The Blair Witch Project premiered in 1999, captivating audiences with a unique filmmaking technique known as “found footage.” The low-budget movie followed three friends — Heather, Mike, and Josh — into the woods as they set out in search of the paranormal, with handheld cameras in tow to record what they found. After discovering a video showing what he believes to be his vanished sister Heather, James and a group of friends head to the forest believed to be inhabited by the Blair Witch. The three disappear, but their equipment and footage are discovered a year later. [106][107], A sequel entitled Book of Shadows was released on October 27, 2000; it was poorly received by most critics. "[70] Lisa Schwarzbaum of Entertainment Weekly gave a grade of "B", saying, "As a horror picture, the film may not be much more than a cheeky game, a novelty with the cool, blurry look of an avant-garde artifact. Heather Donahue in The Blair Witch Project, 1999. [56], Because the filming was done by the actors using hand-held cameras, much of the footage is shaky, especially the final sequence in which a character is running down a set of stairs with the camera. Locals tell them of Rustin Parr, a hermit who lived in the woods and kidnapped seven children in the 1940s; he supposedly killed them all in his basement, murdering them in pairs of two while having one stand in a corner. They are never found, but a year later their footage is discovered, and it seems to indicate that there really was a witch and it was stalking these three filmmakers.I did not find THE BLAIR WITCH PROJECT especially scary, although it was rather spooky. They meet two fishermen, one of whom warns them that the woods are haunted. [1] During screenings, the filmmakers made advertising efforts to promulgate the events in the film as factual, including the distribution of flyers at festivals such as Sundance, asking viewers to come forward with any information about the "missing" students. Instead of uploading two similar videos, I made my own personal cut. (1999). Now, one long year later--after that fateful October of 1994--there's still no sign of the student filmmakers, apart from the raw footage they left behind. [55] In Italy it set an opening weekend record for a US film. The Blair Witch Project Stick Figure Hard Enamel Pin - Stick Charms - Horror Movie Film - Twanas Flair - Tree Branch oddballpins. [17][31], The Blair Witch Project is thought to be the first widely released film marketed primarily by the Internet. Mon 21 May 2018 10.35 … They decide to head south, using Mike's compass, and discover humanoid stick figures suspended from trees. The first ending kept the audience off balance; it challenged our real world conventions and that's what really made it scary. Blair Witch is a horror film franchise distributed by Artisan Entertainment (now Lionsgate) and produced by Haxan Films that consists of three feature films and various merchandise products. [28], After becoming a surprise hit at Sundance, during its midnight premiere on January 25, 1999, Artisan Entertainment bought the distribution rights for $1.1 million. [1] These augmented the film's found footage device to spark debates across the Internet over whether the film was a real-life documentary or a work of fiction. [16], During filming, the actors were equipped with CP-16 film and Hi8 video cameras provided by cinematographer Neal Fredericks. [103] For this documentary, director Russ Gomm interviewed the original film's producer, Gregg Hale, and directors Eduardo Sánchez and Daniel Myrick. They come across a river identical to one they crossed earlier and realize they have walked in a circle. Could the nightmarish myth be real? Why should we let you out on parole?" Written by Check out the official The Blair Witch Project (1999) Trailer starring Heather Donahue! In this true crime documentary, we delve into the murder spree that was the inspiration for Joe Berlinger's Book of Shadows: Blair Witch 2 (2000). [112][113] Directed by Adam Wingard, Blair Witch is a direct sequel to The Blair Witch Project, and does not acknowledge the events of Book of Shadows: Blair Witch 2. I'm confused by the ending. [24] By September 2016, The Blair Witch Project has been officially budgeted at $60,000. [22], In September 1999, D. A. Stern compiled The Blair Witch Project: A Dossier. A group of tourists arrives in Burkittsville, Maryland after seeing The Blair Witch Project (1999) to explore the mythology and phenomenon, only to come face to face with their own neuroses and possibly the witch herself. The books center on Cade Merill, a fictional cousin of Heather Donahue, who investigates phenomena related to the Blair Witch. [14] The documentary was aired on the television series Split Screen hosted by John Pierson on August 6, 1998. In search of a local legend, three bold amateur documentarians--director, Heather; cameraman, Josh; sound recorder, Mike--hike into Burkittsville's gloomy Black Hills Forest to find a shadow: the fabled Blair Witch. Although this was not the first film to use it, the independent film was declared a milestone in film history due to its critical and box office success. Rotten Tomatoes gave the film an 87%, where as its audience gave it a 55%. The Blair Witch Project features the students investigating the legend of the witch, including interviews with locals about the various myths that have cropped up around her. Three student filmmakers march into the woods to make a documentary about a fabled witch credited with a string of murders dating back 200 years. Favorite Add to Blair Witch Project - Large Button BedlamSupplyCo. Pre-production began on October 5, 1997 and Michael Monello became a co-producer. [15] Donahue had never operated a camera before and spent two days in a "crash course". Of course, the film I'm referring to is 'The Blair Witch Project,' a film that wasn't ruined by a cash-in sequel, leaving its legacy in the future films it would inspire. Either way, the missing trio must have seen something. They did a very good job and I hope to see more works from them in the near future.Sure, some of the realism could've been better. Check out our editors' picks for the movies and shows we're excited about this month, like Mortal Kombat, "Them," and Stowaway. [95], In 2000, Gathering of Developers released a trilogy of computer games based on the film, which greatly expanded on the myths first suggested in the film. [77] At the 1st Golden Trailer Awards, it received a nomination for Most Original Trailer and won two categories: Best Horror/Thriller and Best Voice Over. I did think it was good, with an excellent and very original plot. View production, box office, & company info. In some ways, “The Blair Witch Project,” with its blurring of fact and fiction, helped create that very media landscape that would preclude its viral success today. [34][35] The campaign tactic was that viewers were being told, through missing persons posters, that the characters were missing while researching in the woods for the mythical Blair Witch. But as a manifestation of multimedia synergy, it's pretty spooky. About 20 hours of footage was shot, which was edited down to 82 minutes. The Blair Witch Project Was One of the Greatest Horror Hoaxes of the 20th Century Twenty years ago, a low-budget film of handheld camerawork terrified early … [7][15][17] Teeth were obtained from a Maryland dentist for use as human remains in the film. Three film students vanish after traveling into a Maryland forest to film a documentary on the local Blair Witch legend, leaving only their footage behind. A few scenes were filmed in the historic town of Burkittsville. Then, when everyone found out it was fake, I heard all sorts of bad things about it.THE BLAIR WITCH PROJECT is about three young filmmakers, Heather Donahue, Michael Williams and Josh Leonard (actors with same names as their characters), go out into the woods of Burkittesville, Maryland to do a documentary on the mythical Blair Witch. [4] The film expanded nationwide in its third weekend and grossed $29.2 million from 1,101 locations, placing at number two in the United States box office, surpassing the science fiction horror film Deep Blue Sea but behind Runaway Bride. A little, but I think if it wasn't that it wouldn't have been as successful, since the actors, writers and directors are relatively unknown. The audio commentary presents directors Daniel Myrick, Eduardo Sánchez, and producers Rob Cowie, Mike Monello and Gregg Hale, in which they discuss the film's production. Although distraught, she chooses not to tell Mike. This low-budget fright fest made it to #10 at the year's box office and launched the pseudo-doc horror genre. [74], The 20th Golden Raspberry Awards gave Heather Donahue its Worst Actress award, and nominated producers Robin Cowie and Gregg Hale for the Worst Picture award. 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