my poor husband to escort me into the basement to do laundry), so I'm going to have to answer that question with a big YES.
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