Episode 36 - The Blair Witch Project - 14 Going On 40

Episode Transcript
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(00:06):
All right, So, Um,Andrea, there is something in our friendship
that we have very very different philosophieson, um, something that we'll never
get on the same page with.But I'm going to ask you for our
audiences, um benefit, what doyou like about camping? Uh? I

(00:35):
like, you know, I likethe fact that it's kind of getting away
from stuff, Like you get tobe outside, you aren't necessarily hooked into
like your TV and your tech.And even though now like it's like you

(00:58):
bring your phone with everywhere or whatever, but it gives you the opportunity to
kind of, I don't know,just experience more nature and it gives you
a reason to not do anything.So it's like when we go camping,
we usually go with friends and weget to sit around and you can just

(01:19):
sit around a fire and chat anddrink and just listen to music and not
do anything all day long. Andthat's okay. So I mean, I
think it's just a little bit morewe're as opposed to, like, if
you're going on a vacation, Ohwe gotta go, we gotta go here,

(01:40):
we gotta go do this, wegotta go do that. You're trying
to jam as much as you caninto the vacation because you don't want to
miss out on anything where that isthe whole experience of camping, like just
being there. So I think that'skind of why I like it. I
mean, it can be and it'salways a adventure. It's always something new,
something different. It's not always comfortable, But I don't know, I

(02:06):
kind of like it. I neverdid it as a kid. My mom
was My mom was like you okay, okay, so yes, so yeah,
if you couldn't tell already, Idon't camp. Um, it's just
just that's not happening. I never. Like the most I've ever done was
when I was in Brownies for oneyear. We went to like like a

(02:28):
large camp type situation where there waslike bunk beds but you had to bring
like your mess kit and we didlike a lot of those wilderness things.
But I've never ever in my lifebeen tent camping, and I doubt that
I ever will, um, unlessit's like we're in the zombie apocalypse and
I'm on survival situation. But that'swhen I wouldn't want to go camp.
Yeah, that's that's highly questionable.I um, yeah, I don't camp.

(02:53):
I can't camp. It's not.Um, but I can relate,
and I have learned earned to oncertain types of trips. I've learned to
like we're here to kind of donothing, you know, um where you're
here to enjoy the change of scenery. And it's not about like going to

(03:15):
a theme park every day or youknow that kind of thing. It's about
like just kind of enjoying a newspace and enjoying a natural space, you
know. Um. So I canappreciate that sentiment of it, but I
have never been able to like dothe traditional tent camping thing. And I

(03:35):
mean like I need to have restroomfacilities like that. I mean I would
hope the fuck so. Um,I mean I don't like where. I
wouldn't even say were the places thatwe've gone with the kids especially, I
would call it camping light like it'sit's basically like you're sleeping outdoors, but
you have access to a bathroom ina shower and yeah there's other people like

(04:00):
all of you go to those likecampground where yes, so now I have
been like regular out in the woodscamping. Um we went, but I
mean again that was a campground,but it was like in Yosemite, which
is a whole another experience. Thecampsites are a lot bigger. You're not,

(04:21):
you know, right next to people. It's a little more rustic.
Yeah, but it's amazingly beautiful andyou go hiking during the day and then
you sleep at your camp ground atnight. And so the other piece to
my lack of camping, um itlends it's part of the you know,
city girl with a big imagination isonly going to get murdered in the woods,

(04:46):
um and so, and this moviedoesn't help negate that. So,
um, I stay the fuck outof the woods. That's kind of where
I'm at. I love taking aquick hikers, you know. And if
it's it's pretty much got to beon a a very clearly marked trail.
I shouldn't have to get anywhere usinga compass. It should be very clearly

(05:08):
marked. There should be other peoplesomewhere within shouting distance. I'm not really
in it for any of the solitude. Yeah, no, no, no,
I've never been like on this campingjourney. No, this would not
be something I know I need toI need to be like you sleep in
this section right here, here's whereyou go, and here's where you can

(05:30):
go to go to the restroom facilities, and here are the trails, like
I and I know there are.We have Dave's uncle and his wife and
their family. Are are very muchkind of like we're going backpacking and we're
gonna, you know, hike andthen set up camp here and then do

(05:53):
all these great things and then we'regonna pack up and then hike to another
destination. I have never done that. I don't. I mean, I
mean, I guess it was.If that was the case, i'd have
to really be going with somebody whoknew what they were doing. True,
Yeah, that would probably make allthe difference. Yea. But today's movie

(06:15):
is definitely it's not selling that kindof an experience. So we'll just get
right into it. Hi, guys, welcome to fourteen going on forty.
This is Melissa and this is Andrea. And as you well know by now,
hopefully unless this is your first episode, we're two best friends that met
in high school and we you know, decided to start a podcast upon our

(06:38):
fortieth year around the Sunday and werevisit movies usually made during the time that
we've known each other. So today'sepisode, we're heading into the woods circa
nineteen ninety nine to revisit the blairWitch Project. And this is actually really

(06:59):
a great time I am to revisitit because it recently had its twenty year
anniversary and there's been a lot ofspinoff things, like it hasn't the mystique
around it hasn't died, and sowe're going to get to talk about all
of that. If it's been awhile since you've seen it, I know
it was for me, and we'lltalk about that too. Here's a quick
description that I pulled from Rotten Tomatoes. There's was a little more a little

(07:20):
more detailed than IMDb's Found Video footagetells the tale of three film students,
Heather Donahue, Joshua Leonard Michael C. Williams, who traveled to a small
town to collect documentary footage about theblair Witch, a legendary local murderer.
Over the course of several days,the students interview townspeople and gather clues to
support the tale's veracity, but theproject takes a frightening turn when the students

(07:43):
lose their way in the woods andbegin hearing horrific noises and that it's a
good setup for this movie. Solet's talk about first, like what we
remember about the time it came out. So it so the Blair Witch Project
movie was filmed in ninety seven,even when we were seniors in high school,
and then it sort of had thisstrange trajectory through indie film festivals.

(08:07):
But the wide release would have beenJuly thirtieth, nineteen ninety nine. So
somewhere in that summer between our sophomorejunior year of college would have been when
we saw this. I know wesaw it in the theater, Yes,
a thousand percent. Yes, Ihave a very clear recollection of going to
this movie with you and seeing this, seeing this in the theater because it

(08:35):
was a huge deal. This waseverywhere you couldn't get away from from this
movie and the hype around it.Yes, I can't wait to explore some
of the marketing in this. GeezIt's yeah, it's like is it real?
Is it not? Is it?You know what? And I remember
even me going into me like,Okay, is is there any aspect of

(09:01):
this that is based in not notthat the footage itself, but like the
legend behind it? Is that basedin real? Like is that a legend
or something or these stories that werebeing told in this film, does that
have any veracity? And I meanthe fact that this movie only costs sixty

(09:24):
thousand dollars to make and it madelike was like two hundred and fifty million
billion dollars. That just blows mymind. And the fact that like there's
so much garbage out there now thatcosts millions and millions of dollars. Yeah,
this this, this still holds theGuinness World Record for return on an

(09:46):
investment for a film. So Imean genius. Yeah, well, it's
because nothing like this had ever beendone before, and it really is a
fascinating because I was after I waswatched After I watched this, I went
through and like probably like you did, kind of went and tried to find
articles and read all the IMDb,which you know IMDb trivia can be a

(10:13):
little well it's yeah, it's shaky. Yeah, But I even remember after
going to see this in the theater, they had a whole bunch of maybe
not like right after I came out, but maybe like a few months after
they would have they released like themaking of or some behind the scenes footage

(10:35):
of how they how they filmed it, how they did it, which was
really cool. Yeah, do rememberseeing them? Yes, it's you know,
um so this movie it has allit. It's always been in the
conversation for me because in my marketingclass, I always bring up this movie
when we talk about the risk ofgoing into like an entertainment business and like

(10:58):
create this kind of like creating contentand you know, and this concept of
return on investment. You know thatmoviemakers, TV productions, any kind of
entertainment entity, sports teams, it'slike they invest a certain amount of money
and the hope is that they geta good return then of not you know,
making money. And this one italways just kind of like blows the

(11:20):
kid's minds. And what's nice isbecause it has had such an impact pop
culture wise, and there's been somany things that have brought it back into
the conversation as a culture. Mystudents do know what I'm talking about.
Now. Not all of them haveseen the original blair Witch, but it

(11:41):
was recently. There was like ait wasn't really a real I guess it
was supposed to be a direct seat. So there was the sequel blair Witch
too, which right I've not seen. I don't think I saw. I'm
kind of curious, but I hearthat it was not great terrible. Well,
it did the thing that most sequelsdid and flop. And then in
twenty fourteen, there's also a sequelWells supposed to be a direct sequel that

(12:07):
kind of like what Um the Halloweenfranchise did, Like forget about that other
sequel. This is the actual sequelkind of thing. And it's supposed to
be Um Heather's younger brother, andyou know, we can get into that.
But anyway, both of those areon Hulu, which is where I
watched this. Yes, okay,well yes, I thought I owned it,

(12:28):
and I think I might have,and I never watched it. So
I donated it to Goodwill because Iwas like, I don't know why we
have this DVD if it's still wrapped, like fifteen years later. I'm like,
I don't think we're ever going tobust it open, and um,
I could be making that up,however, I have. I was actually
the first place I went before Ilooked on streaming was my DVD collection and

(12:50):
I was like, I could havesworn we owned the Blair Witch and I
was like, and I was likescanning, scanning, I'm like, is
it in because you know, ofcourse I'm an alphabetical order, and I
was like, maybe I got putback wrong, you know, and I'm
looking and I'm like, I swearwe had this DVD. And then I'm
like, but I'm gonna guess wenever ever ever opened it out of the
packaging, and I probably threw itin like a garage sale or good Will.

(13:13):
Yeah, you know, I meanI have I do remember. I
think I've probably seen this since itcame out. I kind of remember watching
it. I think maybe when itcame back out on DVD or something and
it was released, just to kindof see if I could catch anything.

(13:35):
You know, it's like you gottabecause I feel like it doesn't really really
Yeah, yeah, I agree,right, I could have done something like
that. I don't remember. Forme, I think that what prevented me
from watching it again. And Ithink what is would be really interesting actually
if we had been able to findlike a guest to be on this episode

(13:56):
that had only seen it like nowand not lived through nineteen ninety nine with
it, because I think after livingthrough the marketing that went with it and
the hype that went with it,and then also seeing it on the big
screen. I will say I thinkthat there was some lost in translation,
probable scares that I wasn't getting onmy regular TV because I don't have like

(14:22):
surround sound or anything, and Idon't, oh, I don't and so
but you know, of course Ialways watch with subtitles, and so there
were certain times when the subtitles saidthat there were like noises, but like
I wasn't really catching them, likeI didn't have my volume yeah enough where
I feel like in a theater youwould have been like, you know,
like really right, yeah, Imean we do have surround sound and everything.

(14:43):
I did notice now I have gottenin the habit, not with everything,
but when I'm watching movies for thosepodcasts to watch it with the subtitles.
And Dave was getting really annoyed becausehe's like the subtitles are behind,
Like he's like they're they're behind,and I was like, I know,
I'm just having it on there.So if I need to catch something,
Yeah, it help is on thescreen. For this, for sure,

(15:07):
it helps. I love subtitles always, but for this it really helps when
you're trying to like take notes andstuff, so you know, I definitely
remember like what you're saying, andI think that before we get into a
ton of the like the hype aroundit, I think maybe some of that
will come into the conversation naturally aswe go through the movie, and definitely

(15:31):
we'll talk about it. But Ihad that same sentiment as you. I
keep trying to put my brain backin the internet times of nineteen ninety nine.
So at Northern I remember in thedorms when we went in nineteen ninety
seven, so it would have beenthe ninety seven ninety eight school year.
Yeah, you had to be ona special floor for internet. Yes,

(15:54):
with the big blue chord remember that. Yeah, I was on that floor.
You were us. I don't thinkI was at first. Then when
I moved I had it. Yeah, so I which listened to how funny
this is. I was on aninternet floor and I didn't even have a
computer. Yeah, I had acomputer and wasn't on an internet floor.

(16:15):
My computer was that my dad letme bring to school, was strictly so
that I could type papers like wordprocess and not have to be in like
the computer lay. It was ourold computer. And then like he got
a new computer at home. Ohmy god. Yeah, I go into
the computer lab yeah, I didn'thave internet in my room until like in
the middle I moved to one ofthose floors. So then sophomore year was

(16:37):
when I moved in. We bothdid sorority house, yes, and I
had internet there, but I don'tthink I don't remember really using it that
much besides like trying to do likelook things up for assignments and things and
using like AOL instant messenger an email. Yeah. I mean I had a

(17:03):
couple classes, I think sophomore junioryear where we had to go it was
like you were in a class,like it was a class discussion group that
you had to go post on,like I do remember whatever, Like yeah,
yeah, so I do remember doingthat kind of thing. When I
was in the sobrity house. Itwas funny because you know, it was
all still dial up. Yeah.So say I had the thing where it's

(17:29):
like if somebody was calling, itwould kick you off the internet if somebody
called your phone because you were usingyour phone line. All you young us
out there, let's let's let thesetwo old ladies scol you. You didn't
have a cell phone, then youhad a landline that was also your computer
line, and you used to getthem weep to get on the internet,

(17:51):
and then if someone called you,everything disconnected because yes, your phone line
could only do so much. Andso I remember that too, and so
I know that we could look thingsup, but there was not like the
Google search engine. It was notlike what it is today. No,
And I feel like it was alot more like message boards and chat room

(18:15):
kind of things where it was likeyou could go post on you still if
you wanted real information, you weremore looking for like an online encyclopedia,
yes, versus like it's just againtrying to help us all get in that
mindset of like you could not debunkthings as quickly as you can now,
and you certainly didn't have the socialmedia situation in which people throughout spoilers.

(18:41):
Right now, there were social medias. Hi MySpace, Oh my god,
I hated my Space. I hatedmy Space for hate seconds because my Internet
was never fast enough to do anythingwith it. It was like and it
was so annoying. I used tohate going on people's MySpace pages and it
was like all music and it wasjust like one big long well. Because
also at that time, the onlypeople's MySpace pages that I visited were people

(19:04):
I already knew, So I'm like, why don't I just hang out with
them? Like I don't understand whatI'm doing. I don't need to look
at their MySpace. This is stupid, and so I never got into it.
But that does also come into playwith the Blair Witch. So just
kind of getting ourselves in the mindframe of like the Internet in nineteen ninety
nine when this came out and therewas word of mouth market snopes dot com

(19:26):
and just debunk everything, yes onefell swoop right or and on the flip
side of that, there were notyou know, these places where you could
easily get into like heavy conversations likeI'm thinking of that documentary Don't Fuck with
Cats, where like all those rentfullike all those people could get together and

(19:48):
like we are going to armchair sleuththis out, and so they're just it
wasn't as easy, Like I neverdid chat rooms and shit, I actually
thought that was a real creepy.So, like you the word of mouth
marketing, the word of mouth hypewas so cool. Now looking back to
have lived through like that, wehave that example of like how effective it

(20:10):
was and like nobody saw it comingat all, you know, even the
directors. You know, it's likethe things they tried and did and it
was so organic. It was like, holy shit, nobody. We thought
nobody was really going to see thislittle movie that we made, like,
you know, which is so incredible. So let's kind of get into what
this kind of looks like. Sothis is a found footage style movie.

(20:33):
It is not the first one evermade, but it is probably the first
one that made it huge into generalpop culture and made this kind of splash,
you know, of people knowing itthere was you know, it kind
of starts with like that shaky screenand you know, at this time it

(20:55):
would have been cam quarter and thenfor these guys making like a real documentary
the big style, like professional onfilm kind of camera. And so it's
got that shaky screen look where nowwe see more of those found footage videos
they pieced together like cell phone webcamvideo like that kind of thing. So

(21:15):
it's a little bit that I feelthat the style of this shaky screen actually
lends to making it look so muchmore real. It's a lot harder to
do that now. I feel likethis made it the found footage aspect of
Blair Witch. To me, ithad so much realism and that is the
genius of how they made this movie. They really are. I mean,

(21:38):
the thing is with this movie andwhen you're the way, when you figure
out how they actually did this andyou go looking behind, that's what like.
Some of these emotions and stuff thatare being portrayed are real, and
they do feel very raw on film. You're like, it's almost like you're

(21:59):
like, should I be watching this, Like even though it's sure, it
feels almost private, like yes,you know, yeah, I agree.
So I was watching some of theinterviews with Heather and she was saying that,
you know, when she went andsaw the ad, they said it
was going to be an improv movie. If you are not someone that will

(22:22):
camp. If you don't, you'renot going to be treated well, there's
not going to be like all that. It's like you have to be willing
to explore that, but it'll bean improv movie. And she was really
attracted to that and went and auditionedand that's exactly she like they were saying
they basically gave a crash course infilming, like these actors really did everything,
but the director's interference would be.She did say that they had a

(22:47):
GPS unit. It was so funnybecause if you watched these interviews from back
in the day, they just keepsaying we had a Global Positioning service because
the people weren't saying GPS yet.It was like, oh my GPS,
you can say it, but nobodyknew what that was back then. So
she kept saying that. And shesaid that they had this little unit that
had like checkpoints, so they reallywere walking around filming themselves, and then

(23:15):
they would go to the next chen. And she said when they got to
the next checkpoint, there would bea white milk crate with like an orange
bicycle flag sticking out of it,and there would be these little canisters that
had each of their names on it, and they could only look at their
own. And so that's how theygot this very real conflict, really real
like because it's almost like doing amurder mystery party, where like you get

(23:37):
your little piece of the script,but you can't see everyone else's and so
that naturally the conversation, like youstart to fight about something, you start
to argue about something, you havea motivation that you know, but then
someone else doesn't. And I thoughtthat was so clever, which is probably
part of what makes this feel likejust so real, you know, and
they were really camping, they werereally dealing with less and less food at

(24:00):
the days went on. It wasan eight day project. And so that's
I think part of what you're saying, like where you're kind of like,
this feels so personal. It reallyfeels like fil found footage, and it
doesn't quite have the artificial shakiness thatmakes you sick while you watch it.
I didn't think so. Not onthe small screen. I remember it was

(24:25):
a little bit hard to watch sometimes, or maybe I feel like giant screen
y, like everything's amplified so muchmore true watching it on a big screen,
and I think it was Now,I like, I don't think I
ever got sick, but it waslike it was almost like you had to
kind of look away, look awaybecause it was Maybe I feel that way

(24:45):
now for a couple of reasons.Maybe one of it is I knew what
to expect. Yeah, Secondly,I've seen some found footage footage movies where
you're like this has given me vertigo, Like I like, you know,
and then also I kept looking downto take notes, so there were natural
breaks in my eyes. So maybethat's why. But they start with like
a shaky screen and you get thistext on the screen. It says In

(25:07):
October of nineteen ninety four, threestudent filmmakers disappeared in the woods near Burkettsville,
Maryland while shooting a documentary. Ayear later, their footage was found.
And so right away, like there'skind of this title screen that makes
it look like this is, youknow, a real the real deal.
So we start out seeing Heather andJosh at like a home, like at

(25:30):
Heather's house, and I the firstthing I wrote down was Heather's spiky,
stretchy headband thing. Oh remember though, it's like you like the accordion,
Yes, you like pulled it likean accordion, and it's like it gave
you amazing volume. And I was, now that thing would be really genius,
especially if you like either whether youblow dry or kind of air dry

(25:52):
your hair to put in to getit volume off the root, but then
take it out and not actually wearit out anywhere. Yeah you know what
I mean. Like but people definitelywore it out and about Oh yeah I
had I had a couple of those. Yes, I have to rack.
We'll have to post some nostalgic picturesof those spikey headbands and see if people
have, UM remember wearing them.I definitely remember that. It was kind

(26:15):
of like, you know, theevolution from banana clip when we got to
the spikey head Yeah. Yeah.And then they pick up Mike Um who
is helping them. Um like he'sthe one that borrowed from work, like
but he's like the sound guy.Yes, so he has that they kept.
They keep calling it the DABT andI had to look it up.

(26:37):
It's called it's a digital audio tapewhere it's like high quality audio that records
even higher quality than a CD.Yeah, and so I guess it's an
expensive piece of equipment. He's theguy that has the hook up for it,
so that's why he's coming with UM. And they're gathering like cameras and
groceries supplies and heading to that town. I didn't have a whole ton of

(26:57):
like notes about this, no,I mean, it's pretty much just you're
following a couple of people around justwhile they're gathering supplies and yeah, grocery
store and just being a little sillyabout what they're doing. I mean you
could tell that they're excited about whatthey're going to be doing. Yeah.
It totally reminds me of something likecollege kids, you know, like yeah,

(27:18):
oh yeah, you know, likewe're going on this trip, we
got this idea, we're doing thisproject kind of thing. So they're very
optimistic, excited, you know.It would seem that like I don't know
if I'm right because I didn't reallywrite this down, but like Heather doesn't
really know Mike. Yeah, Idon't think either one of them know,
so they like they don't know himvery well know him. No, it's
like that because she's I think thisis the first time maybe Heather is meeting

(27:42):
him, because that's what it seemslike. I don't know if Josh maybe
knew him or maybe he just kindof knew him in passing, and he
seems like more of an acquaintance,where like, yes, this is clearly
Heather's project, it's her idea,it's her project, it's her documentary.
But it feels like she knows Joshbecause it's like he was at her house.
They have a much more of likes. They make it feel like they

(28:03):
have a rapport, and then Mikeis more of like an acquaintance, like
he's kind of like this guy thatthey don't have a ton of like personal
connection too, but he's in todo the project. Yeah yeah, And
um, I love when they gointo town and they start to make like
the intro and how there keeps tellingherself don't be cheesy, don't be cheesy,
and then immediately proceeds to do acheesy black and white intro to the

(28:26):
town the easiest And I mean itis so dramatic. The reading of this
is so lu It is like Velvitashells and cheese, Like it is just
so she's like, and here weare, you know, like she puts
on almost her like newscaster voice.Yeah. I love yeah this one.
I was like, she is tryingto portray herself as this older, more

(28:48):
mature duck her caran. Yes,yes, this is you know, it's
almost like those readings like when youwhen you watch Dateline. Yeah that in
a small town. She's like,there's a high number of children buried here,
especially in the nineteen forties. It'slike, okay, ever, but

(29:10):
it actually is perfect because they areamateurs. That is what the whole idea
is supposed to be here. Um, and then in town we see them
interview a few people like they talkedto a waitress. Have you heard of
the Blair Witch? They talked toa bunch of different people, and the
stories are all over the place,which is very I think, very true
to life for any sort of urbanlegend situation. We now know that it's

(29:34):
completely made up, Like the BlairWitch legend isn't even a thing. And
I put that the stories are allover the place. But I love the
mom with the little girl. It'slike the mom and she's holding this like
toddler little girl and she's trying totell the story and the toddler keeps covering
her mouth like no, it's toosorry, Like no, yeah, it's
really cute. That's where that's atthis point. This is when I because

(30:00):
I couldn't remember, I was like, is there a legend? Is it
not? Because it was like thesepeople seem just like normal everyday people who
are just telling a story of somethinglike a legend that goes on in their
neighborhood or something that's around there.They're part of their neck of the woods.
Sure, so, which is interestingbecause actually the way the directors sold

(30:25):
it, the three actors do thinkit's a real legend, right um,
but they just know that the movieis going to be fake and they are
going to make it seem like ahorror film, you know, like they
know that that's coming, but theythought that the Blair Witch was a real
legend too. Yeah, but itdoes make you question it because it seems
so authentic this whole you know,when they talked to this like lady by

(30:47):
the Shack, Oh my god,Mary Brown and Mary Brown the witch had
hair like a horse, Like whatis she? And is she holding a
Bible? Is that? Is thatwhat she's holding? I mean she looks
like a skeleton. Yes, LikeI saw her and I was a little
taken aback because I was like,whoa. I was like, she's a

(31:08):
she the Balier Witch like right,Like she does go on to kind of
like the town reclusive, crazy lady, right, which that's how everybody kind
of has said, oh, thisis she's just a little bit wacky.
And she tells this whole story abouthow when she was a little girl.
She's like, yeah, yeah,she saw a woman and it was all

(31:29):
she was covered in all fur,like horse hair all over and and yeah
she seems, you know, sheshe seems a little a little short of
a few cards short of the deck, Yes, few few cards short of
the deck. Yeah. So thatnight, um, the three main characters
they stay in a hotel and um, you know they're gonna they're they've gotten

(31:53):
to town, but they haven't likeactually started their camping yet. They did
all their stuff in town and sonow it'll be day two that they head
into the woods. And they startout and they do see some fishermen there
and they so they asked to talkto them. Yeah, and they even
I thought, you know how theythey left in them asking if they agree,

(32:15):
like give their permission to be onfilm, and which again adds to
this like found footage feel like thatmaybe there is real like right, it's
like they just came across these peoplealong the woods and they're just asking them
have they heard about the legend orwhatever? Well, sir, we need
to have your permission though that wecan use this on film. We're making
a diet like and they keep saying, you know, do we have your

(32:36):
permission before you get started on yourstory? Like you know, And so
the one fisherman tells the story thatthere was someone named Robin Weaver in the
late eighteen hundreds wandered into the woodsand three days later appears on her grandma's
porch and was talking about an oldwoman whose feet never touched the ground.

(32:57):
Yeah, and like that's kind of, you know, one of the legends
of the earliest story of this,like Blair Witch in the woods. Um,
so they you know, they talkedto them, you know, and
there's kind of this disagreement between thetwo fishermen of it's all bullshit. No,
it's real, you know, andso um, which again super accurate
to urban legendary Hi, like,oh yeah, you know, my sister's

(33:21):
boyfriend's brothers cousin heard that this happened, So it happened to them, So
it's absolutely real. Sure do youyou you're the one who told me about
American hysteria, right, yes?Did you did you listen to the one
about urban legends? Yes, yeah, that's exactly what she's like. Oh
yeah, I even had you know, you go back and you think of

(33:43):
oh, yeah, so and sotold me about this. My hairdresser told
me that this happened to her brother. And that's how shit like this gets
started and perpetuates and gets more andmore fantastic as you go on. Yeah,
so I'll have to um, ActuallyI'll share that episode link on our

(34:05):
socials because that is a great episode. And she actually was young enough and
when she heard the Blair which shetalked about how like she's obsessed with the
Blair witch. Yeah, and likeused to make the little you know,
like she was she kind of perpetuatedthat urban legend. You know. So,
um, yeah, that's a greatpodcast if you haven't listened to an
American Hysteria, They've got some reallygood stuff on there. And so they

(34:30):
get further into the woods. They'rehiking into the woods with packs. They're
on the way to a place calledCoffin Rock is the first like destination or
something, you know, And sothey take a minute and like how theyre
reads from some weird book about fivemen finding bodies at the rock or I
don't know, right, I mean, it's a pretty gruesome. It's like
their their hands are bound and thenthey're attached like somehow to each other,

(34:53):
and it's this very gruesome tale ofthese five or something men that are basically
found dead and their entrails are ever. I mean, it's it's pretty yeah,
and I think that graphic gruesome atfirst my reaction because this is my
you know, this isn't my firstviewing of the movie is I was like,
this is confusing to the whole BlairWitch legend. But I'd see the

(35:16):
value in the shot because this iswhat like an amateur documentary crew would do,
Like, right, this is whatwe found in this book. Let's
let's take a shot of me readingit here in front of this cave or
whatever, you know. Like yeah, Like I wasn't sure if that was
supposed to be part of the legendor if it's just something to make these

(35:36):
woods scarier, which in reality itkind of didn't matter. It just to
really it helped that veracity of thethis was found footage like because it was
like, oh yeah, and they'retrying to do this little cool scene or
whatever, you know. So they'reputting up the tent and it's raining,
and they talk about like Josh sayshe heard he thinks he heard some cackling

(36:01):
during the night that first night thatthey slept there, and they they're like,
okay, well whatever, you know. Yeah, it's like I don't
know, I didn't hear anything.I felt like asleep and I was out
slept all night. So there's nothingreally, no big action that first,
right, So now we're at daythree. So they wake up the next
morning. We are on day threeof the project. Heather reveals that they

(36:25):
might be a little lost, likeshe's got the map, She's got the
map, and she she keeps onsaying, Heather, in this whole,
I think she's very much everything isNope, I know what I'm doing.
I know what I'm doing. Don'tquestion me. I know where I'm going,

(36:45):
even though she's trying to fake ittill she makes it to the detriment
of everyone. Yes is what iswhat is happening? Like you can't fake
knowing how to read a map andlike having your compass and you just can't
do that because we now. Mike, on the other hand, has no

(37:07):
since he doesn't know her at all. He's like, you don't know where
you're going? Like he has hehas no kind of history with her,
he doesn't have any trust with herbecause he just met her, yes,
and he has no fear of alteringa friendship or something like He's like,
girl, you don't know what you'redoing, Like I can see that,

(37:28):
and she she doubles down and it'slike, oh, yes, I do
you know? And I get thatbecause I in a way, I think
that it helps us understand how there'scharacter of like this is her project,
this is her thing. She's tryingto look in some ways like professional,
but we all know she's an amateurand it's it's a very twenty year old
thing to do, you know,Like I feel like it matches the personality

(37:52):
of her character a lot. Yeah, Mike's getting pissed about being There's lots
of like they do, lots oflike dork and around own like funny shots.
They're just it's the daytime in thewoods. Uh, Josh is checking
the map she finally you know,he's looking at it trying to figure out
where they're going. Hea. They'resuper defensive about knowing where to go,
and Mike doesn't trust any of this, like you said, And they end

(38:14):
up wanting to cross a river likeon a log. And I was like,
this reminded me of like in TroopBeverly Hills when they're like trying to
cross the Oh my god. Iwould be the same because it's I think
it's all fun and games until you'recarrying all that heavy equipment, Like how
the fun you get across? Imean, I have had to do,

(38:35):
like gone on hikes and stuff andhad to cross like streams with stuff and
it is it's terrifying, and Iwould have to eve on the other side,
going just come on, let's go. And I'm like, I am
petrified of slipping and falling. Inow, I um. I have a
fear of heights when there's nothing like, yeah, I don't have something to

(39:00):
hold on too. I need,I need because I feel like I'm going
to get like vertigo or something andhere's the thing, just go tumbling and
hurt myself. I have entirely toovivid of imagination. So even when I'm
like, even when I'm like inthe top of the Sears Tower of Observation
deck, I'm picturing the window glassfalling out just as I was leaning forward

(39:23):
to look and I plummet to mydeath and I can see it all like
a movie in my brain. Solike, I'm glad that I'm not the
only one who does this, becauseI had to do this all the time.
I do this when I'm driving inthe car, like what if the
door side off and I felt tomy death and that car behind me hit
me, Like or if if whatif this car just goes flying over the
median and then runs right into me. What would I do? What is

(39:44):
wrong with us? I don't know. Someone out there with a psychology degree,
go ahead and chew on that fora minute. This is why it
would be so hard for me togo across a log with this big backpack
on, because I would be thinking, I know exactly what this looks like.
When I fall, I die,you know, I break my leg
and I can't go out. Andthen some bear comes along the sides of
a nice tasty snack. Yep.I mean, I'm with you. So

(40:07):
they're doing some more hiking. Butat the same time, when you're in
that situation and you're like, well, I there's no other options, and
I have to go across, likeI have to figure it out, and
I guess I'll do it, andI'll be terrified the entire time I go,
but there's no other I'm not gettingout of this. I can't go

(40:29):
backwards. Yeah, I got tokeep on going, so okay, So
I mean I'll eventually get across.It might take me a little while,
and I might want to vomit afterI get through, but I'll do it.
So they find they start to findsome of these like rock piles um,
and that's kind of their first cluethat like, well, there's obviously
been people or something, because there'sthese weird little rock piles, right,

(40:53):
and it's not like just piles.It's like it's like here's one two rocks,
here's three rocks. There's four rockshere, and they're like in sequential
order. And they're like, well, that's kind of weird and creepy.
I mean, that is kind ofweird and creepy. It is. And
now I don't think I would thinkmuch of it now because I feel like

(41:13):
it has been in so many moviesthat people do that. However, when
I was in when we were inthe Smoky Mountains, I remember reading something
that said, like, you shouldn'tdo that because it actually disrupts like the
natural hay like that. There's likea whole litany of why it, Like
here's what the rock pile like.Because they're not in their natural position,
then this can happen, and thiscan happen, and this can happen,

(41:34):
and it's like, don't be makingall these cute piles a little rocks,
like stop doing that. So theyhave their little camp fire dinner, and
so again, everything's been pretty benignup until this point. It just kind
of feels like we are, youknow, learning the three characters personalities,
watching them sort of bond a littlebit together, and getting a feel for

(41:55):
who they are this these first likethree days. And I knock over a
rock pile. They show us that, and she's like, she's like,
I'm gonna put it back, andyeah, I didn't mean any harm,
you know, And she like kisses, she like kisses her hand and like
goes, it's okay, uh huh. Which I mean if I found creepy
piles of rocks, or if Ithought maybe it was like an Indian barrel

(42:17):
burial ground, I might be likeappeasing exactly whatever gods are right or looking
over look, I'm not messing withno old timey shit, like I get
you, like I would be thesame way, like, oh, dear
Lord the universe, I did notmean to yeah, offend well. And
that night, that night when they'rein the camp and they hear like a
whole bunch of noises and Mike inthe in the thing, he goes,

(42:42):
I'm not going to play with thatpay with like exactly. I'm like yes,
you are a wise man, butlike you, he says what we're
all thinking, No, you do, don't. I'm not playing with that.
It was first of all, I'mnot playing with whatever's making those noises
out there. And I'm not rightwhatever made those rock piles. I'm not
looking to do anything of that.I'm here to do your sound. What
is this? So Heather in themiddle of the night when they have this

(43:08):
situation where they're hearing noises, she'strying to get Mike to come out of
the tent because she wants because itseems to me essentially they've got a cam
quarter that Heather is usually using,and then Josh must have the big camera,
and then she's looking for Mike todo the audio the dad thing.

(43:29):
Yeah, And so she wants whensomething is happening, she wants all three
to be going so that they havea lot of material to work with to
edit together. Yeah, and sothat's understandable, and she explains that the
next morning, like now they're onday four the next morning, and it's
like, that's why I was tryingto get you to come out, like
I know, and you know youdon't know me very well. I'm not
your trusted friend, Like, butthat was what I was trying to do,
Like I'm making a documentary film,that's why you're here, so like

(43:51):
I'm saying, come on, comeon, come out and check out what
these noises are. And then that'swhen he's kind of like I ain't playing
with this shit, like yeah,and she's like, well, kind of
like that's the job, like that'swhat we have to do, you know.
So that happens, and then it'sraining and they're trying to head back
to the car. They made itto this coffin rock. They talked to
village villagers, they talked, theysaw the rock piles, like essentially,

(44:15):
at this point, in Heather's mind, they got what they needed of the
footage for in the woods, andI'm guessing that she would do other things
to fill in the rest of thedocumentary. They don't need to be out
there anymore. So now they're tryingto go back out in the woods.
Heather's pretty persistent that like, well, let's just try looking for like one
more sign, one more thing.We saw some of these things, and
the guys are they've had enough becausethey can't find the car. Now it

(44:38):
feels like they've been walking for along time, and why aren't they back
at the car? What's going onhere? And Mike's freaking out rightfully,
so that he's also supposed to bereturning the equipment tomorrow and he's supposed to
be at work at nine am,like this is the end of the four
day weekend or whatever like this weall have regular jobs and shit, dude,
like I need to go home,Like this isn't funny. Where's the

(45:00):
car? And Heather's had the map, so of course everybody's kind of looking
at her. It's not happening.They're not going to make it back to
the car, so they have tocamp again. So now it's like they're
setting up the tent. Now there'stension. Mike's pissed, Josh is a
little pissed. They're definitely supposed tobe heading home, and now it's nighttime

(45:23):
and they have no choice but toput up their tent again. That would
be when I would be starting topanic, feel like people, we were
in the middle of the woods.We don't this is not time for cell
phones. And even if you hada cell phone, who knows, like
it probably wouldn't work, right,And so what are you supposed to do?
Well. Yeah, it's like thisis when I feel like the real

(45:45):
tension starts to build in the movie, because you do put yourself in that
position of like you can't find yourcar, and this girl acted like she
knew exactly how to do this,and now you are you can't even call
in and tell your boss you're notgoing to be on time or even at
work tomorrow morning, right because you'rein the fucking woods, you know,
And so you're just thinking, ohshit, And then I borrowed this thing.

(46:06):
No one was even supposed to knowI took it. So you can
tell like this is where that tensionis building between all of them. And
at the night again, now there'smore amplified noises at night, and in
the movie we're just seeing a blackscreen and we're hearing like the dat audio
of these noises. And the nextmorning there are rock piles right outside of

(46:28):
their tenth. Yeah, peace outby would just be like I don't care,
We're not stopping until we find thecar, Like I don't care if
I no, absolutely not the fuckput these rock piles. It's fucking some
Freddy Krueger shit, Like nine tenNever sleep again, I ain't sleeping again.

(46:49):
We have got to get out out. Yes, So they're fighting about
leaving Heather can't find the map nowand how they're they're fucking with her right,
like I put the map in thepocket of my pants, Like what
where is it? Who took it? Like we just woke up? Like

(47:10):
what could possibly explain? Like whereis it? Like just tell me if
you have it? Like she's verymuch like and they are acting like she's
fucking with them, like she wantsto stay in the woods. Now that
weird shit is happening, right,you're pretending you can't find the map.
So now again that tension is buildingand it's like that they all are kind

(47:30):
of willing to like die on theirhill of like no, I don't know
what's going on. I know youdon't know what's going on. Now,
Josh does decide that he's going totry to calm them all by saying,
listen, we're supposed to be backtoday. People are the people in our
lives are going to know that.He's like, I have a girlfriend.
She's gonna wonder where I am thatI Mike lives with his mom like yeah,

(47:52):
and he's like it was like everybody'sgoing to realize that we're not here
and someone they're gonna getting worried theyknow where we went. I mean that
would be Yeah, he's trying tobe like the level headed like people know
we're gone, they know where wewent. They're going to start looking for
us, like if we don't showup and they can't get a hold of
us, which is a very reasonablething to say and to help calm them

(48:17):
down. Yes, I think inany crisis situation there is somebody that kind
of steps up and does this,like, let me diffuse this a little
bit, add some reason to what'shappening, and let's move forward. And
their idea of moving forward is whydon't we follow the creek and keep walking
south and we should hit a roador something and then be able to find
the car, which is solid logic, you know. Yeah, that's what

(48:40):
they always say. Bear Girls alwayssays, you know, find your water
source and follow that because where there'swater, there's life, because people always
build stuff next exactly, And thatis what Heather keeps saying, is like
this is America. There is nolike wide open great beyond in which there's

(49:01):
no civilization, Like we're going torun into something. Everything's developed actually where
they are, yeah, I meanyeah, especially it's not like they're it's
not like they're in the middle oflike the Sahara desert, and right you
know, they're getting a little slabhappy, you know, at this point
then and they're kind of joking around, fucking with each other. Then they've

(49:21):
got to kind of cross the creek. How there's boots get all wet,
and they keep rasing her about itlike she's getting mad. Everybody's uncomfortable.
It's been raining, and again they'regetting slab happy, and Mike gives up.
I kicked the map into the creekyesterday because it was doing us no

(49:42):
good. We weren't we were lost, and basically saying, and this is
some faulty fucking logic if I've everheard it. Yeah, you couldn't read
the map, so I got ridof the map. Like what so um,
I just wrote my notes. Thiswas not the move. No.
First of all, not only wasit not the right move to do it,

(50:05):
but secondly you shouldn't have told them, ah, because show the level
in which Heather and Josh want tokick his ass. Oh and Heather,
like I mean, rightfully so Imean, Heather completely loses her shit like

(50:27):
it is. I can't I can'teven imagine the this is like now life
or death. And you just likeyou like burnt our lifeline, like it's
gone, right, like you destroyedit. So even even if it wasn't
even if it wasn't helping to likehave something that like eventually might help you,

(50:52):
right if you ran across a landmarkor something that was on the map,
it was just a big the fuckmoment? Why would you do that?
Like that? It was so ohmy god. Now yeah, I
was like, oh my god,I feel that right, Like it was
one of those like oh I alwaysI almost felt like I got punched in

(51:12):
the gut because I forgot that thathappened. Yeah, I didn't remember this
part that he was the one whowith the whole supernatural element. I'm willing
to like believe that, like themap disappeared, you know, like right,
it was like, oh no,this motherfuckers, some creepy lady floated
in and yeah, some creepy ladyflew in and like picked it out.

(51:32):
That ominous wind came by, thatominous wind. Um, So they fight
over the compass. They're supposed tokeep walking south. I mean, it's
just again, Um, they're there, the tension is high, and now
they're mad at each other. Andnow not only do they want to find
the car, they don't want tobe around each other anymore, Like this
is right, not cool. Andthen they happened upon a bunch of stick

(51:54):
figures hanging from trees. And thisis some creepy shit. Now I feel
like this has been my any timethat I have wandered off the path at
like a forest preserve or whatever,because people go into the forest preserved a
party and smoke and drink and whatever. And I'm sorry, I'm sure there's
also other weird shit that people doin the forest. Um, this is

(52:17):
what exactly I'm afraid of happening upon, Like oh no, no, no,
absolutely, Now what are they called? They it says this is just
some voodoo voodoo shit. Yeah,they're like, hey, they're get over
here. There's some voodoo shit overhere. That's exactly how I would have
described it. Um. And thisthese stick figures I remember being like so

(52:38):
popular on like all the merchandising,and this is what the um the American
Hysteria podcast, she talked about likeshe used to make those and just leave
them everywhere, like perpetuating the BlairWitch situation, right, And I love
um. I think it's Mike says, this is no redneck, No redneck?
Is this creative? There's yeah?Yeah, I like that is so

(53:04):
true. That logic is sound.This is not your average he Yeah,
he is the archetype of this iswhat everybody is thinking in the theater.
So he is the one who heis our voice going because he's the outsider,
right, He's the one who,Yes, he signed up for this
to go on this, but he'snot invested in this whole thing. He's

(53:28):
like there to do a job.And he's like, this is some crazy
ass shit, Like, what thehell did I get myself into. I
thought I was just coming to telllike a scary ghost story, not to
actually be in one. Yeah,exactly exactly. And so at this point,
I feel like, this is thefirst time I wrote it down.
This is when we hear Mike juststarts yelling for help. Somebody help us.
Yeah, we're lost you know where. It's like, up until then,

(53:52):
there wasn't necessarily a generic cry forhelp. Yeah, So they have
to camp again for the night,because they are still god, I know.
So the suggestion is made and againMike being this like, okay,
okay, I gotta figure this out. This is what I have to work
with. Are these two people,Let's not light a fire? Huh.

(54:12):
The first night that we didn't lighta fire, nothing really happened. But
the last couple of nights that we'velit a fire is when there's been sounds
and shit at night. Whoever's fuckingwith us, that's how they're finding us
at nighttime. So let's not lightup, which again solid logic, logic,
although in a core movie not exactlyyour best friend right because doesn't work

(54:36):
because in the middle of the nightwe get to hear a lot of creepy
children's voices. That is the scariestshit ever. You want to scare me,
play some creepy freaking children, Andagain, so did this to them.
The directors were the ones that startedthat they had made a tape.

(54:57):
They played it loud on like aboom box, and then are shaking the
tent and scare the shit out ofthem. Absolutely so it was a very
visceral, real reaction, which Ithought was really cool. They run from
the tent, it's the middle ofthe night. You know, there's lots
of what is that? What isthat? We don't know what they're seeing,
because again it's all this crazy like, yeah, they grab the camera
and the audio thing, but likethey're not filming, filming. So this

(55:23):
is the genius of this movie.And I will die on this hill that
in every truly scary movie, it'swhat you don't see that's scarier than what
you do see. And that's whereslasher films tend to lose me, because
you are taking it out of myimagination, which I will guarantee is a

(55:45):
thousand times worse than whatever the fucknasty shit you're going to try to put
on the screen Like that, thatdoesn't scare me, but what's in my
brain absolutely scares me. And thismovie leverages that. I mean, it's
like they took a Hitchcock movie andsaid hold my beer, Yeah, hold

(56:06):
on just a second. Because again, and that's why, well, that's
why, like you mentioned Hitchcock,that's why those movies hold up so well.
Yes, they didn't have CGI andall these special effects, and they
had to worry a lot about thatgun, They had to worry about a
lot about the censorship board the rightthings you couldn't do right, and you

(56:28):
have to be when you are restricted, you are forced to become more creative.
Yes, And that's the problem witha lot of these movies is that
there. That's why the sequels arealways worse because you get bigger budget and
you're trying to be like to extendthis like shock value, and it ends

(56:49):
up hurting you because when you didn'thave that money, you were forced to
be more creative or you couldn't dothe things that you thought you were going
to do right. And it's like, well, we don't have the money,
right, something else. Let theaudience figure out for themselves, and
right, nine times out of ten, that's the better choice. Yes.
And so that's what I love aboutthis movie. It leaves so much to

(57:09):
the imagination, right, and it'sit's really genius. So like, you
only get one element, you know, you only get the sound of them
saying that the fuck is that?Oh my god? What is that?
You know? And then you're likeand you're trying to follow it on the
screen, but you can't see anythingand it's dark and they're running around and
your brain start thinking, like,what the fuck are they seeing, you
know, and this crazy children's voicesand like all that. So it's it's

(57:30):
purely it's very genius. I loveit. Yeah. So they get through
the night and the sun comes up, so it's dawn, it's daylight,
and they see that just Josh's backpackof stuff is strewn all over the place.
Yeah, and that's very unnerving,like the other stuff has been left

(57:50):
alone, but just his. Andhe's like picks up some of this stuff
and it's got this slime on itor he's like, ooh, what did
they what is this? And sothey start fighting because how there's filming all
of this and Josh is now like, dude, stop, this is getting
serious, and you know, Joshis losing it. He's super angry because

(58:16):
again he's feeling like it just gotpersonal. Why was it his stuff?
And so he's cracking and Mike becomesthe realist of like, you need to
stop filming for five minutes, givehim five minutes, yeah, like,
don't film him like he is likelike and he's trying to keep their calm
too, like I get what you'retrying to do with your documentary, but

(58:37):
he's a human being. You needto give him fight. If he's sitting
over there crying. He doesn't wantthat on film, so could you just
like just give him five minutes?And so that's when we start to see
that, like again, even thoughMike had that major fuck up, he
actually sort of rallies and becomes thelike the voice of reason in so much

(59:00):
any times the rest of the movie, right, And at this point,
Josh has cracked and now he's takinghe becomes he starts to take on that
more anti antagonistic role to Heather becausenow he is just he's so over it.
He is so pissed. Um.He starts needling Yeather and say,

(59:22):
oh yeah, I can see whyyou are constantly why you like this camera
so much, because it's not reality. It's a filtered reality. He says,
right, so you have to bein this as much as we are,
and that's not fair. And Ido see that. Like for Heather,
that is her it's like her securityblanket. Like if I'm filming this,

(59:45):
it's not really happening to me.I am I'm catching it on film,
so it's not I'm not in thereal danger. I'm trying to catch
this all. I'm trying to figureit out. It's a way of compartmentalizing
your brain, right, Yeah,Like if I'm filming it, I'm not
fully engaged in it, which isone of the biggest things that I refuse

(01:00:06):
a lot of the times to do. Like where everyone whips out their phones
at like a concert. Yeah,I've done it, and I realize it
makes it so that I'm not fullyengaged. Yeah, so then who cares?
Why do I need this video.I'm not going to watch that.
I'm here to watch the concert.So do that because you aren't. Once
you would start looking at the screenthrough the camera into whatever you're trying to

(01:00:28):
film, it segments your brain andbecause you're doing two things at once,
really and and you can't be fullyin that moment, which in a way,
he's probably exactly right that that's probablywhat's been keeping Heather pretty sane.
But then something happens that they allofficially lose it, and that is they
come across the same fucking log that, oh my god, they crossed way

(01:00:51):
back at the beginning on the firstday, so they feel like that's not
anywhere near the car. So wherethe fuck have we been walking? Like
we've just been walking for days andwe're right back here, and they all
are just kind of having this freakout of like it's the same fucking log
like yeah, and I get it, I really get well. And then

(01:01:14):
like Heather Shriman, no, it'snot, it's not. It can't be.
It can't be the same. Andthen she realizes it and you hear
her like sob and like I'm like, oh my god, And I was
reading did you read this too?That they that was actually their real reaction
because they didn't realize that they weregoing to end up in that place and
they ended up they had been walkingall day, just like they had and

(01:01:37):
they realized that they were at thesame place, and all of them lost
it. Yeah. No, Idid not read that. I actually didn't
read a bunch of the trivia becauseI instead just went I hit the real
rabbit hole with the YouTube videos oflike the old interviews and like stuff like
that that I was like, shit, I never read the trivia. Yeah
no, that's that's all the realreactions. It's Heather like, because they
had walked all day and they realizedthat they were back at the well and

(01:02:00):
the same I didn't hear like thedirector talked about like they did dwindle their
food supply, so like by thelast day, the only thing the actors
got on like day eight, Well, okay, so it was eight days
of filming, six days of campingout in the woods, so it would
have been day six they only gota banana and a PowerBar for the whole
day, and like they're exhausted there, you know. So it made a

(01:02:22):
lot of this really authentic right,you know, it's there. It's a
razor's edge, like you are atthat when you're hungry and you're tired,
your emotions are right, I mean, you're right at the precipice of going
over the edge because you've got allthese other stressors on you the last even

(01:02:44):
if it's not like you know,you're not in any real danger or whatever,
it doesn't matter. Yeah, SoMike decides again, he rallies,
and he talks everybody off the ledge, like, listen, there is a
lot to do. We need tostop freaking out. Now we're gonna need
to camp again because it's gonna getdark, and at this point we should

(01:03:05):
all be taking a watch shift.We're not all sleeping at the same time.
Let's figure out, like who isfucking with us? And I was
like, that's also very smart.And in the tent we do see them
like everybody has calmed down, andHeather's like stitching some Mike's jeans. I
think that ripped, yeah, toput a hole back together. And then

(01:03:27):
they're like, Josh is kind oflike, I can't believe you're stitching that,
and she's like, well, he'scold. Can be a small comfort,
like it's something I can do,and it kind of is bringing the
it's bringing the energy back down,like Okay, it's nighttime again. They're
they've been in a fight all day, but they're they're in this together.
They're all apologetic and hungry, andthey start talking about what foods they wish
they had, and Josh says,you know what, I fucking love mashed

(01:03:52):
potatoes, And I wrote my notesme too, Josh, me too.
Fucking mashed potatoes are great. Goddamn. You know my family is not
mashed potato fans. And I justsay, you know what, more for
me, I agree, my sisterand I will take out like an entire
batch of mashed potatoes. And noone else seems very affected, but we

(01:04:14):
are in like, oh my god, heaven, like tooes anything potato.
God, I mean I can takeher leave a fry, but mashed potatoes,
mashed potatoes all day. I couldeat it all day. Scalped potatoes
are pretty darn good too, Ohyes they are. I mean when you
starting to introduce me wist faked potatoand butter and all the things. Oh

(01:04:40):
god, girl, me too,making me hungry, I know, right.
So now it's the next morning,so this I think would be day
six for them. I started tolose tracks, so it's like it's either
day five or day six. Thenext morning, Mike and Heather can't find
Josh, and this is alarming becauseall his stuff is there. Where did
he go? Did he wander off? Heather insists that they take the camera

(01:05:02):
and go look for them, andthey don't find him, and it's it's
you can tell, like again,like that Razor's edge attitude of like,
oh okay, well, I guesswe keep walking. Let's keep walking.
I don't know what else to do, but we have got to get out
of here, like we can't wastethe day. You decide to start walking

(01:05:24):
east and Mike uses wicked witch logicto pick and I'm not I'm not anti
that either, no, I meanat this point, at this point,
you really don't have I mean,there's nothing like Okay, well we tried
stuff that didn't work. I don'tknow which I will say in mind,
we got to pick a direction,you know, paranormal movie rolodex of information.

(01:05:47):
I would probably have the like,well, maybe something's affecting the compass,
we should use the sun, Likeyeah, this nothing can be affecting
the sun. So if we keepwalking right towards the setting sun, we
know we're going west, or ifwe're going towards the rising sun, we
know we're going east, and like, maybe that is the right move to

(01:06:08):
make, but that could still bevery daunting if they were in a very
heavily wooded area of like you know, I don't know. So they're they're
grabbing straws, they don't know whatto do. They start walking. They
it's nighttime, and they never raninto Josh. So now it is just
Mike and Heather putting up the tentagain. They're talking about food. I

(01:06:29):
was with her when they brought uppumpkin pie an ice cream until she said
warm pumpkin pie with melty ice cream, and I was like, we don't
eat warm pumpkin pie. That's likeeating warm cheesecake. I'm going to stop
you there. That's a refrigerated sit's a custard. It's a little weird.
I mean, I get you bakea I mean, you bake a

(01:06:50):
pumpkin pie. So yeah, butit's a custard, like you don't it
would? I don't mean. Butso hey, so is crumb roulet.
You eat that warm? I guess, but only the top is warm.
The inside's pretty. It's not likegooey warm. No, I mean,

(01:07:11):
I don't. I'm not opposed toto it. It doesn't. I mean,
okay, maybe because I've cooked somany custards and stuff like that that
like I always try it when it'swarm that it doesn't see well, I
feel like with pumpkin pie, Idon't because it doesn't. It also won't
cut very well while it's warm.Oh true, like not that one needs

(01:07:33):
to set so like I feel likeif you have like warm like a crimbroulet
that has come out. I'm justgonna apologize to everybody that I just took
us on this tangent. But I'msaying no to warm pumpkin pie. Just
I'm standing firm there. Okay,Okay, they start shouting and screaming in

(01:07:53):
the darkness, and they're yelling forJosh because they hear noises out there,
and there's a lot of tension andbuilding while they're like using flashlights and searching,
and the cameras all over the placeand you can't see what's going on,
and they're screaming for Josh, andthey hear like a man's voice screaming.
And now this I think did takeit to the next level where you

(01:08:15):
think your friend went missing and youare hearing a man screaming as if he's
someone's killing him or torturing him.Right, that would be like Jesus,
what do we do? Like wedon't have weapons, we don't have like
I don't even know what to dowith that. And so the next morning,
right outside the tent, there isa bundle of twigs tied with scraps
of Josh's shirt. Yes, thisis not good, this is not good.

(01:08:39):
Well, and then so Heather seesthis. Does Mike? Does Mike
see it? Heather finds it anddoesn't tell Mike, right, well,
she doesn't, or she says shefound it, but then she decides to
I think later unwrap it. Well, actually when she finds The director talked

(01:09:00):
about that in one of the videosthat I watched. It was actually kind
of cool that because again, theyplaced it there like this is all it's
like an escape room, like theyare just you know, the directors aren't
giving them actual direction, they're justdoing things. And so, but they
wanted how the to unwrap that bundleand then she didn't, and so he
did. The director did how tointervene and say, hey, we need

(01:09:20):
you to go back and film,like unwrap that twig bundle and see what
you find. And she was like, oh okay, and then did it.
And then that's she unwrapped it andthere's like it's full of blood and
there's um There's some speculation on theInternet of what it was, but the
director confirmed it was human teeth.Teeth. Oh yeah, it looked like

(01:09:41):
teeth. I was like, ittook me a minute. I was like,
is a teeth? That's so well. I mean it was covered in
blood and I was like, ohmy god, there's teeth in there.
There's teeth. Yes, And thisis where Dave Dave goes, I remember
there's something in there. He's like, is there an ear and then I
see the pair. I was like, Nope, that's teeth teeth teeth teeth,
which is worse is the creepiest thingthat you can find? Well,

(01:10:02):
it is, but also because we'regonna find like later, they still keep
hearing like Josh's voice that like someonecould pull a tooth in you and you
still alive, right, Like youknow, it's not like a sign that
like the person's dead dead right,So um, she doesn't tell Mike.
They keep walking and I wrote it'snighttime again. And at one hour,

(01:10:27):
ten minutes and fifteen seconds in thismovie is when we get the famous up
with the nose. She had campshotsthat this movie is, this is this
is it people, And I willsay this whole thing where Heather has the
camera down low, it's coming up. It's like her nose at the bottom
of the screen. You're just seeingher eyes in her nose. Her whole
face isn't in the frame, andshe's crying. It eventually becomes snotty,

(01:10:53):
which is what everybody parodied. Butit really speaks to the incredible acting going
on here, like to let yourselfgo to this place and never put yourself
in check. That you know thisisn't flattering, right, you know,
like you just let the I gottasay I'm an ugly crier, like if
I really am crying, it's thesnot factory is full force, and so

(01:11:15):
I get it, like the welland it was. It was a mistake.
She thought that she was filming herentire face, right, and then
they saw the result and they're like, you know what, it's great,
Like we're just it's great. We'rejust keeping we can't how you can't you
can't be like, oh that gotscrewed up. Now you got to get
to that place again. Right,that's not it's not going to have the

(01:11:38):
same impact. And I don't care. It was purposes. It really was
perfect. It added to the authenticityagain like where you're like this is this
is it real? Did this really? Like? Yeah, this is real?
So how there is apologetic to likeall the moms because now she's like
Josh's missing, Mike is dragged intothis and this was all my idea,
yeah, like like she's just ahologetic. And again the voice starts again,

(01:12:05):
and then this time again with thecaptions, I saw like somebody else,
please, somebody please follow my voice? Yeah, and I was like,
fucking it, I mean, becauseI'm trying to picture it, and
I'm like, okay, well,what if it was Andrea, Like,
what if I went to make thisfilm project and my friend I'm with somebody

(01:12:25):
who was like a technical person,but my friend is missing now and I'm
hearing her voice? Could I justnot go? No, probs, not
even if it means I'm gonna getkilled too, Like, who else does
she have to help her? Ifshe's still alive? I have to go,
right, I would be finding whateverstick, twigs, rocks that I

(01:12:46):
could like load myself up, takelike a whole bunch of rocks and throw
them in a shirt so that Icould like whack somebody in the head with
it. I mean like like no, I mean, how do you first
of all, how would you livewith yourself? Exactly? If then the
next morning or the next night,then it's all silent and gone, And
then you're like, well, fuck, I had an opportunity to save my

(01:13:10):
friend and rather risk myself than livewith that, right. Oh yeah,
So to start following the voice andcome upon a house that is clearly decrepit
and old, and there's a bunchof sticks like blocking the front door,
and I just was like, Iwould be like, oh my god,
he's probably in there, but howthe fuck No, this is some silence.

(01:13:36):
Lamb shit, I ain't getting caughtup in that. Ah. So
they go in. It would bereally hard. It would be really hard
to go in. I gotta say, I just know it's like it would
be really hard to go in.So they go in, and the I
think what would help me go inis the fact that I wasn't by myself,

(01:13:59):
like it's had Mike like, Okay, we're going, but the yelling
is still happening. They see abunch of children's handprints on the walls.
This is all very shaky. They'rethrough the house, they're kind of getting
separated, like how there's got thecamera Mike doesn't. But like sometimes she's
like screaming for Mike, like whereare you, Like I'm trying to stay
with you kind of thing. Theymake it all the way up to the

(01:14:21):
upper floor, but then Mike's Ihear him in the basement. I hear
him. He's in this house.And so Mike goes running for Josh and
Heather can't quite catch up and shecan't find him again. And she's screaming
for Mike in this voice that isso hysterical. This scene is so effective.
I mean I was like, I'mtrying to remember, like back in

(01:14:45):
the theater, trying to watch thisright, this her, The way she's
screaming his name is terror, Likejust it's not it's not the bullshit now
where they do the what is thatwhere they do the audio again after they
film it and the person screams betteror whatever. No, this is abject

(01:15:10):
terror. Like she her voice whenshe's screaming Mike's name is it is chilling,
Like yeah, it's just it's soeffective. And in one camera view,
it would appear that Mike comes uponsomething and something knocks him out,
like you see the camera fall andnothing else, and then Heather still screaming

(01:15:30):
for him and finds him. Whenshe gets to the basement, we now
see Mike standing in a corner facingthe wall and it's very creepy and she's
screaming, and then it appears thatHeather gets knocked out. Yes, and
that's the end. The camera flickersout. So the thing is, though,

(01:15:53):
is that I did in one ofthe interviews I watched, I didn't
notice this at first, but oneof those guys in town told the story
of some murderer that would grab kidstoo it at time tell one to stand
in the corner while he murdered oneand then murder the other one. Is
kind of come and circle back aroundto that to what Yeah, because they
said, now, didn't they say? And I again, this is IMDb,

(01:16:17):
so who knows how true this is. But they said that they filmed
several different endings because like they hadone where like Mike was hanging from a
noose and one where he was likestrung up against a wall with like his
intestines hanging out or something, andthey just found that this was probably the

(01:16:41):
most effective. And I think thiswas probably, I think the first one
that they shot. And I say, hell, yes, that's the most
effective, because there's nothing creepier thansomebody standing silent in a corner, in
a corner and they're not reacting toyou hysterically screaming their name. Right,
yeah it is. I put inmy notes. The camera flickers out commence

(01:17:05):
arguments on the reality of this story, because this is when the whole audience
goes, what the fuck was that? Well, so what happened? But
it adds to the found footage thingbecause the you know, the killer or
the witch isn't going to pick upthe camera and explain everything, right,
That's what found footage would look like, is that it doesn't end with like

(01:17:26):
a perfect everyone's like, well whathappened? Yeah, well this is all
we have. Now you have tosurmise what happened. So creepy, it's
so good, it's so effective.I love how much is left to the
imagination. It is so good.Well, they said at one point,
I think when they when they shookthe the tent and they're all supposed to

(01:17:49):
come out. Originally they had hadsomebody who was supposed to like be the
witch, like all dressed up inwhite, and they can't. But they
didn't get that because they're freaked out. They didn't catch that on film,
which I think, and they're like, well, we're not going to know.
It's better this way, And Iwas like that again, because your

(01:18:11):
imagination is like, what the fuckis going on? It fills in.
It's so much scarier and so muchmore effective than if you had seen some
sort of weird ghostly shape floating liketheir reactions and they're terrifying responses. To
these actions and these creepy things happeningis much scarier than if we had actually

(01:18:36):
seen some sort of floating aberration inthe woods. Yeah, this it just
it really was like I remember,like we were kind of like, okay,
so is this really like found footage? Like what? And then commence

(01:18:58):
the viral marketing camp. So theyactually made my space pages for all the
actors on IMDb, even way backwhen, which one I was never looking
at. They were listed as missingmissing. Yeah, they really amped up
for like a year. There wasno interviews with the real actors, none

(01:19:20):
of that. It was like no, it's like we don't know what happened
to them, and this is geniusand you'll never be able to replicate it
to this level again. No,because it lit a tumbleweed wildfire of word
of mouth. Everyone's like, you'vegotta go see this. It's fucking real.

(01:19:42):
They don't know where the people are, like they literally don't know where
they look at this. It saysthat they're missing, like they're gone,
And there was even fake interviews withfake relatives saying that yes, we're there,
my nieces missing, we don't knowwhere she is. And they posted
it online and I'm like, it'sgenius. It's absolutely we all got duped.
It was amazing. I mean,just again the creativity you can you

(01:20:09):
can come up with when you don'thave big money. Yep. Well,
because that's the thing. It's likeyou can imagine from the director's perspective,
it's like, Okay, so welie, big fucking deal. Who's going
to even see this movie? Likeit's this just like a project, like
you know, we're gonna try toget it in an indie film. Fust

(01:20:29):
like that's what they're thought. Likethe stakes were so low, Like dude,
it's just a cheap, like,you know, we're gaining experience and
that's part of what the real HeatherDonahue, when she was interviewed, said,
She's like, the reason I wentfor the movie is she goes.
She explained that back in that day, there was this like publication that would

(01:20:51):
come out every Thursday, and itwas like all calls for actors, and
she goes, and you'd weed through. You get rid of all the ones
that said nudity, You get ofall the ones that said, um,
you will be provided lunch on set, but no pay. You get rid
of all of those. She goesand you would look for opportunities so that
you could get better, Like itwas like you didn't necessarily go in it

(01:21:13):
for like you know this these arethis is the publication where all the no
name actors are just trying to getwork to get better at acting. And
she's like, and that's what attractedme to it. And she goes in
this idea of like an improv job. She was totally into, and she
said her mom was like super againstit and was really worried and was like,
which this goes back to um.To me, it reminded me of

(01:21:36):
the story that Georgia told on MyFavorite Murder of like that photographer kind of
coaxing her to go to like aphoto in the being a creeper. And
that's kind of what the mom waslike, like, I mean, you're
the only girl going with all thesemen, Like the two directors are men,
the two other casts. You're goingwith four men into the woods?

(01:21:59):
Yeah, to do a movie?Are you sure? And she I mean
that's that's a valid I mean reservationsand went out and bought a giant hunting
knife and strapped it to her beltso that it was visible to all of
these men, and she goes acrossmy mind, she goes, I tried
to vet the idea that they seemlike good people. She's like, but

(01:22:19):
this is la who the fuck knows? Like absolutely, it crossed my mind,
like what am I doing? Youknow? And I was like,
that's totally true, Like if Audreytold me that that's what she was going
to do, Like I'm sorry,what this isn't like something that you and
a friend are doing at least,like you're just going with some Craigslist ass
people, right, she didn't sheask like the director, she's like,

(01:22:45):
this isn't a snuff film, isthat listen? I'm sure she probably did,
but you know, she took therisk, and I mean, you
know, very very cool. Iam so excited that we got to live
through the viral marketing of this becauseyou can never replicate this again. There's

(01:23:05):
other things, but you can't replicatethis. I mean the level at which
people argued over whether this was realor not and the amount of like false
information like oh yeah, they're listedas missing. You know, it's a
great well. And the interesting thingis this whole movie and the process of

(01:23:29):
it, A lot of it wasdone kind of because it's almost like reality
TV. Like we all know realityTV is scripted, but it's scripted in
a way where they put these peoplein this situation, but they don't tell
them what to say or what necessarilyto do or anything like that. It's
the same thing with this, likethey would switch things up on the fly

(01:23:50):
too. Like I think originally Mikewas supposed to be the one that went
missing, but because of the interactionsbetween Josh and how they were bickering so
much, they decided to remove Joshfrom that situation and then make Mike like

(01:24:11):
leave Mike there. So originally Mikewas supposed to be the one who was
gone. And basically they told Joshthey said, okay, like tonight you're
supposed to leave the tent and theytold him, okay, well you're dead
now FYI. So it's like,okay, So these reactions you can't like,
you can't manufacture some of these reactionsbecause they're actually reacting to that situation.

(01:24:40):
It's a very interesting way to dothings. And again, yeah,
because this was kind of the firstof its kind, the impact is so
much greater and the effect is somuch greater because this had never been really
done before in this way, andit's just you know, I do think

(01:25:02):
now like it. I mean,I don't know what you you know you're
but I felt like it's still heldup for me like watching it, and
I was like, this is prettygood. Like I I think the reason
I haven't watched it a whole lotis, you know, is because it's
kind of hard to watch that likeshaky found footage over and over again.

(01:25:25):
But yeah, it's still held upthis like this will much later. Like
I was like, oh, yeah, I agree, this is great.
And I kind of felt that wayabout Paranormal Activity, Like I didn't see
that one in the theater. Isaw it at home and I liked it,
but it's not one i'll watch overand over again because once you get
through it and then you're kind oflike, well, I know it was

(01:25:46):
either true or not true or likewhatever, you don't have this compulsion like
I don't, or at least Idon't to watch it over and over again.
But I absolutely respect what this movieis and like, yes, this
much time going by, it's stillwas. Yeah, and now this time
I think I had a different appreciationof watching it through the eyes of them
being actors. Yeah, holy shitman, because it felt so real when

(01:26:10):
we saw it back in nineteen ninetynine that it was found footage, and
now realizing that these are actors,that is wild, Like what a great
job. I mean, hats off, like you deserve all the awards.
It's one of those movies that blurs. It blurs that line between reality and

(01:26:31):
fiction because you again, they're walkingthis real fine line. You're like,
Okay, well, how much ofthis is them as an actor and them
as just a person, right,or how much I like to call it,
like how much is it the hauntedHouse effect where it's like there somebody
does something to give a jump scareout of you, you know what I
mean. And it's like it's it'sso well done. And I think that

(01:26:56):
it was really smart for the directors. They basically just gave like a crash
course to I think to Mike wasthe main one. They all got a
little crash course on like how touse the cameras, yeah, and what
to do. And I think thatwas really smart, like not even being
so wrapped up in your own egothat like, no, I'm going to

(01:27:18):
film it and try to make itlook like they're filming it now you just
gave the cameras to these three kidsand said, well, we just we're
just trying this. Let's see whathappens, like, let's do it.
And it's just like and again,I think, like you said, it's
the lack of money involved that bringsit to such low stakes that you're willing
to like try anything. Who cares, Let's just you know what, go

(01:27:42):
ahead, let's let's do this.Like what who's going to see this thing?
We don't know, you know,we're just this is an idea.
And it kind of hit at theperfect time because I think the the fact
that the Internet existed and you couldgo look on my Space and you would
go look at some of this stuffhelped. But if it had waited a
little bit longer to get this outthere, you could have debunked it because

(01:28:08):
right away because the Internet would haveevolved. And it's like it kind of
it was like a right time,right place, right time kind of situation.
It's a fascinating viral marketing case study. Yeah, it's amazing. Well,
and it's also there's still people outthere that think that the Blair which

(01:28:29):
true, even though they're like,we totally made this up. There is
nothing. There is no truth tothis. It is not a legend.
It is false. It just goesto show you how fucking gullible some people
are. Oh yeah, I mean, if this last year has taught us
anything, if yeah, stop believingstupid shit, like just please, would

(01:28:55):
you just look at everything with acritical eye? So much could be fake,
like and now it's even easier tofake shit exactly. So it's like,
you know, I don't know,but I would say my assessment with
of this is if you are aperson that hadn't seen this for a long
time, you know, I neverthought again, I never thought i'd be

(01:29:20):
interested in really revisiting it because Iwas like, oh, yeah, that
was cool, but I've seen it. Yeah, watching it with this much
space in between, I was actuallyreally enjoyable. I agree. I actually
really I didn't think I would enjoyit as much as much. I thought.
I was like, oh, itwas a cool concept, but it's
one of those movies where it's like, once you see it once, right,

(01:29:42):
I will tell you that you're notgoing to get anything out of it.
But I twirly did. My noteswere so light that I was like,
oh, this might have been amistake. Uh huh, I don't
know how we're gonna do on theepisode like shit, and then then it
just I was like, no,no, there's plenty to talk about here,
you know, and especially because welived through it, like the yeah,

(01:30:03):
the whole we were there for thenineteen ninety nine situation. Um.
But yeah, so cool, sogood. Well, I definitely think,
Um, I don't know anything else. I don't know. I think we've
covered it all. I will say, Um, so there is even um,
you know that company Hunter Killer.Oh, you can get that game.

(01:30:28):
They did a blair Witch version,So there's that. There's that came
out at the twentieth anniversary. Um, there's been the sequels. Uh.
And then again you can go downa real YouTube rabbit hole of people like
trying. I think it's just likefake content of them being like, let's
go see if the blair Witch isreal. You know, um, because
Burkettsville, Maryland is a real placeand that town has been swarmed upon uh

(01:30:53):
and they didn't ask for that,but there it is, so um.
I think that they should just gowhole hog into it and be like,
we have a blair Witch experience onthe woods. And I mean here's I
would run with it. I wouldbe opening like a blair Witch diner,
a blair Witch campsite. You stickpeople everywhere, hang them up all over

(01:31:16):
the place, you know, especiallyHalloween, and lean lean in, fake
the money. So I will sayfor this one, I don't think I'm
going to have anything to add toour fourteen going on forty jams playlist,
but uh well see what it didn'tthey sing that godless America or something.
I don't know if I want toput that on there or not, but

(01:31:38):
either way, definitely, guys,thank you so much for listening. And
if you want to tell us aboutyour experience with the blair Witch urban legend,
is it true? Is it not? Fights with your friends, what
your thoughts were, You can findus on the socials. You can email
us at fourteen going on forty podat gmail dot com, or head over

(01:32:00):
to Facebook. That's where we're atfourteen going on forty podcast and Instagram.
We are fourteen going on forty podand we will be posting some some blair
Witch stuff. I made some notesof things to put out there, and
so you know, basically, don'tforget to rate, review, subscribe,
But most importantly share this episode witha friend. We actually got prodded to

(01:32:20):
do this by a friend in aconversation of what movie to do next.
So, uh, you know,we publish episodes every two weeks, So
while you're waiting, find time towatch a movie with your for a best
friend, or just do a revisitof Blair, which it's on Hulu.
It's worth it. Do it too. So when's our camping trip? Oh

(01:32:42):
my god, con you want totalk about making us sitcom or something?
You want to do some found footagecell phone video of Melissa's first camping in
a tent. Fuck the fuck off? It would be think fun nance a
very special episode of List. Imean, I guess crazier things could happen,

(01:33:04):
but h you're gonna have to sellthat one a little harder, Andrea,
Okay, all right, I'll workon it, all right. Well,
thanks guys,

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Episode 36 - The Blair Witch Project

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.css-14f5ked{margin:0;word-break:break-word;display:-webkit-box;-webkit-box-orient:vertical;box-orient:vertical;-webkit-line-clamp:2;overflow:hidden;}Episode 36 - The Blair Witch Project