The Blair Witch Project is a 1999 American found footage horror film written, directed
and edited by Daniel Myrick and Eduardo Sánchez. The film was produced by the Haxan Films production
company. The film relates the story of three student filmmakers who disappeared while hiking
in the Black Hills near Burkittsville, Maryland in 1994 to film a documentary about a local
legend known as the Blair Witch. The viewers are told the three were never seen or heard
from again, although their video and sound equipment was discovered a year later and
that this "recovered footage" is the film the viewer is watching.
The film received enormously positive reception from critics and went on to gross over US$248
million worldwide, making it one of the most successful independent movies of all time.
The DVD was released on Tuesday, October 26, 1999 and presented only in full-screen.
A sequel was released on October 27, 2000 titled Book of Shadows: Blair Witch 2. Another
sequel was planned for the following year, but did not materialize. On September 2, 2009,
it was announced that Sánchez and Myrick were pitching the third film. A trilogy of
video games based on the film was released in 2000.
Plot The film opens with introductory text stating
that in October 1994 three filmmaking students disappeared in the woods near Burkittsville,
Maryland, while shooting a documentary. A year later, their footage was found in undisturbed
soil below the foundation of a 200 year old stone wall by an anthropology class from the
same university as the film makers during a study in the field. The footage was then
handed over to the police as evidence. The police, believing the footage to be a joke
or prank, released the films for public viewing. In October 1994 film students set out to produce
a documentary about the fabled Blair Witch. They travel to Burkittsville, Maryland, formerly
Blair, and interview locals about the legend of the Blair Witch. The locals tell them of
Rustin Parr, a hermit who kidnapped seven children in the 1940s and brought them to
his house in the woods where he tortured and murdered them. Parr brought the children into
his house's basement in pairs, forcing the first child to face the corner and listen
to their companion's screams as he murdered the second child. Parr would then murder the
first child. Eventually turning himself in to the police, Parr later pleaded insanity,
saying that the spirit of Elly Kedward, a witch hanged in the 18th century, had been
terrorizing him for some time and promised to leave him alone if he murdered the children.
He was hanged after being questioned by police and reporters.
The second day, the students begin to explore the woods in north Burkittsville to look for
evidence to prove that the Blair Witch exists. Along the way, two fishermen warn them that
the woods are haunted and recall that in 1888, a young girl named Robin Weaver went missing,
and when she returned three days later, she talked about "an old woman whose feet never
touched the ground." The students hike to Coffin Rock, where five men were found ritualistically
murdered in the 19th century, and then camp for the night. The next day they move deeper
into the woods despite being uncertain of their exact location on the map. They eventually
locate what appears to be an old cemetery with seven small cairns. They set up camp
nearby and then return to the cemetery after dark. Josh accidentally disturbs a cairn and
Heather hastily repairs it. Later they hear crackling sounds in the darkness that seem
to be coming from all directions, but they assume the noises are from animals or locals.
The third day, they attempt to return to their vehicle but cannot find their way. They try
until nightfall, when they are forced to set camp. That night, they again hear crackling
noises but cannot see anything. The next morning, they find three cairns have been built around
their tent during the night. As they continue trying to find their way out of the woods
Heather realizes that her map is missing and Mike later reveals that he kicked it into
a creek out of frustration the previous day. Josh and Heather attack Mike in a fit of intense
rage. They realize they are now hopelessly lost and decide to simply "head south". They
discover a multitude of humanoid stick figures suspended from trees. That night they hear
more strange noises, including the sounds of children and bizarre "morphing" sounds.
When an unknown force shakes the tent they flee in a panic and hide in the woods until
dawn, starting their fifth day. Upon returning to their tent they find that their possessions
have been rifled through and Josh's equipment is covered with slime, causing them to question
why only his belongings were affected. As the day wears on they pass a log over a stream
that was identical to the one they had passed earlier despite having traveled directly south
all day and again set camp, completely demoralized at having wasted the entire day seemingly
going in circles. The sixth morning, Heather and Mike find Josh
has disappeared. After trying in vain to find him, they eventually break camp and slowly
move on. That night, they hear Josh screaming in the darkness but are not able to find him.
The seventh morning, Heather finds a bundle of sticks and fabric outside their tent. Later
inspection reveals it contains blood-soaked scraps of Josh's shirt, as well as teeth and
hair, but she does not mention this to Mike. That night, Heather films herself apologizing
to the co-producers of her project as well as their families and breaks down crying and
hyperventilating, understanding that something terrible is hunting her and Mike. Later, they
again hear Josh's agonized cries for help, but this time they follow them and discover
a derelict, abandoned house in the woods. Mike races upstairs, following what sounds
like Josh's voice, while Heather tries to follow. Mike then claims he hears Josh in
the basement. He runs downstairs and after what seems to be a quick struggle goes silent
and drops the camera. Heather shouts for Mike but gets no answer. She enters the basement
screaming in fear while her camera catches a glimpse of Mike facing the corner, just
as Parr's victims had been made to do. Heather then utters a final scream as she and her
camera violently drop to the floor. There is only silence as the footage ends.
Production The Blair Witch Project was developed during
1994 by the filmmakers. The script began with a 68-page outline, with the dialogue to be
improvised. Accordingly, the directors advertised in Back Stage magazine for actors with strong
improvisational abilities. There was a very informal improvisational audition process
to narrow the pool of 2,000 actors. In developing the mythology behind the movie, the filmmakers
used many inspirations. Several character names are near-anagrams; Elly Kedward is Edward
Kelley, a 16th-century mystic. Rustin Parr, the fictional 1940s child-murderer, began
as an anagram for Rasputin. In talks with investors, they presented an eight-minute
documentary along with newspapers and news footage. This documentary, originally called
The Blair Witch Project: The Story of Black Hills Disappearances was produced by Haxan
Films.
Filming began in October 1997 and lasted eight days. 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. Some of the townspeople interviewed in the film were not actors, and
some were planted actors, unknown to the main cast. The final scenes were filmed at the
historic Griggs House in Granite, Maryland. Donahue had never operated a camera before,
and spent two days in a "crash course". Donahue said she modeled her character after a director
she once worked with, citing the character's self assuredness when everything went as planned,
and confusion during crisis. 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. Teeth were obtained from a Maryland dentist for use as human remains
in the movie. Influenced by producer Gregg 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.
Almost 19 hours of usable footage was recorded which had to be edited down to 90 minutes.
The 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. The initial investment by the three filmmakers was about US$35,000. Artisan acquired
the film for US$1.1 million but spent US$25 million to market it. The actors signed a
"small" agreement to receive some of the profits from the film's release.
A list of production budget figures have circulated over the years, appearing as low as $20,000.
In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, Sánchez revealed that when principal photography
first wrapped, approximately $20,000 to $25,000 had been spent. Other figures list a final
budget ranging between $500,000 and $750,000. Reception
Box office The Blair Witch Project was shown at the 1998
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 movie was a record of real events. The distribution strategy for The Blair Witch
Project was created and implemented by Artisan studio executive Steven Rothenberg.
The Blair Witch Project grossed $248,639,099 worldwide. After reshoots, a new sound mix,
experiments with different endings, and other changes made by the studio, the film's final
budget ended up between $500,000 and $750,000. Critical
The movie has been widely acclaimed by critics. Rotten Tomatoes provides links to 133 reviews
for the movie, with 87% of these reviews being favorable. Also, the film holds a score of
81/100 on Metacritic, indicating "universal acclaim". The film's "found footage" format
received near-universal praise by critics and, though not the first in the found footage
genre, the film has been declared a milestone in film history due to its critical and box
office success. Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun Times gave the film a total of 4 stars,
calling it "an extraordinarily effective horror film". It was listed on Filmcritic.com as
the 50th best movie ending of all time. The Blair Witch Project is thought to be the
first widely released movie marketed primarily by internet. The movie's official website
featured fake police reports and "newsreel-style" interviews. Due to this, some people initially
thought it was an actual documentary about the 'missing' teenagers. These augmented the
movie's found footage style to spark debates across the internet over whether the movie
was a real-life documentary or a work of fiction. During 2008, Entertainment Weekly named The
Blair Witch Project one of "the 100 best films from 1983 to 2008", ranking it at #99. In
2006, Chicago Film Critics Association listed it as one of the "Top 100 Scariest Movies",
ranking it #12. Because the filming was done by an inexperienced
operator using a hand held camera, much of the footage is shaky, especially the final
sequence in which the camera operator is running down a set of stairs with the camera. Some
audience members experienced motion sickness and even vomiting as a result.
Awards and nominations The Blair Witch Project was nominated for,
and won, the following awards. Cinematic and literary allusions
In the movie, the Blair Witch is, according to legend, the ghost of Elly Kedward, a woman
banished from the Blair Township for witchcraft in 1785. 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. They were influenced
by The Shining, Alien, The Omen and Benjamin Christensen's 1922 silent documentary Häxan,
after which the producers named their production company, Haxan Films. Jaws was an influence
as well, presumably because the witch was hidden from the viewer for the entirety of
the film, forcing suspense from the unknown. Soundtrack
None of the songs featured on Josh's Blair Witch Mix actually appear in the movie. However,
"The Cellar" is played during the credits and the DVD menu. This collection of mostly
goth rock and industrial tracks is supposedly from a mix tape made by ill-fated film student
Joshua Leonard. In the story, the tape was found in his car after his disappearance.
Some of the songs featured on the soundtrack were released after 1994, after the events
of the movie supposedly have taken place. Several of them feature dialogue from the
movie as well. "Gloomy Sunday" – Lydia Lunch
"The Order of Death" – Public Image Ltd. "Draining Faces" – Skinny Puppy
"Kingdom's Coming" – Bauhaus "Don't Go to Sleep Without Me" – The Creatures
"God Is God" – Laibach "Beware" – The Afghan Whigs
"Laughing Pain" – Front Line Assembly "Haunted" – Type O Negative
"She's Unreal" – Meat Beat Manifesto "Movement of Fear" – Tones on Tail
"The Cellar" – Antonio Cora Media tie-ins
Books In September 1999, D.A. Stern compiled The
Blair Witch Project: A Dossier. Perpetuating the film's "true story" angle, the dossier
consisted of fabricated police reports, pictures, interviews, and newspaper articles presenting
the movie's premise as fact, as well as further elaboration on the Elly Kedward and Rustin
Parr legends. Stern wrote the 2000 novel Blair Witch: The Secret Confessions of Rustin Parr
and in 2004, revisited the franchise with the novel Blair Witch: Graveyard Shift, featuring
all original characters and plot. In May 1999, a Photonovel adaptation of The
Blair Witch Project was written by Claire Forbes and was released by Fotonovel Publications.
The Blair Witch Files A series of eight young adult books entitled
The Blair Witch Files were released by Random subsidiary Bantam from 2000 to 2001. The books
center on Cade Merill, a fictional cousin of Heather Donahue, who investigates phenomena
related to the Blair Witch in attempt to discover what really happened to Heather, Mike, and
Josh. Blair Witch Files 1 – The Witch's Daughter
Blair Witch Files 2 – The Dark Room Blair Witch Files 3 – The Drowning Ghost
Blair Witch Files 4 – Blood Nightmare Blair Witch Files 5 – The Death Card
Blair Witch Files 6 – The Prisoner Blair Witch Files 7 – The Night Shifters
Blair Witch Files 8 – The Obsession Comic books
In August 1999, Oni Press released a one-shot comic promoting the film, simply titled The
Blair Witch Project. Written by Jen Van Meter and drawn by Bernie Mireault, Guy Davis, and
Tommy Lee Edwards, the comic featured three short stories elaborating on the mythology
of the Blair Witch. In mid-2000, the same group worked on a four-issue series called
The Blair Witch Chronicles. In October 2000, coinciding with the release
of Book of Shadows: Blair Witch 2, Image Comics released a one-shot called Blair Witch: Dark
Testaments, drawn by Charlie Adlard and written by Ian Edginton.
Video games 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. The graphics engine and characters were all derived from the producer's
earlier game Nocturne. Each game, developed by a different team, focused on different
aspects of the Blair Witch mythology: Rustin Parr, Coffin Rock, and Elly Kedward, respectively.
The trilogy received mixed reviews from critics, with most criticism being directed towards
the very linear gameplay, clumsy controls and camera angles, and short length. The first
volume, Rustin Parr, received the most praise, ranging from moderate to positive, with critics
commending its storyline, graphics and atmosphere; some reviewers even claimed that the game
was scarier than the movie. The following volumes were less well-received, with PC Gamer
saying that Volume 2's only saving grace was its cheap price and calling Volume 3 "amazingly
mediocre". Home media
The Blair Witch Project was released on DVD on October 26, 1999, with VHS and laserdisc
versions released around the same time. The DVD included a number of special features,
including "The Curse of the Blair Witch" and "The Blair Witch Legacy" featurettes, newly
discovered footage, director and producer commentary, production notes, cast & crew
bios, and trailers. A Blu-ray release from Lionsgate was released
on October 5, 2010. Best Buy and Lionsgate had an exclusive release of the Blu-ray available
on August 29, 2010. Sequel
A sequel, Book of Shadows: Blair Witch 2, was released in the autumn of 2000, but was
poorly received by most critics. A third installment announced that same year did not materialize.
See also List of ghost films
Found footage The Bogus Witch Project, a direct-to-video
parody. Literature
Schreier, Margrit: Please Help Me; All I Want to Know Is: Is It Real or Not? How Recipients
View the Reality Status of The Blair Witch Project. In: Poetics Today, Vol. 25, Nr. 2,
pp. 305–334 References
External links Official website
The Blair Witch Project at the Internet Movie Database
The Blair Witch Project at AllMovie The Blair Witch Project at Box Office Mojo
The Blair Witch Project at Rotten Tomatoes Woods Movie - The Making of The Blair Witch
Project