Re: Batman Vs Superman, And Oh Yeah, Suicide Squad: Movies Thread
Back in 1999 a little movie called the Blair Witch Project was released. Those who don't remember won't understand the incredible marketing campaign the studio unleashed to drive it to become the most profitable movie ever released. The Internet was still fairly new so this was the first real viral campaign. They had a special on the Sci-Fi Channel about the incident and the past of the supposed Blair Witch. But they pretended it was all real. The parents of the unknown actors who went "missing" received condolences from people who thought the story and the missing/reward posters were authentic. One person got a screener copy of the film and told a friend he had just found this tape and should they call the FBI? He had edited out the credits and left his friend alone to watch the movie. It took a half hour to convince the guy it didn't really happen.
At that time I was reviewing movies, which was a challenge since I a) lived in Maine and b) had no Internet connection at home. I would see movies Friday night and post my review from the University of Maine (where I was the computer tutor) the next day.
I got to the theater and was amazed to see that the early show was sold out. I had to wait for the 10:00 show, which was also packed. If you haven't seen the original you should, but it won't be the same as seeing it in a theater full of people - most of whom think it is real.
Like everyone else in the cinema I was freaked out by the ending. Say what you want about the pacing, the shaky cam and the lack of dialogue beyond curse words, the last 5 minutes are a thrill ride and the final shot is chilling. I wanted to get my review up right away, but everywhere that had net access was closed.
Except Bowdoin College. Yes, the main library was closed, and so was the Hatch library for that matter. But there was a loophole no one at the College had noticed. The building adjacent to Hatch was Druckenmiller Hall, which was open 24/7 and the two buildings were connected via a walkway on the third floor. The computer lab was located on the second floor, and the door was always left open.
It was around midnight when I pulled into the parking lot. Sure enough, Druckenmiller was open. Sure enough, the computer lab was open. So I logged on and started writing.
About 10 minutes later, the power went out. Pitch black. For some reason the emergency lights did not turn on. I was stuck. I didn't want to try to navigate the halls and stairs in complete darkness. The power would be restored soon, I'd finish my review and this would be nothing but an inconvenience.
Suddenly off in the distance I heard a door quietly closing. Then I heard what I swore were footsteps. My first thought was security. Before the outage, a guard had been passing by, saw a light on in the window and came to investigate. Technically I hadn't done anything wrong (not my fault they left the door open) and the guard obviously had a flashlight so he could escort me safely from the building.
Then my imagination kicked in. Why would a security guard try to be quiet? Why were his footsteps (were they footsteps?) almost silent? Shouldn't I be seeing a beam from his flashlight by now? Then I remembered that there was only one way out of the room because there was a PC set up in front of the other door. Then the noise just stopped.
I sat in the dark, my imagination racing, waiting for who knows what...I knew it was just a movie. I knew there was no Blair Witch. I knew we were in the middle of Brunswick and not much exciting ever happened in Brunswick. But darkness works on you, especially just after you've seen a horror movie and you are already primed. There was even a line in the movie about how much we are protected by technology and of course they couldn't get lost...
So I waited.
20 minutes later the power came back. I wasted no time in getting the hell out of the building. To this day I don't know the origin of that mysterious noise I thought were footsteps, but I know very well I heard the door. Was someone having fun with me? How would they even know I was there? That I would hear what I heard? Regardless, it was a horrifying experience.
Anyway, the sequel came out tonight and it looks good. You should go see it.
Just don't go sneaking into buildings that are closed...
