Is less more? A few questions for you. (Blair Witch Project spoilers)

[SoulPizza]

So I just finished watching Blair Witch Project for the first time and I loved it. I know a lot of people hate the found footage/shaky cam genre for one reason or another but recently I've noticed it seems to be the only way to make me feel scared for an extended period of time. I consider horror movies to work best when it's like a group of friends sitting around a camp fire trying to freak eachother out with spooky stories and urban legends, and I feel like a lot of high production values, bad/over acting, and too much screen time for the super natural kind of ruins things for me.

In Blair Witch Project you never see the witch, there is no gore or graphic violence and no jump scares. The stick men were creepy as hell, just hearing people outside the tent and in the woods was enough. I didn't need to see them, and I'm glad a lot was left up to the imagination.

So a few questions I guess.

1) How do you feel about found footage movies?
2) Do you agree that less is more when it comes to feeling uneasy or scared?
3) When you watch todays horror movies do you find yourself having to force yourself to get into it?
4) Any examples of horror movies that work well that fall under the "less is more" category?

Anything else on this subject I'd be interested to hear about.

[CaptainSpaulding]

1) How do you feel about found footage movies? I am a fan of them because it submerges the viewer into the situation. The Blair Witch Project did this exceptionally well, I think. I find the anticipation of catching a glimpse of the threat, ie the witch, can be more fufilling than having it stuffed in your face. The whole movie, I was waiting for a big confrontation, my eyes darting around the movie screen in a heightened state of anticipation. This proves to me that they did, in fact, put me in the situation. Just like real life, you would be trying to see the threat, even if just a peek, to identify it and hope your overreacting. The journey was well worth it, even if you never see the witch. I mean, sometimes I am driving, excited as hell, trying to get to Taco Bell for a taco but they are closed when I get there. It's ok though, because a big, bad, beautiful Whopper from Burger King is down the road a little bit further, and I did get to see a cute puppy on the way.

2) Do you agree that less is more when it comes to feeling uneasy or scared? For this, compare the Blair Witch Project to Cloverfield. One is low budget and the other is high budget. I love them both. Both have that anticipation, and I feel like I am there with them. Even though the only real downfall to these types of movies, in my opinion, is that once you have been through the event from their eyes, the rewatch factor drops dramatically. No anticipation means that part has now been removed. The Blair Witch project kept the suspense going the entire time, where as Cloverfield showed the creature halfway through. This worked out for both movies because I believe the creators of the Blair Witch Project didn't have the money to make that work effectively. Also, no one wants to go into a big budget movie with no payoff. Both used what they had well, in my opinion.

3) When you watch todays horror movies do you find yourself having to force yourself to get into it? Everything is a remake now, so I don't bother trying.

4) Any examples of horror movies that work well that fall under the "less is more" category? I can't seem to post on here without bringing up the movie Let Me In. Even though I find it to be more of a drama really because there is no reason to fear the vampire, but you do feel for the characters and I relate to them. Where I was going with this is, the movie holds out on special effects, giving them to you here and there, but it really doesn't need them. The story moves through without needing them, it's just cool that they are there. I hope that is what you ment by less is more.

To end this really long comment, which is a testiment to why you shouldn't respond after getting little sleep and when you are massively bored, I do like these type of movies. Not all of them are good, of course. It pains me to say I didn't like Diary of the Dead, and I am a huge fan of Romero.

[E.F. Benson]

Yes, I believe sometimes less is more. After having their tent shaked, as the trio is running through the woods Heather sees something and screams, "What's that!? What the f*ck is that?!" It's probably scarier not knowing what she saw, and leaving it up to your imagination.