"[84], Film critic Michael Dodd has argued that the film is an embodiment of horror "modernizing its ability to be all-encompassing in expressing the fears of American society". Either way, the missing trio must have seen something. Special features include the documentary Curse of the Blair Witch, a five-minute Newly Discovered Footage, audio commentary, production notes, and cast and crew biographies. [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. In the older film, the long interval between opening credits and first gory act of violence is about thirty minutes long; it is even longer here, but the suspense/fright (just as in the older film) begins right from the opening credits: you just don't see it until the film's over. Kevin Foxe became executive producer in May 1998 and brought in Clein & Walker, a public relations firm. ", "The 12 Ballsiest Movie Publicity Stunts", "The Blair Witch Project: The best viral marketing campaign of all time", "Why did the world think The Blair Witch Project really happened? [114], In October 2017, co-director Eduardo Sánchez revealed that he and the rest of the film's creative team are developing a Blair Witch television series, though he clarified that any decisions would ultimately be up to Lionsgate now which owns the rights to it. A journalist must investigate a mysterious videotape which seems to cause the death of anyone one week to the day after they view it. The film launched a media franchise, which includes two sequels (Book of Shadows and Blair Witch), novels, comic books, and video games. 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. At the center of their integrated marketing campaign was a dedicated website made by the movie’s distributors at Artisan Entertainment: blairwitch.com. [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. Written and illustrated by Cece Malvey, the comic was released in conjunction of the film. [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. Heather Donahue (Heather Donahue) is the producer, director, writer, narrator and driving force behind the film. The Blair Witch Project is an intense, ultra-realistic scare-fest, designed to exploit occult imagery to generate fear. 'The Blair Witch Project' is housed on a BD-25 disc that is reportedly Region Free (A/B/C), packaged in a standard cut-out eco-case. With Heather Donahue, Michael C. Williams, Joshua Leonard, Bob Griffin. The film, distributed by Lionsgate, was slated for a September 16 release and stars James Allen McCune as the brother of the original film's Heather Donahue. The directors screened the first cut in small film festivals in order to get feedback and make changes that would ensure that it appealed to as large an audience as possible. 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. Heather enters the basement screaming, and her camera captures Mike standing in a corner. Their bodies later disappeared. For instance, several character names are near-anagrams: Elly Kedward (The Blair Witch) is Edward Kelley, a 16th-century mystic, and Rustin Parr, the fictional 1940s child-murderer, began as an anagram for Rasputin. He noted that "In an age where anyone can film whatever they like, horror needn't be a cinematic expression of what terrifies the cinema-goer, it can simply be the medium through which terrors captured by the average American can be showcased". A documentary exploring the life of the Blair Witch and the three missing student filmmakers. [50] Best Buy and Lionsgate had an exclusive release of the Blu-ray made available on August 29, 2010. [106][107], A sequel entitled Book of Shadows was released on October 27, 2000; it was poorly received by most critics. [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. ", "An Exclusive Interview with Dan Myrick, Director of The Blair Witch Project", "Film Special: With Dan Myrick and Eduardo Sanchez", "How Joshua Leonard Fell In Love With Moviemaking", "The Making of The Blair Witch Project: Part 3 – Doom Woods Preppers", "The Making of The Blair Witch Project: Part 1 – Witch Pitch", "Blair Witch Project – an Interview with the Directors", "The Making of The Blair Witch Project Part 4: Charge of the Twig Brigade", "TFW 2014: 15 Years of The Blair Witch Project", "32 Things We Learned From the 'Blair Witch Project' Commentary Track", "Beyond Blair Witch: Why found-footage horror deserves your respect", "House used in 'Witch' due to be demolished", "The Making of The Blair Witch Project: Part 5 – The Art of Haunting", "The Making of The Blair Witch Project: Part 6 – Guerrilla Tactics", "The Making of The Blair Witch Project: Part 7 – The Embiggening", "Blair Witch Proclaimed First Internet Movie", "Was The Blair Witch Project The Last Great Horror Film? [13], The directors also cited influences such as the television series In Search of..., and horror documentary films Chariots of the Gods and The Legend of Boggy Creek. [52] The film expanded further to 2,142 theaters and again finished in second place with a gross of $24.3 million in its fourth weekend, behind another horror film The Sixth Sense. [79], An array of other films have relied on the found-footage concept and shown influence by The Blair Witch Project. These are three people out to make a documentary in the woods with handheld camcorders--these are REAL PEOPLE. [38] By August 1999, the website had received 160 million hits. The graphics engine and characters were all derived from the producer's earlier game Nocturne. It is based on the purportedly true story of three student filmmakers—Heather Donahue, Michael C. Williams, and Joshua Leonard—who hike into the Black Hills near Burkittsville, Marylandin 1994 to film a documentary about a local legend known as the Blair Witch. The Blair Witch Project Stick Figure Hard Enamel Pin - Stick Charms - Horror Movie Film - Twanas Flair - Tree Branch oddballpins. I settled in with the right mood for any film: no expectations. [92], Director Eli Roth has cited the film as a marketing influence to promote his 2002 horror film Cabin Fever with the Internet. [96], In July 1999, Oni Press released a one-shot comic promoting the film, titled The Blair Witch Project #1. 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. 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