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What happened at the end of The Blaire Witch Project?

Cutty Flam

Banned


This is one of the most disturbing endings of any film imo. And it accomplishes this feat without even having planted a clear idea of how it ended in the audience’s head. Completely up to imagination; it’s highly ambiguous

What happened to the guy standing in the corner? Was he hanging in mid-air by a rope? Was he petrified with fear and just died standing somehow? I am extremely curious as to what happened to Josh and Mike. Heather too. I think Heather saw and was face to face with the Witch when she started screaming. There’s no telling what she saw, or if she even was near the Witch but something makes me imagine she must have been
 

Mr Hyde

Member
One of the towns people, when being interviewed for the documentary, tells Heather and her crew the legend of Rustin Parr, and how he abducted multiple children. He took them to the basement, and there he made one of the children stand in a corner while killing the other. This was done because he didn't want to see the anguish and sorrow of the surviving child when he murdered the other one.

The ending of Blair Witch is brilliantly set up, just because the fact that the interview with the person who tells the story, is a blink and you'll miss it moment. It's one of the spookiest and most haunting too, not only because Heather's frantic screams, but because the entire movie is ambiguous about the nature of the legend of Blair Witch and Rustin Parr. It's not the things you see that is scary, it's the things you don't.
 
Filmmakers out to make documentary, non fiction vehicle for truth seeking. Instead they find illogical supernatural horror beyond comprehension. Contrast palpable. Entire film set up for that moment. Reason so disturbing because of viewers have enough clues to draw own conclusion but not enough to make sense of situation. Imagination runs wild.

Wish more modern films could be as restrained, focus less on abusing special effects.
 

Cutty Flam

Banned
Filmmakers out to make documentary, non fiction vehicle for truth seeking. Instead they find illogical supernatural horror beyond comprehension. Contrast palpable. Entire film set up for that moment. Reason so disturbing because of viewers have enough clues to draw own conclusion but not enough to make sense of situation. Imagination runs wild.

Wish more modern films could be as restrained, focus less on abusing special effects.
Same here. When I heard people talk about at first, I was only 8 at the time. Just hearing the title and the little bits that I was able to eavesdrop on I was kind of nervous. I only watched a little bit of it in what must have been real early 2000s

When I watched the entire movie as an adult, was shocked at how well conceived the movie was. You can maybe pass it off to a naive friend possibly as an actual documented account into the forrest to seek a witch. If I were in middle school or high school first time I saw it I know I would have fell for it for at least a bit

I like the execution of The Blair Witch Project. Also a fan of Cloverfield. I wish there was another blockbuster horror with a similar approach in the making
 
Same here. When I heard people talk about at first, I was only 8 at the time. Just hearing the title and the little bits that I was able to eavesdrop on I was kind of nervous. I only watched a little bit of it in what must have been real early 2000s

When I watched the entire movie as an adult, was shocked at how well conceived the movie was. You can maybe pass it off to a naive friend possibly as an actual documented account into the forrest to seek a witch. If I were in middle school or high school first time I saw it I know I would have fell for it for at least a bit

I like the execution of The Blair Witch Project. Also a fan of Cloverfield. I wish there was another blockbuster horror with a similar approach in the making
Yeah the scrappy low budget nature is part of Blair Witch's magic.
But do love Cloverfield. Amazing concept. Big budget filtered through low quality video filmed by regular joe. One of those films better on a TV than theater.

A friend recently recommended me Lake Mundo. Found footage/documentary combo, but different approach to Blair Witch. Worth your time.
 

Smh, Iwata died in vain
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I was working as a projectionist for Cobb Theatres when this movie came out. I'd never heard of the movie, or its premise, I just assumed it was horror from the title.
I built the print, then screened it from the booth late night to make sure I had built it properly. Watching it alone through the monitor speaker in a creepy ass dimly lit projection booth was quite the experience.
 

Cutty Flam

Banned
Yeah the scrappy low budget nature is part of Blair Witch's magic.
But do love Cloverfield. Amazing concept. Big budget filtered through low quality video filmed by regular joe. One of those films better on a TV than theater.

A friend recently recommended me Lake Mundo. Found footage/documentary combo, but different approach to Blair Witch. Worth your time.

Good look. Lake Mungo, read about it because you suggested it and tmrw I’ll probably watch the trailer and get a feel for it. Is it on Netflix do you know?

Damn, good thing I stumbled upon this thread during daytime or.else I.wouldn't have been able to sleep....

This film is legit disturbing.

It’s the witch films and the demonic related horror films that get me. I think I posted about it here once, but even in this day and age I was lent a book of black magic / occult spells and rituals by a coworker. He insisted. It’s a very strange story, but the point is, even though I only read it there was something extremely wrong with the entire situation. The book made me feel nervous and somewhat frightened even though I thought it to be a joke at the time. But it was there, my goofy ass tweaker coworker had it in his possession and obviously had some interest in. So I then wondered, “well what about those who have this kind of shit in mind for real and actually mean to test it out or worse, use it for purposeful harm against others?”

I think there are really those kind of lunatics out there, trying their hand with black magic, conjuring evil spirits, etc. The thought alone is alarming to me just knowing the mind state of someone willing to even just test it

Witch movies definitely get to me. I wish they didn’t but I don’t put it past some wicked minded insane individuals that no doubt exist and probably get a thrill out of such insane acts

The last scene in The Witch really got to me. Have you seen that? Idk why, but it seemed so in alignment with what you could expect. That was horrific and oddly enough, exactly what I would imagine happening in a scenario like that. Witches are creepy as fuck dude

But nothing is worse than those exorcism movies. I watched the Exorcism of Emily Rose one evening with a couple of friends, and some family, sun was setting but still barely out by the end portion of the film, and I was still deeply troubled and worried. Those type of films do a number on my psyche, because I believe such energies and forces are likely to exist. It’s possible. I can’t even bring myself to watch The Exorcist. Not sure if I ever will either
 

Kadayi

Banned
Somehow managed to watch the documentary on TV before seeing the film so knew all about Rustin Parr, so when we were in the Cinema and that last scene came up and I saw matey stood in the corner I was all: -

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Good film, though the camera shake drove my flatmate nuts
 

Nymphae

Banned
Somehow managed to watch the documentary on TV before seeing the film

Where I lived, they aired that weeks before the movie came out on the local sci-fi channel (should have been a clue lol). Totally got me excited to go see it.

It was well done though and didn't give off the vibe of being a fake, and especially at the time with nothing else even close to what this movie was doing.
 
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Raven117

Gold Member
I thought it was crystal clear that the “witch” killed them in the same way they killed all the children. Even at 17 having just swallowed a dip of skoal and projectile vomited in the bathroom knew that :)
 
According to the hit sequel/reboot Blair Witch (2016), they had to look away because of some bootleg Slender Man or some shit? I don't remember, that movie was fucking awful.
 
Good look. Lake Mungo, read about it because you suggested it and tmrw I’ll probably watch the trailer and get a feel for it. Is it on Netflix do you know?



It’s the witch films and the demonic related horror films that get me. I think I posted about it here once, but even in this day and age I was lent a book of black magic / occult spells and rituals by a coworker. He insisted. It’s a very strange story, but the point is, even though I only read it there was something extremely wrong with the entire situation. The book made me feel nervous and somewhat frightened even though I thought it to be a joke at the time. But it was there, my goofy ass tweaker coworker had it in his possession and obviously had some interest in. So I then wondered, “well what about those who have this kind of shit in mind for real and actually mean to test it out or worse, use it for purposeful harm against others?”

I think there are really those kind of lunatics out there, trying their hand with black magic, conjuring evil spirits, etc. The thought alone is alarming to me just knowing the mind state of someone willing to even just test it

Witch movies definitely get to me. I wish they didn’t but I don’t put it past some wicked minded insane individuals that no doubt exist and probably get a thrill out of such insane acts

The last scene in The Witch really got to me. Have you seen that? Idk why, but it seemed so in alignment with what you could expect. That was horrific and oddly enough, exactly what I would imagine happening in a scenario like that. Witches are creepy as fuck dude

But nothing is worse than those exorcism movies. I watched the Exorcism of Emily Rose one evening with a couple of friends, and some family, sun was setting but still barely out by the end portion of the film, and I was still deeply troubled and worried. Those type of films do a number on my psyche, because I believe such energies and forces are likely to exist. It’s possible. I can’t even bring myself to watch The Exorcist. Not sure if I ever will either
I'm.with you 100% and I think the most disturbing film.regarding this is Hereditary, which was based on true research done by the director and his team.of.producers.

I've read aboit thr endimg of the witch which was disturbing just to hear about it. It's a real.phenomenon in this world: the unseen world
 
I'm.with you 100% and I think the most disturbing film.regarding this is Hereditary, which was based on true research done by the director and his team.of.producers.

I've read aboit thr endimg of the witch which was disturbing just to hear about it. It's a real.phenomenon in this world: the unseen world
Hereditary is based on a true story?
 

Doom85

Member
According to the hit sequel/reboot Blair Witch (2016), they had to look away because of some bootleg Slender Man or some shit? I don't remember, that movie was fucking awful.

If you're talking about that large creature they see in the 2016 film, the director clarified that is one of the Witch's victims and not the Witch herself.
 

PanzerAzel

Member
Awesome flick. I don’t understand the hate this film gets, I think it’s very well done for what it does, and man....that RoI. Same with Paranormal Activity and Open Water. Love ‘em all.

Fuck off haters.

The witch mimicked Joshua’s voice to lure them into the house. I don’t know for sure but I suspect at that point he was already dead. And yeah, as people have said the witch made one child wait in the corner as she murdered the other one. Put Mike under hypnosis or a spell.
 

supernova8

Banned
The bit with the guy standing in the corner. Did Resident Evil 7 take inspiration from that or is it just a coincidence?
 

supernova8

Banned
Is my memory messing with me or was there a version where the very last scene (where the camera falls to the floor) shows the witch? Or is that a different movie?

I could've sworn my brother made me watch it in the dark (as a child) and it shit me up for weeks.
 

dan76

Member
I remember when the film came out and a group of us had it on on pirate video - seems appropriate. Anyhow, the thing that first struck me about it was the interview with Mary Brown at the start. It was just odd, and I don't know if she was an actress or a local just making stuff up, or talking about a local piece of folklore. But her appearance was so weird that it really stuck with me throughout the film. She kind of looked like she could be a witch and I was expecting her to turn up again.

I think there's a part midway through where it lags a bit and goes into "actors workshop" mode but yeah it's pretty good little film. I just took the ending as a kind of group hysteria and the guy in the corner had just assumed the role of victim.

I don't know if any of you have ever been camping out at night or been involved with a group who all get scared? It's happened to me a couple of times and certainly informed how I was watching the film.
 
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