For those not familiar with this movie.
It was made for about $20,000. It’s been “out there” for about two years waiting release. It was screened at a film festival or two. It was shown at a con (scifi/fantasy convention) or two. But up until very recently there was no release date and only those few lucky people who caught its few screenings had seen it.
Steven Spielberg is a fan and is said to have suggested the ending the film now has.
It was released a few weeks ago in the U.S. to very limited markets. Something like 50 cities. They were mainly university areas where the population of the young demographic of the movie was dense.
It was one of the first movies that you could “demand it” to have it come to your city. They had a website where you could click to “demand it”. If one million people demanded it they would release it nationwide.
Last week the movie opened nationwide. (There were two theaters in Spokane showing it, but not our local theater.) This week it is local here.
It has set all sorts of box office marks for making money on such a limited release. Basically, the initial release sold out every show on every screen it was shown on. (Those first 50 theaters.) The next week it did about the same in a wider release.
As of this writing the movie has made $40 million at the box office. (Go back up to the first point - the film was made for $20,000 - and be amazed.)
So I went and saw it tonight.
It is really good. It is a well told story. It’s very much a Blair Witch type thing where the creepiest/scariest things are usually what you don’t see.
The acting is pretty darn good for two wanna be actors who could barely get acting jobs before they made this movie. The special effects (what was there) were good and well done. Simple but effective things.
If you get a chance see it. If you can go see it in a theater with a bunch of people, do it. About 90% of the audience with us were between the ages of 17-23 or so. The jumps, screams and nervous laughter (from the audience) really added to the experience. (The rude comments and talking through most of the slowish beginning did not add to the experience.)
