Author Stephen King is often considered to have written some of the scariest tales of all time. With iconic novels like ‘Salem’s Lot, The Shining, Cujo, and Misery under his belt – it’s hard to disagree. With that in mind, however, it’s worth noting that the legendary horror author gets just as scared as the rest of us at times. And, as it turns out, one horror film was just too scary for him to finish. According to Stephen King, it was none other than The Blair Witch Project that he was unable to watch.
He revealed as much in an interview via Dread Central, where he explained his son tried to introduce him to the film. Apparently he’d been “doped up” in the hospital, and the experience was just too much when combined with the eerie found footage film. As Stephen King stated in his own words regarding The Blair Witch Project:
“The first time I saw [The Blair Witch Project], I was in the hospital and I was doped up. My son brought a VHS tape of it and he said, ‘You gotta watch this.’ Halfway through it I said, ‘Turn it off it’s too freaky.'”
It’s definitely an interesting statement, especially considering some of the terrifying works that Stephen King has either written or influenced. Of course, The Blair Witch Project was often considered by many at the time to be too scary of a film. The movie was one of the first mainstream found footage films of its kind, and audiences were shocked at the results.
While some were horrified by the surreal level of realism, others found the experience a little too distant from the types of horror movies fans have come to expect. Nevertheless, it’s clear Stephen King was one of those individuals that felt the movie was “too freaky.” And that’s definitely a testament to the power that The Blair Witch Project has held since its initial release.