For anyone who was able to see "The Blair Witch Project" in theaters in 1999, what was the experience like?
Posted by andthrewaway1@reddit | Xennials | View on Reddit | 290 comments
Crossposted from ask reddit..... figured this would be a good place to drop this.
A lot of people from school were around in the theater it was kind of like a meet up and a lot of people were being very preformative as kids often are amongst their peers... like one girl was crying in the hallway and her friend was comforting her... and it was all very dramatic kinda took away from my experience the legacy of the found footage movie certainly was endures
This_hoe_dumb@reddit
The marketing fooled me, I’ll admit it. I went in thinking it was real footage and left terrified like the rest of the theater. It wasn’t until a couple weeks later I found out it was fake. Lol, left me scared of the woods, for sure, for a long time.
askthepoolboy@reddit
The marketing for it was genius. Very little info. That weird website with the missing kids. I don’t think we’d be able to do anything like that these days.
Ilikedinosaurs2023@reddit
They also made a fake documentary about the lore behind the Blair Witch that was aired on TV before the film was released...I was 15 and that shit was convincing. I thought it was real found footage until the end of the credits where it said "all characters and storylines are fiction" I didnt even feel stupid for falling for it tbh, it was really genius of them and fun for me!
askthepoolboy@reddit
Yes!! Totally forgot about that.
Natural-Ad-3666@reddit
That fake documentary on sci-fi was crucial to making the film scarier.
arcxjo@reddit
Unless you watched any TV for like the month beforehand and saw those little shits doing the talk show junket.
"Wait, HTF is Leno taking to dead people, and if he can do it, does the CIA have this technology?"
askthepoolboy@reddit
I’m glad I missed that
garygnu@reddit
I accidentally broke that news to my (now) wife, fortunately on the way out of the movie.
notedrive@reddit
Same, got me pretty good at the time.
Jolly_Werewolf_7356@reddit
It was so boring.
gbyrd013@reddit
Wasn’t nearly as scary as it was hyped to be. The 3 main characters are the most annoying characters you can have in a movie. But the greatest marketing for a move ever.
garygnu@reddit
Me inside when they're lost early on: "Follow the river downstream, you idiots! You're in New Jersey, not Montana."
LemurCat04@reddit
Fucking Heather, man. Ugh.
juniper3411@reddit
She was really annoying.
beattysgirl@reddit
This was my exact experience too
Fools_Errand77@reddit
Nausea
Murky-Awareness7506@reddit
All I remember was being so motion sick that I couldn’t really focus on anything else. Lol. I couldn’t tell you anything about the movie, plot or if it was scary.
garygnu@reddit
I saw it opening week in an arthouse theater in Palo Alto, to give you an idea of the demographics of the crowd. The palpable tension in the room matched with the film's deliberate pacing. Incredibly memorable - that final shot.
Hipcatjack@reddit
We had no clue what the movie was about, literally didn’t hear anything about it. opening night was date night and we just picked a movie that was playing at the right time. We left the movie theater thinking it was real and my date and i were *deeply * disturbed!
one of the movie theater parking lots butted up against the woods. 17 year old me thought that would be a nice quiet, secluded spot to um…. relax after the movie.
i love camping, grew up going to parties in the woods and all that jazz… i was never so scared from a movie in my life. before or since.
needless to say we ran to my car and hauled ass back to well lit civilization as soon as possible… later that week i Alta vista’d what was the deal with that movie and found out it was fake.
HeadlineBay@reddit
Honestly, motion sickness for most of it. The three of us sat there and went ‘that wasn’t scary’…. And then proceeded to take the long way back to our student flat to avoid the woods on the way home 😆
echochilde@reddit
Hahaha! Yup. The first word that popped in my head was “nauseated”.
Gnagus@reddit
The please was so packed that we sat way too close and the theater was way too warm. I am getting nauseous just thinking about it. Nause-talgia.
arcxjo@reddit
I pity all the kids who had to clean theatre vomit for a month for $5.15 an hour.
freretXbroadway@reddit
Yep. Nauseated and bored.
Tedanki@reddit
Came here to post this. I felt seasick through parts of it.
Blackbird136@reddit
I got so sick I puked when I got home.
wintercast@reddit
Yup, i get motion sick really easy. im having a faded memory but i think we left that screen and went into another movie and say down and watched something else.
so i have not watched the whole movie, only snippets through the years.
i think, growing up in MD and the mid Atlantic area, i never thought anything about it was real. i never thought it was a documentary as some did.
Ynot2_day@reddit
Same here!! I got so sick from it so I stared at my lap for most of it, and then was like “meh” about it by the ending.
HeadlineBay@reddit
We were decidedly not used to shaky-cam on the big screen in 1999…
DocBEsq@reddit
Exactly. Cool concept, genuinely scary parts, but the camera moving like that was tough over the length of a movie.
Seeing the guy at the end, not knowing that was coming though? Genuinely one of the scariest movie moments ever.
razorwireshrine@reddit
My husband and I met working at our local theater. During one showing of Blair Witch, he went to clean the auditorium between showings. Someone had barfed in a popcorn bag and left it sitting in the aisle. When he picked up the bag, the bottom fell out...
CrouchingDomo@reddit
Omg your poor husband 😂
No-Championship-8677@reddit
I had to walk out because I felt so sick I couldn’t look at the screen.
Critical_Liz@reddit
My sister puked when she saw it, so warned us (me, my brother and our dad) beforehand, so we made sure not to eat beforehand. I don't remember having too hard a time with it, which is weird cause i get motion sick ALL the time.
Scary? No. More frustrating for anyone who's taken basic orienteering though. My dad throughout was like "Dumbass kids, follow the river!" Whenever I bring this up people are like "Oh no it was the Witch" or blah blah blah, when really the simple explanation is that these kids wandered into the woods without any skills.
As for the scares. Meh.
The viral marketing campaign was better though.
HeadlineBay@reddit
It was uncomfortable to me, more in a ‘group project gone wrong, now everyone is yelling’. As soon as they got to a bit that’s ‘oh, finally a scary bit’ it ended.
This was funny to my friends, as I have regularly made them leave things that are Too Scary.
inthevelvetsea@reddit
I remember hiding my face in my hands from the motion sickness, not because I was scared. Really thought I was going to lose my lunch.
larryb78@reddit
This - I had to sit there for like 20 minutes after it ended bc I couldn’t stand up
-something-clever-@reddit
Yep. I got stuck in the front row because I saw it on opening night and it was super busy. It was a terrible experience. I remember having to close my eyes to keep the motion sickness at bay.
LH99@reddit
+1 motion sickness
WittyRequirement3296@reddit
I remember movie theaters doing a pre-speech about how if you're going to puke, you should dump your popcorn bag onto the floor and puke in the bag. They'd rather clean up popcorn than vomit, understandably! But I'm sure that was an unpleasant experience for everyone!
no_clever_name_yet@reddit
It was when people weren’t 100% sure if it was marketing or real. I watched it with my cousins on the other side of the country and it was still daylight when we got out. I was in a weird bedroom with night sounds I wasn’t used to. I didn’t fall asleep until almost 3am. It scared the shit out of me.
tjb4040@reddit
The credits at the end has the disclaimer; all characters are fictional, any characters or events that may resemble something real are purely coincidental…. Or whatever it said. Never understood why people bought this garbage and thought it might be real.
no_clever_name_yet@reddit
Who stayed for the credits?!
arcxjo@reddit
Who stayed for the movie?
stoked_7@reddit
Every movie has this disclaimer
YourGuyK@reddit
Very few people stay through the credits. Especially people who are gullible enough to believe there was an actual snuff film playing in theaters across America.
HAL_9OOO_@reddit
Everyone with an IQ over 80 knew it wasn't real. It would have been the biggest news story of the decade if it was.
andthrewaway1@reddit (OP)
lol there was not one time I ever thought it was anything more than a movie
fiddlenutz@reddit
I literally live 10 minutes from the place where it supposedly happened.
Diablojota@reddit
I saw it during that time, too. With some co-workers. This was also early days of internet and they had this website setup with police footage and everything for the marketing hype. They really did a great job with that. One of my co-workers was crying at the end. It was pretty scary. Stayed up later than usual. Ha!
guyako@reddit
Some people didn’t know if it was marketing or real. I think most of us knew it was fiction.
Persephone2009@reddit
Ugh, yes. This was me. I was in college and my boyfriend fell asleep next to me and I kept hearing every little noise in our apartment. Don't think I fell asleep at all that night.
29stumpjumper@reddit
Yeah, it seems silly now. But being 18, rarely being on the internet and definitely not looking up stuff like this and only knowing a few things people told you about it, it was seriously a fun experience during then the hours and even days after. The allure died pretty quickly but nothing can take away the way it was in the theater experience for those of us who didn't really know.
slithyknid@reddit
A few of us piled in a car and drove about 2 hours away to see it sooner in a big city nearby. We were all film fans, some film students, and although we knew the “omg it’s real” was a publicity stunt it was still a new type of experience. We enjoyed it and talked about it a lot afterwards but I remember driving home through the pitch dark at 1am the car was very quiet lol I went home to Maryland from that semester and spent the summer working at a sleepaway camp in the woods, and THAT was when I thought about that movie the most, lemme tell you
slithyknid@reddit
Absolutely random note: My roommate, who drove that night, played Sunscreem’s O2 in the car and while not brand new, it was the first time I’d heard it. The euphoric melody of “Love U More” at top volume while we sat in post-Blair Witch silence was a weird juxtaposition and core memory
Brock_Danger@reddit
I didn’t know anyone who thought it was real and we had a hard time even understanding that at the time. But me and my buddies were big into movies and horror in particular so we may have had a better read on it
I also had a hash brownie that night and let’s just say the movie was intense, was a blast
redhott1@reddit
Got motion sickness, cut a huge line for bathroom and threw up. Actual movie content, was bored and bf and I agreed it was dumb, not scary.
DrJJStroganoff@reddit
I was fooled into thinking it was real, my dad (sitting next to me) called bullshit the entire time.
RueTabegga@reddit
Saw it before we knew it wasn’t really found film. To this day I haven’t seen a movie that scared me as badly as TBWP did. Holy smokes it had me cracked. Literally every scary movie since hasn’t come close.
Looking back it was because it is so organic. No overly religious or other-worldly ghosts. So far ahead of its time.
If anyone can recommend a scary movie that actually scares please let me know. And yes, I’ve seen Heredity.
LuisMataPop@reddit
An incredible experience; part of you knew it wasn't real, but another part made you doubt it. That marketing stunt would be impossible to pull off these days; the internet was in its wildest era.
foxed-and-dogeared@reddit
I was across the country with my younger cousins to help a family member and saw it solo. (They went to another movie instead.) I remember being confused because people seemed to think it was real but there was no way it could be. I was a little freaked out at the end but I was far away from home with a lot of responsibility on my shoulders and couldn’t dwell on it at all.
arcxjo@reddit
Nauseating. I swear the whole thing was stealth advertising for Dramamine.
NopeYupWhat@reddit
I thought the camera movements were annoying. When the movie finally ended I sat there thinking was this suppose to scare me. Because it did not. I was as kind of bored for most of the movie so by time the end came I was over it already.
Space_bubbles013@reddit
My sister who is 8 years older than me and I went to see it. We were basically crawling into each others laps during the movie from huddling so close together 😂
ElleAnn42@reddit
I remember it being fun and a bit scary, but I never believed that it was real.
magyarsvensk@reddit
I saw it on opening night before I knew anything about it at an arthouse theater. I genuinely thought it was real up until the final scenes.
EverybodyBeCalm@reddit
Rocked and I saw it in Maryland (from Maryland) so it was extra awesome. Saw an early screening so the hype was still hyped. Great flick, felt real in the best way even though we knew it wasn't. Or did we.
TRGBFAN@reddit
It seemed real from the marketing hype, but like 20 minutes into it I started questioning, and when he said he threw the map in the river I started cracking up.
KBAR1942@reddit
Full disclosure: I missed it in theaters. However, I did try to watch it as soon as it was on cable.
I turned it off after 10 minutes. I understand it was a low budget film, but it was too obvious for me to enjoy. It was like watching a group of kids (which I guess they kind of were) running around with a camcorder trying to act like they were scared. I didn't buy it.
Significant_Mode50@reddit
I was 16 and sitting next to my crush. I don’t remember anything except plotting how to “act scared” and possibly grab his arm or hand… 🤣
shponglespore@reddit
I went with my mom, who was high and laughing the whole time, so I'm gonna go with embarrassing.
willows_edge@reddit
I grew up where it was filmed. When the movie came out we knew it wasn't real (especially when the local news did articles about it) but we weren't sure about the "legend." It took longer for us to figure out that was fake, too.
Even knowing it was fake, and knowing where they filmed were a relatively smaller/medium state parks, the movie still scary.
My favorite movie quote is from TBWP and I don't think anyone has ever gotten it.
guydoestuff@reddit
Boring till it was over and while walking out of the theater hearing people gasp that they can't believe that really happened. My buddies and I started laughing. Still loved the deer in headlights stare they gave me when I said "did you not just see written by directed by." Was the same with paranormal activity.
Abidarthegreat@reddit
I fell for the marketing, that it was found footage. It didn't scare me because even then I didn't believe in the supernatural, but I did feel sad that those kids were killed by some mentally ill lunatic in the woods.
I think if I had known it was fake, I would have considered it a subpaar horror film that made me a little motion-sick to watch.
Wharf_Rat777@reddit
I loved it.
Moofabulousss@reddit
I was 15- the internet was new (to me), and I had no freaking idea it was staged until weeks later. It scared the shit out of me. But it was sooo cool to be one of the few who saw it in theaters in my school. I saw it the day it was released.
Bla_Bla_Blanket@reddit
Scary and boring during some parts, the suspense was dragged out too much and made it 🥱 . The way is was advertised you couldn’t be sure if it was based on a true story or not.
EastTXJosh@reddit
I was in college and went a couple of buddies to see it in the theater. I remember being intrigued at first, but by the end, I remember walking out and asking my friends why we wasted our time.
BobNeilandVan@reddit
The end scared the shit out of me. Me and my buddy walked out of that theater thinking that those 3 kids died in the woods.
therearnogoodnames@reddit
As someone working in a theater at the time, there was a lot of vomit on the theater floors compared to other R rated movies.
Alcohol can make some people find the refresh rate of film projectors nauseating. You add a shaky camera on top of that and you got recipe for puking.
OKStormknight@reddit
Watched it opening night in an old school theater (Or what we called “a regular movie theater” back then.) Cheapass auditorium seats that creaked with every movement. Packed shoulder to shoulder and getting a face full of ass or crotch depending on the etiquette of the person squeezing by.
Not a person made a noise during the whole thing. Everyone was watching like they weren’t even breathing. When Mike (was it Mike) is talking about tossing the map, a nervous chuckle rippled through the crowd.
Someone opened the door to the theater at some point, which had people near it (including me) snapping towards the sound and light so fast you’d think you got whiplash.
Ending cane, and some folks screamed right along with Heather as the smash cut ended it:
It was a definite experience. Me and the friend I saw it with shuffled out feeling a little shell-shocked. “Hey… it’s after midnight, but I ain’t getting any sleep right now. IHOP?”
“IHOP.”
Don’t think I crashed out until 4AM.
Seems weird/funny to think about it 26 years later, but for that one weekend, that movie was gold-star.
SenorNeiltz@reddit
I knew it was fake -- but went into it with a "Santa" belief if that makes sense. Made it more fun. Why this movie seems to get brought up more than a lot other 90s films on Reddit is kinda interesting. I'm sure the novelty. I was 15-16 when I watched it with friends and after a month or so we were on to the next thing -- like a Blink 182 album or an American Pie movie. The Matrix was way more of an experience and enjoyable than Blair Witch for example.
theeewizzard@reddit
I smoked too many cigarettes beforehand, plus the shakey camera work = super nauseous the whole time. 10/10 would do again.
Federal_Base_2905@reddit
Horrible. I was on a date and don’t even remember the guy, I just remember feeling nauseous from the handheld filming and terrified from the plot.
Uztta@reddit
I left about halfway through. I thought the “found footage” schtick was stupid and ruined what could have been a good film. I couldn’t figure out why so many people thought it was real and it didn’t seem scary, just cheap and weird. I still haven’t seen the whole thing and probably never will.
StillhasaWiiU@reddit
I had a double feature of that and Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me. Didn't have have time to! hino about it.
Sad_Egg_5176@reddit
Saw this same double feature at a drive-in!
Technical_Knee3414@reddit
imagine calling 1999 a banger while the crowd around you kept overacting
Enigmatic_Observer@reddit
The Matrix
bananabastard@reddit
Fight Club.
graveybrains@reddit
It's a contender for best year for movies, ever. This isn't even all of them:
Varsity Blues
She's All That
Blast From The Past
October Sky
Office Space
Analyze This
Cruel Intentions
Lock Stock & Two Smoking Barrels
EDtv
10 Things I Hate About You
Go
Never Been Kisses
Entrapment (🎶 she dips beneath the lasers 🎶)
Idle Hands
The Mummy
The Phantom Menace
Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me
The Red Violin
Run Lola Run
South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut
American Pie
Arlington Road
Eyes Wide Shut
Runaway Bride
The Iron Giant
Mystery Men
The Sixth Sense
The Thomas Crown Affair
Brokedown Palace
Detroit Rock City
Stir of Echoes
American Beauty
Brining Out The Dead
Three To Tango
Being John Malkovich
House on Haunted Hill
Princess Mononoke
The Bone Collector
Pokémon: The First Movie
Dogma
Sleepy Hollow
The World Is Not Enough
End of Days
Toy Story 2
The Green Mile
Bicentennial Man
Magnolia
Girl, Interrupted
Any Given Sunday
Man On The Moon
Galaxy Quest
The Talented Mr. Ripley
spookycat5267@reddit
Wow, I spent a lot of time at the movies or the local video store that year. I was a sophomore that year and there wasn't much to do for teens in my small town, so we got lucky there were quality films coming out at least.
StillhasaWiiU@reddit
Sixth sense, Green Mile, Star Wars phantom menace, 13th Warrior, American Pie, South Park, Eyes Wide Shut, The Mummy... list goes on.
CanOfPenisJuice@reddit
And loads more. Ridiculous year for movies
CypressRootsMe@reddit
I saw all the movies the first half of the year. The second half, I was busy with a newborn.
Next_Letter@reddit
Disappointed and thought it was kinda stupid. Saw it with my dad.
Bminions@reddit
Really the main thing I remember from that time is a "review" from a kid in my Gov't class, he called it crap, couldn't see anything because of the camera work. It was a big deal at the time, sure, but that's about all I can actually reliably remember from then.
I still haven't seen it because even then I thought the concept was lame and did not at all believe it was true like some seemed to back then.
I still dislike the "found footage" style with random exceptions like Project Almanac
drvagers@reddit
Saw it weekend of release with a couple of friends. They had no clue it was all fiction, they thought it was like a documentary. At the beginning when there is some movement to the tent, a buddy leaned over and whispers, it’s a deer. When the tent gets smacked and goes wild my other friend shouted, was that a fucking deer! It was hilarious!
The_Pandalorian@reddit
Amazing, terrifying and electric. We hadn't had that kind of viral campaign before with the documentary, so there was an element of, "Wait, is this real?" even if in the back of your mind you knew it wasn't.
It was a pretty special experience.
zignut66@reddit
Midnight screening at the Varsity in the U-district in Seattle. Epic sold out screening and tons of fun.
chargoggagog@reddit
We went and then took our girlfriends for a walk in the woods that lasted no more than 45 seconds, it was awesome.
No_Effective_7495@reddit
Definitely motion sick! By the time I actually saw it, I was certain it was fake, but every time I’d talk to people about it, I’d find that many people still thought it was actual found footage, so it was a bit all over the place as far as your average citizen’s knowledge of it. There’s a podcast called “What Went Wrong” that has an episode about the making of it, and what a shit show it was. Y’all might find it interesting! Here the link:
https://open.spotify.com/episode/2QvaR6HxGrqsIcnfZlfPmU?si=ERpYkTuRSHC0XJL1_x1uFg
therealrexmanning@reddit
By the time it was released here in the Netherlands there was so much hype surrounding this film. Obviously by then it was already clear that it wasn't actual found footage and just a film afterall.
I was mostly bored and didn't care much for it. I was also working at a cinema at the time and most viewers seemed to be disappointed by it.
I finally rewatched it last year again and was surprised just how effective the film actually is. Where in 1999 I was bored, on my rewatch I was on the edge of seat and really loved the film.
atx840@reddit
I saw it in a drive through with my girlfriend (now wife), thinking our 17/15 year olds might like it, good to hear it can still hold up on a second viewing.
JMagician@reddit
It was pretty stupid. Not entertaining, pretty boring.
UnhappyReason5452@reddit
I hated it and still do.
Crazy-Ad-7869@reddit
I thought I'd be scared but I was bored.
Full theater.
captaindazzlebug@reddit
We didn't really know what to expect, but I was terrified afterwards. I was afraid to go to the bathroom in the dark for a while after, which is complete nonsense, I know.
SarahLibrarian@reddit
Saw this in the theater in Milwaukee as a teenager. Went to my neighborhood theater (which has been closed for years now) on the north side of the city, if you know, you know. People were using laser pointers on the screen, when the first dude went missing someone yelled out 'they gone have sex now,' and at the end of the movie lots of people were saying it was some BS and not even scary. So, thats my urban experience of this film. Prolly not the reaction you expected.
doorman666@reddit
My friend and I thought it sucked. Boring AF. Nothing happens the entire time, then it seems like something might happen, and it ends. We were pissed. Felt like we got conned by the marketing.
ovenmit_@reddit
It was the last scary movie I saw in a theater. As someone who had bought into the marketing for it, I was shaken. I also loved Jesus at the time and was very tied into the satanic element of it. There was so much praying. So. Much. Praying. lol
Own_Grapefruit8839@reddit
Went to see it after a week in the woods, with ine guy who didn’t know it was fake
amynicole78@reddit
I remember being so excited. People actually thought it was real. They did a good job marketing on the early internet.
Melraiser81@reddit
I loved it. One of my favorite experiences at the movie theater. I thought it was real after that documentary that was on Sci-Fi. I rewatched all TBW stuff recently including the 2 docs and can't believe I thought it was real. I was terrified. I was 17 or 18 and had been watching horror for years already. But getting lost, especially in the woods, is terrifying to me.
Eric848448@reddit
I did. And I thought it was dumb as hell.
atx840@reddit
I watched it in a drive through and everyone around us was freaked out. I knew it wasn’t real but was on edge the entire time….the end still sticks with me, thinking I should watch it with my teenage kids to get their insight.
ZacMuleer@reddit
I remember getting into big discussions (arguments) with my friends about whether it was real or not.
To the point that I made everyone stay through the credits and I pointed out the "this film is entirely fictional, any resemblance blah blah blah" showed on the screen.
Yet, they insisted that "they have to put that, but it's still real".
Maybe they were just fucking with me. 😆
Sisselpud@reddit
I worked in the downtown movie theater in a college town in 1999. It was lines out the door and the only movie where there was always multiple empty 40s on the floor at the end. The hype around the Minecraft movie and the rowdy audiences reminded me of this just for a slightly younger crowd.
This same summer I watched Run Lola Run as the only person in the theater for a complete opposite experience in terms of hype and crowds. I just watched everything since it was free and I had never heard of this movie, and judging by the empty theater neither had anyone else at that time. I was completely blown away and it remains to this day the only time I've been alone in a movie theater.
juniper3411@reddit
My dad and I saw Thinner in the theater and were the only ones there. It was eerie but cool. Hasn’t happened to me since.
Material-Jacket3939@reddit
I remember a woman standing up after it was over and yelling “I give that 0 stars!” and everyone applauding her.
Lothium@reddit
The last time this movie came up and I stated that we never believed the marketing that it was actual found footage people thought I was full of it.
I didn't know anyone that believed it was real, but I'm not from the US so...
elmoore306@reddit
I got motion sickness after a few minutes and had to keep my eyes closed for the entire movie!
Mcbadguy@reddit
A drunk guy in the back yelled "Judo chop!" right at the end when the girl gets knocked out. The whole theater had been on the edge of their seat but broke out a huge laugh. Any sense of fear anyone had been feeling completely vanished.
Extra_Mango_8547@reddit
So I was living in Chicago at the time and we got free passes to this movie from our college. Being a broke college student in my early 20's, my roommate and I saw that the theater by our apartment was participating. So we went that evening without knowing anything about it. It was the summer and hot and any excuse to get into some AC for a bit seemed worth it. Both my roommate and I are from CT. We have grown up with all the scary buildings in the middle of the woods, ghost stories, etc. We left that movie pretty shaken up, not having been prepared for any of what we watched. As we walked back to our place, we made it about 2 blocks away from the theater and *poof* lights out. With the heat, there were power issues and the timing was pretty horrendous for us. We had to walk all the way back, another 5-6 blocks in the pitch black of night. We didn't have cell phones or flashlights on us, so needless to say, I will never forget this movie and the night I first experienced it.
nuskit@reddit
My boyfriend (now husband) took me. He's significantly older than me, so he wasn't freaked out. I was just 19, and had been banned from scary movies after my dad took me to see a re-showing of The Blob in the mid-80s. I was clearly way too young for that, because the Blob still gives me nightmares.
Regardless, I convinced my boyfriend to take me to see Blair Witch. I was absolutely motion sick, and also scared out of my mind. Boyfriend physically took me out of the theater because I was shaking so hard I couldn't walk, and took me home.
I loved walking in the woods at night when I was a kid. Absolutely impossible to do now, and all camping is now done at beaches. Also, my dad reamed my boyfriend for taking me, said the rule of no scary movies was there for a reason.
It's now 2025, my dad has been dead for years, and my husband has continued the ban. Lol! I really want to see Psycho, but he's like "absolutely not", your dad will come back from the dead and kill me." Sure, I could just do it, but honestly, between the Blob & Blair Witch, I just listen to my dad. Some things don't need to be seen.
Pogokat@reddit
I could not stop laughing and my friends all got mad at me
getdownmakelooove@reddit
It was only showing at one indie theater in the Dallas area, I guess it was a preview screening. I knew it was just a movie, but my cousin who went with me did not. When we walked out of the theater when it was over, my cousin's face was white and she was speechless. She told me she was shocked that whoever found the footage was allowed to made a movie out of it. I couldn't contain my laughter any longer and told her it wasn't real. She was very relieved. But other people leaving also looked legit upset.
When the movie got a wider release, I went out on a date with a guy who hadn't seen it yet, so I saw it a 2nd time. Afterwards, we were confused about the part in the movie where the girl finds a bundle of sticks and teeth on the doorstep. So we went to his friend's house so we could use his WebTV and look up a website about the movie.
Atomesk@reddit
Lotta pissed off people when it ended. Lotta “That’s it?” Yelled at the screen.
Zolty@reddit
The lead up to it was amazing, my 16 year old brain thought it might be real until I saw the movie. As others said the actual movie wasn't great and did cause a bit of motion sickness.
SirLoinsALot03@reddit
I was a senior in HS and one day my buddy told me about this movie where they found the tapes of these people who went searching for a witch and disappeared. We went and saw it immediately not really knowing how authentic the tapes were or the truth of the back story. We also never saw a trailer or an ad for it.......we went in with just rumors and hearsay.
The movie scared the crap out of me and I'll never forget driving home after in the dark, completely terrified.
It was really a brilliant marketing technique in the pre internet age.
juniper3411@reddit
We did that too. It was pretty cool. I was definitely in my phase of wanting to believe it was real but knew it probably wasn’t. Love going in to movies with little to no information. Hard to do nowadays though.
Went in to Cabin Fever knowing nothing about it either. That was extra fun. Always been big into horror movies my whole life.
B_Reele@reddit
My group of friends loved it. We saw it on opening night. However, the movie wasn't the scary part for me that night.
I got dropped off to my house sometime after midnight things started to get weird. It's pitch dark out, darker than usual and I'm having issues unlocking the front door. I start to get this eerie feeling and feel my blood pressure rising. Out of the corner of my eye I see one of our bushes start shaking and making noise. I fumble with my keys harder not having any luck getting the door to open. Suddenly, a cat jumps out of the bush and I nearly have a heart attack!
That's my Blair Witch story.
TheRealDoomsong@reddit
It was sorta meh… like I liked the concept and it wasn’t the worst movie I’d seen, but it didn’t live up to the hype
Smart_Garbage6842@reddit
Saw it in the theater and my best friend immediately barfed all over my shoes after it was over. Apparently other people barfed elsewhere because of the shaky camera work
Alternative_Plan_823@reddit
It's honestly the only movie I've ever walked out of. My friend and I were the only ones in a group who seemed to know it wasn't real, which makes it pretty unbearable.
Onionbot3000@reddit
It spooked me quite a bit. I was in the army at the time lol and went on exercise a few days later in the Canadian wilderness. Hearing deer shuffle around my tent was really fun 🤣 the marketing of that film was genius.
JustAGreenDreamer@reddit
I was pretty scared.
zackks@reddit
Lame. I watched it and thought, “that was it!?!?”
pastryheart@reddit
Honestly pretty mediocre, I was working in film at the time and was a dot dismissive of the schtick. Also it was so over hyped, by the time I saw it I was pretty numb to it.
bumblebeetuna_melt@reddit
We left scared, confused, and thinking it was real!
StackDatChz@reddit
The added emotions of expectations from everyone saying how scary it was was pretty palpable during my viewing experience. I was a senior in high school and completely terrified. I think in our city it was still a "maybe this WAS real" sentiment and that added to it.
It was awesome.
Soggy_Porpoise@reddit
Was kinda boring. The best part of seeing it in a theater was seeing how worked up people had gotten.
Historical_Bass8937@reddit
I didn’t sleep through the night and didn’t watch horror movies for the next 3 years. I knew it was fake but the little voodoo dolls around the tent took me out.
JMurph3313@reddit
Went with a group of friends and discussed whether it was real or not. Creeped us out good. Afterwards one friend asked why the girl was in the corner at the end 🤦♀️. It was a fun experience overall
Spaceboy779@reddit
The end did make me jump, lol.
chachacha3123@reddit
Everyone was terrified! I saw it when it first came out
Fweezle@reddit
I took my new GF on our first date there. Once the running in the woods started I noticed she was getting really uncomfortable or scared. So, I thought "hey, now's a great time for the ol' smoothy arm reach." Brought her in slow and close and she pulled away. I was embarrassed and as I went to apologize she leaned over and threw up all over my shoes.
Ayuuun321@reddit
It scared the piss out of me (not literally) because I thought it was real when I saw it 😂 I was a young teen.
ryaca@reddit
I saw it in the theater. I remember it being scary, but I felt like it didn't quite live up to the hype.
PinkCupcke007@reddit
It was a lot of fun. I saw it with my boyfriend and a group of friends. We went to the woods afterwards and scared ourselves
GoodMourning81@reddit
I fell asleep watching it. The camera work was enough to give me motion sickness.
Some-One-Two@reddit
Went with my son who hyped it up. I’m big on movies-all types. I thought the fake take on being scared was horrible acting and a waste of film.
Key-Leading-3717@reddit
I remember hearing about it pre-release and got me excited by the “real footage”. As I watched it, I realized it was not real, though I still enjoyed it. As a high schooler, it led me and my friends to do a bunch of “scary” pranks at parties in the woods.
MidlifeCrisisToo@reddit
It was pretty crazy. People were freaking out, the viral campaign was the best ever.
OpiumPhrogg@reddit
It wasn't even that big of a deal - I grew up playing in spooky woods so I was like, yeah....so? I had a hard time getting why so many people in urban areas thought it was so scary , someone had to tell me that the majority of those people haven't ever really set foot in the woods before.
Morastus@reddit
My friend was desperate for us to go see it. The news was saying it was so scary that people were leaving the theater and couldn’t finish it. We went and about half way thru it. He leans over to me and says. “People are leaving this movie because it sucks.” Greatest realization to not believe anything you hear and only half of what you see. Have a great day all
Status_Entrepreneur4@reddit
I watched it with my brother and a friend at an afternoon matinee never forget, walking outside in the bright sun, still shaking, and being freaked out from the last scene. It didn’t hold up as well and rewatch, but that first experience was unforgettable.
42Parcival@reddit
Boring.
beachbummeddd@reddit
I went to what looked like a completely abandoned theater in a seemingly abandoned parking lot outside of either ocean city or wild wood NJ city limits. I think it was ocean city. You couldn’t sell alcohol in the city and I imagine there wasn’t a movie theater either and so that’s why we had to leave the city limits. Maybe we were the only people in the theater. It literally looked completely abandoned. I think my friend and I left thinking “that was it?” Never been into scary/horror stuff. But it was really hyped so we went.
throwawayfromPA1701@reddit
Ocean City is still dry to this day
beachbummeddd@reddit
Figured as much.
vervecovers@reddit
I remember it was fine, but the stronger memory is finding out after that a friend had died of an overdose. That had a bigger impact than the movie.
ImightHaveMissed@reddit
Motion sickness and a lot of “really?! WTF did you do that for?!”
dogtor_howl@reddit
So much fun! I love a jump scare, and TBWP, Scream, and I Know What You Did Last Summer all delivered.
Swimming-Trifle-899@reddit
It was really fun to be in a room full of freaked out people. Lots of screams and gasps and stuff. BUT someone puked loudly towards the end and that was…less fun and engaging.
Paulruswasdead@reddit
I loved it, I think we did a double feature with “the 6th sense” it was a good one-two punch.
StormyStenafie@reddit
I saw it with my bf at the time (later married and divorced). The theater was packed, so we had to sit towards the front.
It was kind of a rowdy crowd, but it didn't take away from the experience.
When it ended, I jumped up to leave, but my bf was planted in his seat, he was in shock 😆 He took a minute to recover and we left. I teased him about that for a long time haha.
accidentprone2@reddit
My stepdad took me late on a weekend night. I thought it was pretty scary. But as we approached the front door, me behind him, he looked down and said "What the hell is this? A bundle of sticks?".
I nearly jumped out of my skin.
Riker_Omega_Three@reddit
Well, I made the mistake of getting pretty buzzed before I went
I was not prepared for the motion sickness
It was an interesting experience....but truth be told, that's not a movie theater movie IMHO
That movie is best viewed at night, at home, with all the lights off...preferably somewhere near the woods
And I think smaller screens make it scarier.
Like Imagine it's 2002
In the early 2000's, I was at the lake with some friends and we were staying at a cabin in the woods
We watched the BWP on an old 32" TV and then sat around a fire pit afterwards in the middle of no where
That experience...was way WAY more intense than the movie theatre
TraditionalMood277@reddit
Utterly disappointing. This is what everyone was amazed/terrified by?
phillysleuther@reddit
I saw it first on home video. This was pre-release. I worked at a movie theater from 1997-2002. My best friend at the time had a younger brother who at the time was somebody at Teen People. He got the video from someone there and we all piled into this guy’s living room. When it came out in theaters, we all watched it again. I don’t like scary movies, and this was no exception. (Honestly, the last scary movie I saw was the first Conjuring). We had a hell of a time keeping kids under 17 out of it.
We had two prints of it, I think it was. They were in a smaller theater (I think it was theaters 7 and 18). We had to move them to our biggest two theaters (1 and 24).
Lawrenceburntfish@reddit
My girlfriend and I were adamant that it was real and we had to go find the location.... I was 19... 🙄😀
dominator5k@reddit
I remember everyone complaining about the first person camera being terrible. And making fun of it because they "tried to make us believe it was real". I think I was the only one that liked it lol. I also didn't like the camera though
loztriforce@reddit
I went opening weekend and the theater was packed.
For me, a personal experience a few years prior made the ending much more impactful: back around ‘95 a friend had a bad trip and thought the aliens and the FBI were coming for us (yes the XFiles was popular).
I’m off in la la land when I look over and see my friend standing facing the corner, mumbling some shit to himself.
So when I saw that part, my heart dropped, having flashbacks of it.
I thought the movie’s premise was cool, and the marketing brilliant, but the shaky footage was sometimes hard to stomach.
RainbowCakeSprinkles@reddit
I got very motion sick, very quickly. Ended up covering my eyes for most of the movie, and then I threw up in the car park afterwards.
Still have no idea what actually happens in the movie.
funatical@reddit
I got a prerelease copy and watched it with some friends out in my parents barn (had an apartment over it). Found footage horror wasn’t well known but I found it boring and still find found footage horror shitty. The exception is the REC series.
SunshineInDetroit@reddit
the movie was fun and pretty creepy but it wasn't too bad.
But it made night mtb rides really scary
Chubbadog@reddit
I saw a matinee and walked out into the sunshine afterward shook.
Literallyn00necares@reddit
I just remember the dumbest and most dramatic friends in the friend group thinking it was real, and I always kind of knew they weren't super bright but that definitely clarified things.
Reasons_2resist@reddit
Saw it at the drive in. It was great! Double feature with the second film being American Pie. Great combo. Was 16 years old and with my girlfriend.
ScoopOKarma@reddit
Saw it opening weekend at the Angelica theater in NYC which is a smaller art housey type spot. They had “evidence” on display in lucite boxes in the lobby like a museum installation with workers positioned so nothing could be touched. People were gathered around and talking in whispers like we were at a crime convention while waiting to be let into the theater.
The lead up marketing was minimal and intriguing and so there was still a strong believe that it was mostly legit. The theater atmosphere just amplified that.
The place was packed and you could feel everyone’s tension in the air. When the movie ended, everyone was silent and remained so as we all just sort of got up in unison and exited out into the streets. Then you could hear nervous chatter begin as people started to go their separate ways and begin discussing what we just saw.
The friend I went with, who was not into horror movies to begin with, was on edge the rest of the evening and made me sleep over because she didn’t want to be alone.
10/10 movie experience.
CypressRootsMe@reddit
I never thought it was real. I didn’t find it very scary until I went to bed that night. We lived in a house built in the 1890s with mild activity, so I was extra creeped out.
chongax@reddit
Personally. It was incredible. I was 16-17 and leading up to it we all thought it was real. They had a real primitive website you could look at prior to release. It was greatness honestly.
OohBeesIhateEm@reddit
As the movie ended, someone yelled “THAT was it?!” and everyone laughed. We were all so disappointed!
salami_cheeks@reddit
The producers didn't mind the confusion about whether it was a movie or real footage. I knew better, but I suspended disbelief for a couple of hours and told myself, "This is real."
My gf made me quit holding her hand, I was squeezing it so hard. Scared the hell out of me. Had a great time!
austinmiles@reddit
It was my first found footage film and it was jarring. I saw it with my dad and the end we both just sat there. It felt like your brain really adopted the first person pov and so when they died suddenly at the end it left you feeling really empty. I don’t know how to describe it.
That was the discussion I remember as we slowly snapped out of it.
ontheprowl23@reddit
Edge of your seat
Kellzy1212@reddit
We saw it premiere night at the midnight showing. It was confusing, unnerving and creepy. At the time, it was being marketed heavily as real. We had our doubts, but they did an amazing job making them feel like real people.
Feralest_Baby@reddit
It was just a movie for me. An interesting concept, but just a movie.
KudosOfTheFroond@reddit
That last fucking scene still haunts me. That person standing in the corner of a dark room
cidvard@reddit
I saw it after the hype cycle had peaked and was coming down a little, and I'm not a big horror movie fan. So it was...fine. Cool concept but a little eh if you went in knowing the gimmick.
puretexanbeef@reddit
Nauseating
atlmobs@reddit
It was awesome. I saw it in Maryland and people were like “Oh my god, I know that place!”
chrisdecaf@reddit
It was phenomenal. People who didn't "get" the ending... were they just... not paying attention?
2eForeverDM@reddit
It got booed and most of us were pissed at the ending.
skeletorsleftlung@reddit
I saw it on opening weekend with my first wife and our friends. When we first saw the commercials for it, I was skeptical but my wife bought in completely. She seemed to be having a lot of fun with it so I decided to suspend disbelief and bought in too. I remember being somewhat disappointed by the ending, but other than that we talked about it for hours afterwards. It was a fun little cultural touchstone.
RevolutionaryBake362@reddit
Went with my girlfriend 19-20 years old. We went straight home logged into aol to check and see if it was real. We were orginally convinced it was a documentary. Sigh of relief when we found out it was all fake.
LaFlamaBlancakfp@reddit
I saw it at ucf during a student screening with the director. It was great to watch it, then hear about the making and choices they made in production.
Searchlights@reddit
My friend and I walked in to the movie theater just to see whether anything was playing, and it so happened to be the day that the movie premiered. We walked in to the showing knowing absolutely nothing about what we bought tickets to see except that it appeared to be something scary.
It was very unsettling at the time because there was no way to know how much of it was real.
throwawayfromPA1701@reddit
Needed a dramamine to see it
Unfortunately someone decided shakeycam was the best thing ever and we got stuck with it everywhere for the next two decades.
wheres_the_revolt@reddit
Literally saw it cold (had not seen any advertising for it). Went on opening day. It completely freaked me the fuck out. I was staying at my mom’s for the week and I couldn’t sleep (there was a gate outside the bedroom that kept making noise), so I slept in my mom’s bed for the first time since I was a little kid 😂
jankymahg78@reddit
I went alone because no one wanted to be scared. It was PACKED; waited in line outside, then inside again.
Afterwards, I got back to my parent's house and sat in the car, too scared to walk up the path in the dark.
SubstanceFearless348@reddit
It was dope tbh. People didn’t really know if it was real or not
AlarmedRaccoon619@reddit
I spent about 20 minutes after the movie sitting in the parking lot trying not to throw up. It was extremely disappointing that I put myself through that for a relatively mediocre movie.
Mode6Island@reddit
Bunch of friends didn't get it, "wernt scared" thought it was lame, roughly even split. Thought it was visionary and intense and likely an instant clasic. Strangely the not scared crowd were often more weird around the woods than this who loved it and went looking for trouble lol. I also thought cabin fever was gonna stick so take it with a grain of salt
colorfastbeef138@reddit
I went on a date and had no idea what it was about. I walked out of the theater with the feeling of what the heck did I just watch kind of feeling. I thought it was real footage for a moment. 😅
WhiskersinStrudel@reddit
I saw it when we still thought it was real, summer before starting college. I'm originally from the greater DC area and Burkittsville was only like a half hour away. I remember being upset that the Washington Post hadn't covered this "local news story" at all and I had to hear about it from a movie 🙃 But yeah, it was terrifying and also nauseating.
FinishingMyCoffee1@reddit
I never saw it in theaters, but it was leaked online months before release. Really added a great deal to the whole "found footage" mystery. It was still being shopped and there was no marketing yet. That was a cool moment in time.
Economy_Ask4987@reddit
The only time I felt spooked leaving a theater…
Chito17@reddit
It was wild. I went with a big group of friends and it was a packed theatre. People were screaming and some of the girls in my group were crying at the end. One guy got up when the credits rolled and loudly said "what a fucking waste of time." I thought it was cool and unique. Especially how the characters talked, it felt real. My good friend said "I can't believe those people's families left them use that footage." People legit thought it actually happened!
NewKidOnTheBloc@reddit
I saw it on a weekend outing when I was working at a summer camp in the woods. Did not have information about the movie going in. Definitely could not sleep that night alone in the cabin.
OldCrappyCouch@reddit
It was fun with the big sound system because you could hear everything. Over all we were underwhelmed, but it was one of the first movies of its kind, so it was a neat novelty. I prefer watching the VHS on a CRT screen these days. It just looks better.
JeffFromTheBible@reddit
I left 20 minutes into it with what I thought was just motion sickness, but was motion sickness on top of the food poisoning I'd just gotten at dinner beforehand.
Never tried to rewatch it.
Responsible-Rip-6505@reddit
I was 16 and saw it with my best friend. We both fell for the ads and thought it was real footage. I stayed at her house that night, and we kept the lights on all night and barely slept. It was summer so we had the windows cracked open and both swore we could hear someone moving rocks around outside all night. Oh, to be that young and naive again
thatlldoyo@reddit
It was a let down compared to what we had been hearing about it. I think I was about 13 or 14 when I saw it.
eatyourface8335@reddit
My girlfriend and I were the only people in the theater. We spent part of the movie making sweet love. Overall, a great film. 👍👍
kandykaiju@reddit
Looked at my friend like what just happened? Legit didn’t understand it, was that guy in the corner huh I think so, but we were pretty faded.
Kind of a let down but the lead up to the ending was interesting.
lizzistardust@reddit
Loved! It! It was so immersive, with the way it was filmed and having seen the "documentary." The whole crowd was super reactive, and it was easy to get swept up in that.
I knew people who couldn't watch it because of the motion of the camera, though. Nausea and/or headaches.
Two_Eagles@reddit
I went in knowing absolutely nothing about it, and it was a cool experience.
JJHall_ID@reddit
It was a fun experience. I saw it in a little indy theater, where the A/C was broken at the time. This resulted in the theater being hot and everyone being a bit uncomfortable, which put everyone a bit on edge to begin with. Couple that with a huge percentage of the audience actually believing it was found footage and 100% real, and it was a people-watching dream come true! I had one friend that believed it was real until several weeks later when he finally saw an interview on TV with the main actress, then finally believed the rest of us when we told him it was just a movie.
Darwyn_Strangehand@reddit
I went to see it with a buddy. We were seniors in high school at the time and hoping to be scared shitless. I can't remember if I went into it thinking it was real found footage or not. I probably thought it was or at least wanted to think it was. Either way, after it was over I thought it was unscary and more obnoxious than anything.
There is a point in the movie where the characters realize they are going in circles because they cross a creek at a point that they know they've crossed it before. Now, I am the least outdoorsy person you'll meet with zero survival skills, but I sat there for the rest of the movie silently screaming at the characters to JUST TURN RIGHT OR LEFT AND FOLLOW THE CREEK OUT! Their idiocy took me completely out of the movie. When the end came and they all presumably get "got" or whatever, i just remember thinking, "good!"
It was kind of a milestone for me because going to the movies was always a big deal when I was a kid. It was a little less special in high school because we did it a lot, but still always fun even when the movies weren't very good. This was the first time I ever left the theatre mad at the experience and wanting my money back. I definitely remember my friend felt the same way.
disgirl4eva@reddit
Motion sickness. No antics or anything.
Emotional_Dot_5207@reddit
I found it online somehow and showed my friends. We saw the website and were so hyped up about it. It was real! Saw it matinee on opening day and it was terrifying. I loved horror movies, but this seemed like a snuff film. I was fine mostly until that wall scene in the basement. I had nightmares. A literal “I’m scared to close my eyes. I’m scared to open them.” feeling.
My friend and I were supposed to go camping for a week the next day with my mom, and we brought her parents’ video camera and random shit like a stake and garlic. Why? Idk, but we just went for on any supernatural horror trope problem solving. bahahahahaha. We were 14ish? We walked around filming like “:gasp: there’s a pile of rocks!” (No I hadn’t been camping or hiking before.)
I wish people understood it was groundbreaking at the time. IMO it still holds up as all its imitators are polished looking now. Everyone’s faces look Hollywood. These actors’ fear was palpable because they also thought it was real and that can’t be replicated. (And shouldn’t be. They were abused. Wildly unethical.)
Watched the sequel and I walked out. It was soo bad.
Roobix9@reddit
Nauseating. I was in the front row (only seats left) and just about lost it.
I thought it was truly scary at the time.
Showed my dad as soon as it came out to rent, and it was much more boring on the small screen.
Inquiring_Octopus@reddit
I didn’t see the end. My date got motion sickness and we left early.
Micronto65bymay@reddit
I grew up in the town next to where the movie is set. And we saw it in the closest theater. But it was obvious that it wasn't real and we knew this going into it. Still, it was scarey for a 16 year old. Glad I saw it.
Historical-Piglet-86@reddit
There was so much hype.
I remember leaving and being disappointed.
It was a good life lesson.
eastern-cowboy@reddit
Wow…..this awakened a memory. It was back when rumor was still king, so many people went in believing it was real footage. Not very easy to fact check, and especially from the theater. The hype was fun for that 15 minutes.
Smrfet8@reddit
Went opening night to meet friends. The theater was on the edge of “woods”. When it got out the parking lot was empty and I had a friend walked me to my car. We jumped in so fast and I drove him to his car.
Next morning my dad woke me at 5am to go on the hunting trip we had planned. That was the scariest weekend of my life.
5hallowbutdeep@reddit
Disappointed because I was already watching a lot of asian horror films during that time
Hot_Championship_411@reddit
So we enjoyed it, thought it was super creepy. Our local movie theater had a fairly large section of woods behind it that we almost went wandering into after we got out, haha.
der_innkeeper@reddit
Was a pretty good experience.
The better experience was leaving a pile of rocks balanced in front of my friend's door at the hotel we were staying at.
She screamed when she opened the door.
captain_stoobie@reddit
Oh I can answer this one! My friend worked at the movie theater so he snuck 4 of us all into the last showing of the night. I knew nothing about the movie beforehand, it was simply a free movie on a night where we had nothing to do.
It was genuinely terrifying. I had to fell myself multiple times during the movie that this is just a movie. Then to enhance the terror we all decided to hike through the woods after the movie got out around midnight. Good times!
Accurate_Barnacle_16@reddit
It was a time when information wasn’t as easily spread, and answers couldn’t quickly be found. Went opening night, and still wasn’t sure if it was real or not. Honestly, it was mostly all psychological, as everyone kept waiting for something to happen. Combine the suspense with the motion sickness from constant camera movement, and it was pretty damn scary. It’s a scenario that could never be replicated again.
J_Robert_Matthewson@reddit
Nauseating.
Swimminginthestorm@reddit
It was fine. My friend asked me if I thought it was real. I told them it wouldn’t be playing at chain theaters if it was real.
Chet_Phoney@reddit
The buildup the year before set the tone for us as 14 year olds. My best buddy was an aspiring horror film maker and my folks lived out in the country surrounded by cornfields and forest. Those years were able to give me some of the best memories of my entire youth. Words cant describe the fun we had
Phoniceau@reddit
Ugh it was ridiculous. I thought it was terrible. I felt like I wasted $6 on a ticket to see it. We laughed a lot about it after…
YourGuyK@reddit
Multiple people threw up outside of the theater. I was thankfully not one of them, although I could have been.
I saw it at the "art film" theater opening weekend, so the crowd was pretty into it. The gasps when the guy is standing in the corner at the end were pretty cool.
Crusty-Watch3587@reddit
motion sickness
Johnykbr@reddit
I saw it at an indy theatre when People still weren't sure. It was an amazing experience and to this day I have a soft spot for a good found footage movie.
Electronic_World_894@reddit
I had a few friends go. Some got motion sickness and others said it was upsetting. So I didn’t go. 😂
metmerc@reddit
It was a fine movie. I didn't find it especially scary or anything of that nature.
I was working at a summer camp at the time and had driven an hour or so back to my hometown to see it with friends. It was a little spooky driving back to the camp, through the forest at night.
tallulahtaffy@reddit
I was working in a camp that summer as well and that weekend was between sessions. I saw Blair Witch and then went back to camp to attempt to sleep in an empty victorian house in the woods, I remember that night too! Not even sure which parts of the memory were the film at this point.
metmerc@reddit
Oh damn. That sounds even more eerie than the rustic cabins I had to sleep in.
sok283@reddit
I was so scared, but I'm not a scary movie person. That's the last time I ever saw a scary movie in the theater.
KaleidoscopeShort408@reddit
The marketing had gotten me so scared that I took a stuffed animal in with me to see the movie. I was 18 and hadn't used stuffed animals in years. I saw it by myself while out of state visiting family. Honestly, I was pretty disappointed. I grew up in the woods and was then very interested in Wicca, so... yeah. Not scary. And as soon as I was like, huh, this isn't scaring me, I saw through the viral marketing tactics. Instructive, really. 😅
Funny to think what a horror fiend I've become since then!
Comfortable_Tale9722@reddit
The mid to late 90s was a banger for movies. I was in HS when Blair witch came out and went with my HS group of friends. Yes it was jerky to watch, but did scare me.
midnight-dour@reddit
Line out the door and around the theater. I was hyped…and it was one of the most boring movies ever. My dad was annoyed that he got dragged into taking me.
orangina_it_burns@reddit
It was basically before social media and there were a bunch of found footage horror movies around the same time. This is the one that made it mainstream. I was watching a lot of indie movies; the filmmakers and community were very excited that basically the hoax could be pulled off, as the audiences genuinely thought it was real. I don’t think you could do that for much longer afterwards.
TheDevil-YouKnow@reddit
Such a letdown. I have no idea how this horseshit even managed to stay in the collective memory, beyond it kick starting the puke fest that is found footage genres.
And after you watch it, with all the promotion being OH THIS IS SO REAL you leave, finding yourself questioning how any of that was close to real. The blurry Bigfoot was realer than that shit.
Cosmohumanist@reddit
I watched a bootleg (that was part of their secret marketing campaign) and told that the film was real.
That shit fucked us up for weeks till we were told it was fake.
PracticableSolution@reddit
It was touted as this huge thing and honestly it was just a disappointment.
theguineapigssong@reddit
The hype was unreal and the showing absolutely lived up to it.
irelace@reddit
I was 12 and we totally bought that it was real, until he credits rolled at the end and I started to peice it together.
Jungle0009@reddit
They were walking, walking, something about a map..walking. It’s over. Everyone in the theater was pissed.
AdelleDeWitt@reddit
I saw it in the very beginning when people weren't sure if it was real or not. It was at a small independent theater and the entire lobby of the theater had been set up to be a museum with relics from the forest, and they did a very good job of making it look like all of this was real. It was very fun.
FnordRanger_5@reddit
The hype around it at first was pretty big: scariest movie ever, was it real or wasn’t it…?, only one kid was ever heard from again, etc
The actual experience… it was spooky, it was kind of boring, but it was interesting and I wasn’t sure for sure if it was real until the end… and then I was just annoyed
bananabastard@reddit
I didn't go in thinking it was real, I already knew it was fake, but it was still very hyped, and the word was it was worth watching for its realism.
DonutNo705@reddit
I had a friend who had a pirated VHS of it. I had just moved into my own house with friends and had a movie night. None of us knew what to think, but soon after it came out in theatres, and we realized we'd been had.
orangina_it_burns@reddit
That honestly sounds like a better experience
Wild-Sky-4807@reddit
I do remember that the rumors about it being found footage had been debunked by that point. That did take a little the magic way, but it was super fun. It was so different from many movie I'd ever seen before.
donkykongjr@reddit
Confusing
Any_Pickle_9425@reddit
It was fun. I was in high school. I thought it might be real, hahaha. It was fun getting scared but that’s the extent of it.
SidFinch99@reddit
Disappointment because it wasn't really scary, and a lot of nausea.
LooksLikeAWookie@reddit
Saw it at a small indie theater during the initial limited release. Felt like an original, life-changing movie that got your blood pounding. Saw it again at a major theater during the wide release and the magic wasn't the same.
tinyand_terrible@reddit
I saw it the same day I first tried ecstasy, I remember that day like it was yesterday. Great experience, but terrifying too. Also learned not to waste good party drugs on a movie
andthrewaway1@reddit (OP)
I had a similar exp but with different things and the matrix
Kaiser-Sohze@reddit
I saw it at night and it was spooky. The whole ride home, I kept looking into the back seat. I was 14 then which was prime scaring age.
ksigguy@reddit
I saw it in theaters when in I was 16 with a friend. It was fairly scary. It did a good job of being confusing and hectic. I’ve never watched it again so I don’t know how it holds up.
I have to say though that the scariest movie I’ve ever watched in the theater was Event Horizon. I remember being so happy we saw it during the daytime and that it was a hot summer day when we got out.
Temporary-Line3409@reddit
People laughed at the end. Lol.
Themoosemingled@reddit
Great. The second afternoon when they’re walking around lost in the woods and the sun is going down and it’s gotten worse each night- pure terrifying nausea.
rotorocker@reddit
Top two shittiest movies I ever saw, the other being Freddy got fingered. And yes, I was 15 in 1999 so I was the prime demographic for Blair witch.
digitaldingo75@reddit
Saw it was bored half way in.
padlrchik@reddit
I watched it at a small theater in rural western North Carolina while on a road trip where the sleeping arrangements were camping. I don’t do well with scary movies but I had a really hard time following the plot because of the intentionally shaky camera work. And seeing up her nose so much was a bit distracting. Then I totally did not understand the ending and left unimpressed.
One would think that sleeping in a tent in the woods after that would be impossible but I was just so confused about what I’d just seen that I slept just fine.
I miss being able to sleep on the ground and still wake up refreshed.
humanist-misanthrope@reddit
The girl I took to movie started crying and left halfway through the movie.
andthrewaway1@reddit (OP)
see she wasn't being performative... bc she actually just left....
BalrogRuthenburg11@reddit
Squishy
Humanity_NotAFan@reddit
My buddy and I went together and had very different experiences. I loved the raw, documentary feel. But I was never scared or uncomfortable. and I was let down by the "reveal." I wanted something big. On the other hand, my friend was fucking terrified the entire time! Like, if deeply affected him. My dude was not right for the rest of the night lol. He still claims it as his favorite movie of all time.
SerpentineSorceror@reddit
The hype that surrounded this movie was the wildest part of this whole experiance, making it sound like these were 3 real undergrads who vanished and the footage we're seeing is the last thing they shot.
Then you went and saw it and, well....I'm not gonna lie I was rather underwhelmed. It had it's moments of tension, but it didn't feel very tense for long as the three kept on walking in the woods and...not much really happens. Not until the end where things finally pick up, and then it just...ends. I remember walking out of the theater with my mom and just looking at her like "what the hell was that?"
Watching it again, without being a sarcastic ass teenager, I could appreciate what the movie was trying to do. The execution needed a little more work, some more danger peppered into the movie would have helped, but it wasn't a bad effort. I tell you what though, some people got right and proper freaked out. Not crying in the hallway freaked out, but left and would not come back and will not watch the movie again.
pvotemycomment@reddit
I remember getting a headache watching it
somanysheep@reddit
Horrible, that movie was a joke at the time.
marco3055@reddit
Very disappointing. Me and my friends felt so tricked. Good PR, though. I re-watched the movie a few months ago with a different take. It seemed better compared to the heavily CGI stuff being used today in movies. Maybe because I knew what to expect, but it was interesting. The charming part to me was how they were able to pull that success with so little resources/funding. At the time, it was obviously very original.
Jokierre@reddit
It was one of a few movies I watched alone in the theater. I found it nauseating for the most part, but engaging enough. The room was quiet throughout (and a stark difference to today — a key reason I skip the theater entirely now). The final minutes were a good build, but I distinctly remember thinking “that’s it”?
Rob_Bligidy@reddit
A immense near nausea inducing disappointment.
KoRaZee@reddit
It made me nauseous
FacePalmTheater@reddit
I knew it was just a movie going in, something others seemed upset about. I personally thought it was a very cool, immersive idea for a film.
Moosterion@reddit
Towards the end there is a scene where they are running through the woods panting and screaming with the camera shaking and whatnot. The video cut out in my theater but the sound kept running (probably a burned out bulb). This lasted for maybe two minutes and I thought it was part of the film. It struck me as a very bold choice to have no video for any portion of a motion picture but in that scene it sort of made sense. Then the house lights came on and everyone was given an emergency pass for another movie and the spell was broken.
Deep-Interest9947@reddit
It’s definitely the only movie I ever saw where I was actively clutching someone in the theater during the jump scares.
But I can’t say I thought about it much after it was over. Like I wasn’t traumatized by it or anything.
Rare-Treat-2727@reddit
I saw it in the theater opening weekend. Went in not knowing much about it and was scared shitless. It absolutely felt real. Didn’t want to sleep alone in my apartment for at least a week.