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The Blair Witch Project

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The Blair Witch Project
Directed byDaniel Myrick
Eduardo Sánchez
Written byDaniel Myrick
Eduardo Sánchez
StarringHeather Donahue
Joshua Leonard
Michael C. Williams
Distributed byArtisan Entertainment
Release dates
July 14, 1999 (limited); July 30, 1999 (USA wide)
Running time
86 min.
LanguageEnglish
BudgetUS$22,000
Box office$248,639,099 (as of January 20, 2008)

The Blair Witch Project is a low-budget American horror film released in 1999. Though the film is entirely fictional, the narrative is presented as a documentary pieced together from amateur footage. The film was produced by the Haxan Films production company.

It tells the story of three young student filmmakers (Heather Donahue, Joshua Leonard, and Michael Williams) who go into the Black Hills of Burkittsville, Maryland to film a documentary about the eponymous local legend known as the Blair Witch. The three students never come back. Neither the students nor their bodies are ever found, although their video and sound equipment (along with most of the footage they shot) is eventually recovered.

Production

The Blair Witch Project was shown at the 1999 Sundance Film Festival, and released by Artisan on 30 July 1999 after months of publicity, including a ground-breaking campaign by the studio to use the Internet and suggest that the film was a real event. It was positively received by critics and went on to gross over US$248 million worldwide,[1] making it the most successful independent film ever. It also had the highest ratio of box office sales to production cost in American filmmaking history.

The Blair witch concept was developed in 1993[2] by the filmmakers, who desired to create a movie where the characters are lost in the woods.[3] The script began with a 35 page outline, with the dialogue to be improvised.[2] Accordingly, the directors advertised in Back Stage Magazine for actors with strong improvisational abilities.[4] There was a very informal improvisational audition process to narrow the pool of 2,000 actors.[5][3] The working title for the film was "The Black Hills Project".[citation needed] In developing the mythology behind the movie, the filmmakers used many inspirations. Several character names are anagrams; Elly Kedward (The Blair Witch) is Edward Kelly, a medieval mystic. Rustin Parr, the fictional 1940's child-murderer began as an anagram for Rasputin.[6] In talks with investors, they presented an 8 minute documentary presenting the Blair Witch legend as though it was real, along with newspapers and news footage.[7]

Filming began in October 1997 and went for 8 days.[8][4] Most of the movie was filmed in Seneca Creek State Park in Montgomery County, Maryland, although a few scenes were filmed in the real town of Burkittsville.[9] Many of the townspeople interviewed in the film were not actors, and some claimed to have heard about the Blair Witch, though the story is fictitious. Donahue had never operated a camera before, and spent two days in a "crash course", but her newness with camera control may have influenced the film's shakiness. Donahue said she modeled her character after a director she once worked with, citing the character's self assuredness but then confusion during crisis.[10]

During filming, the actors were given clues as to their next location through messages given in milk crates found with Global Positioning Satellite systems. They were given individual instructions that they would use to help improvise the action of the day.[4] The directors rationed the food of the cast, causing Donahue to suffer eczema outbreaks as filming progressed. Teeth were obtained from a Maryland dentist for use as human remains in the film.[4] Influenced by producer Greg Hale's memories of his military training, in which "enemy soldiers" would hunt a trainee through wild terrain for three days, the directors moved the characters far during the day, harassing them by night and depriving them of food.[7]

Almost 19 hours of usable footage was recorded which had to be edited down to 90 minutes.[5] The process of editing in post production took more than eight months. Originally it was hoped that the movie would make it on to cable television, and the filmmakers did not anticipate wide release.[2] The initial investment by the three Central Florida filmmakers was about US$35,000. Artisan acquired the film for US$1.1 million and spent only US$25 million to market it.[11] The actors signed a "small" agreement to receive some of the profits from the film's release.[4]

Synopsis

File:Blairwitchconfession.jpg
Heather's oft-imitated taped apology.

Film students Heather Donahue, Michael Williams and Joshua Leonard go missing in October 1994 while making a documentary about the Blair Witch, a legendary creature believed to haunt the woods near Burkittsville, Maryland. A year later, though their bodies are never found, the footage the students shot has been recovered, and the film in its entirety is composed of fragments of that footage.

Shot in a mixture of color and black and white, with shaky handheld camera movements and only natural lighting, the footage includes material that was intended to be used in the documentary, but the bulk of the film shows the experience of the three students as they wander through the woods. Occasionally, the view switches out to a kind of "mood footage" (footage of no characters, just video of the environment) while the audio track continues.

Soon after setting out, they become hopelessly lost; their situation worsens when Michael, in frustration, throws their only map of the area into the river without telling the others. Over a period of several days, a number of terrifying, mysterious, and possibly supernatural events occur. In one scene, the crew hikes for more than half of the day only to end up in the same spot where they had started.

Much of the plot is open to the viewer's interpretation, including the finale; few concrete indications are given as to the eventual fate of the three filmmakers.

Release

The film was marketed heavily via the Internet, and parts of the film were aired on the Independent Film Channel's Split Screen TV series, leading to heated speculation on the internet as to whether the film was real or not.[9] Some also wondered if some of the fan enthusiasm was generated covertly by the film studios.[12] It had an unusually receptive audience at the 1999 Sundance Film Festival where it made headlines as the first film sold.[2][7]

The teaser poster and other advertisements for the film were designed to reinforce the 'documentary' concept, leading many people to think the film was an actual documentary, and that the three protagonists really had disappeared in the woods near Burkittsville, Maryland.[2] To reinforce this idea, the Sci-Fi Channel aired a fake documentary, Curse of the Blair Witch, that claimed to investigate the legend surrounding the movie right before the film's release. The program contained interviews with friends and relatives of the missing students, paranormal experts, and local historians (all fabricated, of course). This was done so extensively that the three main actors were listed for a time as "missing, presumed dead" on IMDb.[5] While attending the Cannes Film Festival, the producers put up missing posters featuring the three stars of the film, which were removed the next day following the actual kidnapping of a television executive (who was later recovered and returned home safely).[citation needed]

Reaction

The Blair Witch Project grossed over US$ 160 million in the United States and totaled $248 million worldwide.[13] The film was featured in the Guinness Book of Records as having the highest profit-to-cost ratio of a motion picture ever, making back over US$10,000 dollars for every dollar spent.[citation needed]

The Rotten Tomatoes website provides links to 123 film reviews for the film, with 85% of these reviews being favorable.[14] Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun Times gave the film four stars, calling it "an extraordinarily effective horror film".[15] It was listed on Filmcritic.com as the 50th best movie ending of all time.[16] Critics in particular praised Donahue's apology to the camera near the end of the movie, noting its ability to cause "nightmares for years to come", and which Roger Ebert compared to Robert Scott's final journal entries as he froze to death in the Antarctic.[17][15] Donahue has stated that there was a considerable backlash against the film, which she claims led to her having threatening encounters and difficulty obtaining employment.[18]

The Blair Witch Project is thought to be the first widely released film marketed primarily on the internet.[19] A sequel, Book of Shadows: Blair Witch 2, was released in the fall of 2000 but was poorly received by most critics.[20] A third installment was announced that same year, but as of yet (2008) has not materialized.[21]

Cinematic and literary allusions

In the film, the Blair Witch is, according to legend, the ghost of Elly Kedward, a woman banished for witchcraft in 1785 in the Blair Township (latter-day Burkittsville.) The directors incorporated that part of the legend, along with allusions to the Salem Witch Trials and The Crucible, to play on the themes of injustice done on those who were called witches.[3] They were also influenced by The Shining, The Omen, and Jaws for the technique of showing the antagonist as little as possible to create a compelling psychological drama.[2]

The Blair Witch Project is somewhat influenced by The Bell Witch legend, a series of disturbing and allegedly inexplicable, real events associated with the family of Adams Station, Tennessee (Robertson County) settler John Bell, between 1817 and 1821. The film may also have drawn upon the story of Moll Dyer, a Leonardtown, Maryland-based witch. Like the "Blair Witch", legend has it that Dyer was driven from her burning home in the middle of a winter night after being accused of witchcraft.

The concept of incorporating the camera and crew into the film's plot is not entirely new. Other films to utilize this technique include the Danish Dogme95 movies, and most notably, the Belgian pseudodocumentary Man Bites Dog. In addition, The Blair Witch Project bears many similarities to the film The Last Broadcast (1998), written and directed by Stefan Avalos and Lance Weiler. Both are faux-documentaries dealing with characters who set off into the wilderness in search of legendary figures (in this case, the mythical Jersey Devil in the Pine Barrens of New Jersey) and vanish; however, the endings are quite different. It is unclear whether The Blair Witch Project was inspired by The Last Broadcast, or if they were conceived separately in isolation. Jim Knipfel of the New York Press has noted the similarities between Blair Witch and the widely-banned 1980 Italian exploitation film Cannibal Holocaust. In the first part of this film, a rescue team ventures into the jungles of South America to search for a missing group of filmmakers that previously traveled there to film a documentary about cannibalistic tribes. Their footage is eventually found and viewed, which makes up the second half of the film.[22]

The Blair Witch Project's success led to many spoofs and references in other media. For example, a film was produced solely based on the film's title, entitled The Blair Witch Rejects[23] and the The Tony Blair Witch Project.[24] MadTV also had a skit about Blair Witch featuring Ted Koppel, Diane Sawyer and Bernard Shaw, the three reporters who got lost in the woods.The title of the 15th episode of the 1st season of Gossip Girl on The CW is a spoof of the film's title. The episode is titled "The Blair Bitch Project".

One particularly frequently referenced moment from The Blair Witch Project is the scene in which Heather points the camera directly up at her face with the camera's light shining in her teary eyes as she apologizes and admits how frightened she is. Numerous television shows and movies have lampooned this popular scene.

Curse of the Blair Witch

Curse of the Blair Witch was a mockumentary produced for the Sci-Fi channel in 1999. Set just after the events of the original movie, the program incorporated mock interviews with the townspeople, scientists and the students' teachers, as well as mock news clips regarding the search effort for the filmmakers. Historical "evidence", including the legend of The Bell Witch, is used as background material.

The Massacre of the Burkitsville Seven

The Massacre of the Burkitsville Seven was a second mockumentary produced for Showtime that aired in 2000. The story takes place after The Blair Witch Project and centers around the serial killer Rustin Parr mentioned in the film. [25] [26]

Soundtrack

None of the songs featured on Josh's Blair Witch Mix actually appear in the movie. This collection of mostly goth rock and industrial tracks is supposedly from a mix tape made by ill-fated film student Joshua Leonard. The tape was found in Josh's car after his disappearance. Some of the songs featured on the soundtrack (besides the last track, which is the 'song' featuring the famous creepy, industrial-sounding noise heard in the trailers and during the credits) were released after 1994, supposedly after the events of the movie have taken place.

  1. "Gloomy Sunday" - Lydia Lunch
  2. "The Order of Death" - Public Image Ltd.
  3. "Draining Faces" - Skinny Puppy
  4. "Kingdom's Coming" - Bauhaus
  5. "Don't Go To Sleep Without Me" - The Creatures
  6. "God is God" - Laibach
  7. "Beware" - The Afghan Whigs
  8. "Laughing Pain" - Front Line Assembly
  9. "Haunted" - Type O Negative
  10. "She's Unreal" - Meat Beat Manifesto
  11. "Movement of Fear" - Tones on Tail
  12. "The Cellar" - Antonio Cora

Computer games

In 2000, Gathering of Developers released a trilogy of computer games based on the Blair Witch movie, which greatly expanded on the myths first suggested in the film. The graphics engine and characters were all derived from the producer's earlier game, Nocturne.[27] The trilogy was not particularly well received by critics. The first game, Rustin Parr, was criticized for being very linear but praised for its relentlessly creepy atmosphere, including audio that was faithful to the movie, such as the sound of cracking twigs and giggling children heard in the distance as the player-character treads through the forest.[citation needed]

DVD release

The DVD was generally well received, though by the nature of the film, it does not exploit the full quality of the DVD format in either video or audio, though the extras were thought to be extensive.[28]

References

  1. ^ "The Blair Witch Project". Box Office Mojo.com. 2006-01-01. Retrieved 2006-07-28. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  2. ^ a b c d e f Klein, Joshua (1999-07-22). "Interview - The Blair Witch Project". avclub.com. Retrieved 2006-07-30. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  3. ^ a b c Aloi, Peg (1999-07-11). "Blair Witch Project - an Interview with the Directors". Witchvox.com. Retrieved 2006-07-29. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  4. ^ a b c d e "Heather Donohue - Blair Witch Project". KAOS 2000 Magazine. 1999-01-01. Retrieved 2006-07-30. {{cite web}}: |first= missing |last= (help); Check date values in: |date= (help)CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) Cite error: The named reference "real" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page).
  5. ^ a b c Mannes, Brett (1999-07-13). "Something wicked". Salon.com. Retrieved 2006-07-29. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help) Cite error: The named reference "salon" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page).
  6. ^ Blake, Scott (2000-07-17). "An Interview With The Burkittsville 7's Ben Rock". IGN.com. Retrieved 2006-07-30. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  7. ^ a b c Conroy, Tom (1999-07-14). "The Do-It-Yourself Witch Hunt". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 2006-08-02. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  8. ^ Corliss, Richard (1999-08-16). "Blair Witch Craft". Time Magazine. Retrieved 2006-07-30. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  9. ^ a b Kaufman, Anthony (1999-07-14). "Season of the Witch". Village Voice. Retrieved 2006-09-26. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  10. ^ Lim, Dennis (1999-07-14). "Heather Donahue Casts A Spell". The Village Voice. Retrieved 2006-09-26. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  11. ^ Stanley, T.L. (1999-09-27). "High-Tech Throwback - marketing of "Blair Witch Project" - Statistical Data Included - Interview". Brandweek. Retrieved 2006-07-29. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  12. ^ DiLucchio, Patrizia (1999-07-16). "Did "The Blair Witch Project" fake its online fan base?". Salon.com. Retrieved 2006-07-29. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  13. ^ "The Blair Witch Project". Box Office Mojo.com. 2006-01-01. Retrieved 2006-07-28. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  14. ^ "The Blair Witch Project". Rotten Tomatoes.com. Retrieved 2006-07-29.
  15. ^ a b Ebert, Roger (1999-07-16). "The Blair Witch Project". Roger Ebert.com. Retrieved 2006-07-28. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  16. ^ Null, Christopher (2006-01-01). "The Top 50 Movie Endings of All Time". filmcritic.com. Retrieved 2006-07-30. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  17. ^ Ressner, Jeffrey (1999-08-12). "Out Of Nowhere And Into Blair". Time Magazine. Retrieved 2006-07-30. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  18. ^ Chaw, Walter (2003-08-13). "Witchy Woman". Film Freak Central. Retrieved 2006-07-30. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  19. ^ Chmielewski, Dawn C. (2006-07-13). "When fans hissed, he listened". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 2006-07-30. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  20. ^ B., Scott (2001-08-21). "Blair Witch Project 3 to Happen?". IGN.com. Retrieved 2006-07-30. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  21. ^ "Blair Witch 3". Yahoo Movies. 2006-01-01. Retrieved 2006-07-28. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  22. ^ Knipfel, Jim (2005-07-22). "Cannibal Holocaust". nypress.com. Retrieved 2006-09-23. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  23. ^ "Blair Witch Rejects Official Site".
  24. ^ "The Tony Blair Witch Project at EOFFTV".
  25. ^ "The Massacre of the Burkitsville Seven: Legacy of the Blair Witch". Amazon. Retrieved 2008-04-01.
  26. ^ "The Massacre of the Burkitsville 7 (review)". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 2008-04-01.
  27. ^ "Blair Witch Project Interview". IGN.com. 2000-04-14. Retrieved 2006-07-30. {{cite web}}: |first= missing |last= (help); Check date values in: |date= (help)
  28. ^ "Blair Witch Project, The". IGN.com. 1999-12-16. Retrieved 2006-07-30. {{cite web}}: |first= missing |last= (help); Check date values in: |date= (help)
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