The Blair Witch Project is an American horror film released in 1999. The narrative is presented as a documentary pieced together from amateur footage, filmed in real time. The film was produced by the Haxan Films production company. The film relates the story of three young student filmmakers (Heather Donahue, Joshua Leonard, and Michael C. Williams) who hike into the Black Hills of Burkittsville, Maryland to film a documentary about a local legend known as the Blair Witch, and subsequently go missing. The viewer is told that the three were never found, although their video and sound equipment (along with most of the footage they shot) was discovered a year later. This "recovered footage" is presented as the film the viewer is watching.[2]
A sequel to The Blair Witch Project was released on October 27, 2000 entitled Book of Shadows: Blair Witch 2. A third installment was planned for the following year, but did not materialize.
Plot
In 1994, film students Heather Donahue, Michael C. Williams and Joshua Leonard set out to produce a documentary about the fabled Blair Witch. They travel to Burkittsville (formerly Blair), Maryland and interview locals about the legend of the Blair Witch. The locals tell them of a hermit named Rustin Parr that kidnapped seven children and brought them to his house in the woods. Parr brought the children into his basement in twos. He felt that their eyes were staring into his soul when he was being watched, so he would kill one child while the other faced a corner. He would then kill the corner child. Parr eventually turned himself in to the police, later pleading insanity, saying that the spirit of a witch killed in the 18th century had convinced him to kill the seven children. The trio also interviews Mary Brown, an eccentric older woman who tells them that she had an encounter with the Blair Witch as a young girl.
The next day, the students begin to explore the woods near Burkittsville to look for evidence of the Blair Witch. Along the way, a fisherman warns them that the woods are haunted. The students hike to Coffin Rock, where five men were found ritually murdered in the nineteenth 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. One of the students accidentally disturbs a cairn, and Heather hastily repairs it. Later, they hear strange cracking sounds in the darkness but cannot locate the source. The following day they attempt to return to their vehicle, but fail to find it before darkness falls and are forced to set camp. That night, they again hear cracking noises, but cannot see anything. The next morning they find three small cairns have been built around their tent during the night. As they continue to try and find their way out of the woods, Heather realizes that her map is missing, and Mike reveals that he kicked it into a creek out of frustration the previous day. Josh and Heather attack Mike out of a fit of intense rage. They then realize they are now thoroughly lost, and decide to simply head south. Soon, they discover a multitude of humanoid stick figures made of woven sticks and branches suspended from trees. Unknown to the others, Heather takes one before they leave. That night, they hear more strange noises, including the sounds of children, and unknown entities brush against the sides of their tent. They flee their tent in panic and hide in the dark woods until dawn. Upon returning to their tent, they find that their possessions have been rifled through, and Josh's equipment is covered with slime. As the day wears on, they realize that they are completely disoriented and going in circles, and again set camp.
The next morning, Josh has disappeared. After trying in vain to find him, Mike and Heather eventually break camp and slowly move on. That night, they hear Josh's screams in the darkness, but are not able to find him. The next morning, Heather finds a bundle of sticks and fabric outside their tent. Later inspection reveals it to contain blood-soaked scraps of clothing and what appears to be bloody human teeth and tissue, but she does not mention this to Mike.
That night, Heather makes a tape of herself apologizing to the others and her family and breaks down crying while she says, "we're gonna die out here tonight...". Later, they hear Josh's agonized cries for help again, but this time they follow them to an abandoned house in the woods. Mike races throughout the house while Heather tries to follow, and claims he hears Josh in the basement. He follows the sound and after what seems to be a struggle, goes silent and drops his camera to the floor. Heather then catches up and notices he is not answering her calls. She then enters the basement looking for both men, and her camera sees a glimpse of what looks like Mike facing a corner. Then Heather drops her camera, and her screams suddenly fall silent.
Production
Development
The Blair Witch Project was developed in 1993[3] by the filmmakers. The script began with a 35 page outline, with the dialogue to be improvised.[3] 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][6] In developing the mythology behind the movie, the filmmakers used many inspirations. Several character names are near-anagrams; Elly Kedward (The Blair Witch) is Edward Kelley, a medieval mystic. Rustin Parr, the fictional 1940's child-murderer, began as an anagram for Rasputin.[7] In talks with investors, they presented an eight-minute documentary along with newspapers and news footage.[8]This Documentary, originally called "The Blair Witch Project: The Story of Black Hills Disappearences"[9] was produced by Haxan Films.
Filming
Filming began in October 1997 and went for eight days.[4][10] Most of the movie was filmed in tiny Seneca Creek State Park in Montgomery County, Maryland, although a few scenes were filmed in the real town of Burkittsville.[11] The townspeople interviewed in the film were not actors, and some claimed to have heard about the Blair Witch. 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 when everything went as planned, and confusion during crisis.[12]
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 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.[8]
Almost 19 hours of usable footage was recorded which had to be edited down to 90 minutes.[6] 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.[3] The initial investment by the three University of Central Florida filmmakers was about US$35,000. Artisan acquired the film for US$1.1 million but spent US$25 million to market it.[13] The actors signed a "small" agreement to receive some of the profits from the film's release.[14]
Budget
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 the truth about the budget. When principal photography first wrapped, approximately $20,000 to $25,000 had been spent. When the directing pair took the film to Sundance, they had to make a print and render a sound mix for the picture, which moved the budget close to $100,000. Before Artisan Entertainment bought the licensing rights they spent an additional "half-million dollars" crafting a new sound mix and reshoots for scenes they wanted changed. Sánchez concludes that the final budget was somewhere between $500,000 and $750,000.[1]
Release
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. The distribution strategy for The Blair Witch Project was created and implemented by Artisan studio executive Steven Rothenberg.[15][16] It was positively received by critics and went on to gross over US$248 million worldwide,[17] making it the most successful independent film at the time. It also had the highest ratio of box office sales to production cost in American filmmaking history until Paranormal Activity was released in 2009.[18]
Reaction
The Blair Witch Project grossed $248,639,099 worldwide,[19] compared to its final budget which ranged between $500,000 and $750,000.[1]
The Rotten Tomatoes website provides links to 127 reviews for the film, with 85% of these reviews being favorable.[20] Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun Times gave the film four stars, calling it "an extraordinarily effective horror film".[21] It was listed on Filmcritic.com as the 50th best movie ending of all time.[22] Critics in particular praised Donahue's apology to the camera near the end of the movie, saying it would cause "nightmares for years to come", and which Ebert compared to Robert Scott's final journal entries as he froze to death in the Antarctic.[21][23] 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.[24]
The Blair Witch Project is thought to be the first widely released film marketed primarily on the Internet.[25] A sequel, Book of Shadows: Blair Witch 2, was released in the autumn of 2000, but was poorly received by most critics.[26] A third installment announced that same year did not materialize.[27]
The Blair Witch Project was given a Global Film Critics Award for Best Screenplay.[28] Conversely, the film was also nominated for the 1999 Razzie Award for Worst Picture. In 2008, Entertainment Weekly named The Blair Witch Project one of the "The 100 best films from 1983 to 2008", ranking it at #99.[29] In 2006, Chicago Film Critics Association listed it as one of the "Top 100 Scariest Movies", ranking it #12[30]. Plans are afoot for another sequel.[31]
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.[5] They were also influenced by The Shining, Alien, The Omen, and Jaws for the technique of showing the antagonist as little as possible to create suspense.[3]
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.[32]
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 who 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.[33]
In popular culture
The Blair Witch Project's success led to many spoofs and references in other media: for example, The Blair Witch Rejects[34] and the The Tony Blair Witch Project.[35]
One frequently-referenced moment from the film is the scene in which Donahue 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 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.[36][37]
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. 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 (an additional "dossier" was created for Book of Shadows: Blair Witch 2). Stern also wrote the 2000 novel Blair Witch: The Secret Confessions of Rustin Parr and in 2004, revisted the franchise with the novel Blair Witch: Graveyard Shift, featuring all original characters and plot.
In May 1999, a Photonovel adaptation of the 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 around 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. [38]
- 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.
Computer 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.[39] 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 the game was scarier than the movie.[40] The following volumes were less well-received, with PC Gamer saying Volume 2's only saving grace was its cheap price[41] and calling Volume 3 "amazingly mediocre".[42]
Music
A song titled "Elly's Dementia" appears on the album Supernatural Addiction by thrash/death metal band Deceased. The song follows the Blair Witch legend very closely.
DVD release
The Blair Witch Project was released on DVD and VHS on October 27, 1999, presented in fullscreen format. 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.[43] However, 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 and trailers.
References
- ^ a b c John Young (July 9, 2009). "'The Blair Witch Project' 10 years later: Catching up with the directors of the horror sensation". Entertainment Weekly. http://popwatch.ew.com/2009/07/09/blair-witch/. Retrieved July 10, 2009.
- ^ Editorial: Paranormal Activity Shadows The Blair Witch
- ^ a b c d Klein, Joshua (1999-07-22). "Interview – The Blair Witch Project". avclub.com. http://www.avclub.com/content/node/22980. Retrieved 2006-07-30.
- ^ a b c d "Heather Donohue – Blair Witch Project". KAOS 2000 Magazine. 1999-01-01. http://www.kaos2000.net/interviews/heatherdonohue/heatherdonohue.html. Retrieved 2006-07-30.
- ^ a b Aloi, Peg (1999-07-11). "Blair Witch Project – an Interview with the Directors". Witchvox.com. http://www.witchvox.com/va/dt_va.html?a=usma&c=media&id=2416. Retrieved 2006-07-29.
- ^ a b Mannes, Brett (1999-07-13). "Something wicked". Salon.com. http://www.salon.com/ent/movies/int/1999/07/13/witch_actor/. Retrieved 2006-07-29.
- ^ Blake, Scott (2000-07-17). "An Interview With The Burkittsville 7's Ben Rock". IGN.com. http://filmforce.ign.com/articles/036/036443p1.html/. Retrieved 2006-07-30.
- ^ a b Conroy, Tom (1999-07-14). "The Do-It-Yourself Witch Hunt". Rolling Stone. http://www.rollingstone.com/news/story/5924486/the_doityourself_witch_hunt. Retrieved 2006-08-02.
- ^ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lWi8uBblQbc&feature=related
- ^ Corliss, Richard (1999-08-16). "Blair Witch Craft". Time Magazine. http://www.time.com/time/archive/preview/0,10987,991741,00.html. Retrieved 2006-07-30.
- ^ Kaufman, Anthony (1999-07-14). "Season of the Witch". Village Voice. http://www.villagevoice.com/news/9928,kaufman,7024,1.html. Retrieved 2006-09-26.
- ^ Lim, Dennis (1999-07-14). "Heather Donahue Casts A Spell". The Village Voice. http://www.villagevoice.com/news/9928,lim,7025,1.html. Retrieved 2006-09-26.
- ^ Stanley, T.L. (1999-09-27). "High-Tech Throwback – marketing of "Blair Witch Project" – Statistical Data Included – Interview". Brandweek. http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0BDW/is_36_40/ai_56023086. Retrieved 2006-07-29.
- ^ "Heather Donohue – Blair Witch Project". KAOS 2000 Magazine. 1999-01-01. http://www.kaos2000.net/interviews/heatherdonohue/heatherdonohue.html. Retrieved 2006-07-30.
- ^ DiOrio, Carl (2009-07-19). "Steve Rothenberg dies at 50". The Hollywood Reporter. http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/content_display/film/news/e3i7c23ccda60974aa20677ac607d102241. Retrieved 2009-08-02.
- ^ "Lionsgate's Steven Rothenberg dies". Variety Magazine. 2009-07-20. http://www.variety.com/article/VR1118006188.html?categoryId=25&cs=1. Retrieved 2009-08-02.
- ^ "The Blair Witch Project". Box Office Mojo.com. 2006-01-01. http://boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=blairwitchproject.htm. Retrieved 2006-07-28.
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- ^ "The Blair Witch Project". Box Office Mojo.com. 2006-01-01. http://boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=blairwitchproject.htm. Retrieved 2006-07-28.
- ^ "The Blair Witch Project". Rotten Tomatoes.com. http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/blair_witch_project/. Retrieved 2006-07-29.
- ^ a b Ebert, Roger (1999-07-16). "The Blair Witch Project". Roger Ebert.com. http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/19990716/REVIEWS/907160301/1023. Retrieved 2006-07-28.
- ^ Null, Christopher (2006-01-01). "The Top 50 Movie Endings of All Time". filmcritic.com. http://filmcritic.com/misc/emporium.nsf/0/394a496e465c4f38882571b900114dc5?OpenDocument. Retrieved 2006-07-30.
- ^ Ressner, Jeffrey (1999-08-12). "Out Of Nowhere And Into Blair". Time Magazine. http://www.time.com/time/archive/preview/0,10987,991490,00.html. Retrieved 2006-07-30.
- ^ Chaw, Walter (2003-08-13). "Witchy Woman". Film Freak Central. http://www.filmfreakcentral.net/notes/hdonahueinterview.htm. Retrieved 2006-07-30.
- ^ Chmielewski, Dawn C. (2006-07-13). "When fans hissed, he listened". Chicago Tribune. http://www.chicagotribune.com/entertainment/movies/chi-0607130142jul13,1,2398429.story?track=rss&ctrack=1&cset=true. Retrieved 2006-07-30.
- ^ B., Scott (2001-08-21). "Blair Witch Project 3 to Happen?". IGN.com. http://filmforce.ign.com/articles/304/304427p1.html. Retrieved 2006-07-30.
- ^ "Blair Witch 3". Yahoo Movies. 2006-01-01. http://movies.yahoo.com/shop?d=hp&cf=prev&id=1808403198. Retrieved 2006-07-28.
- ^ www.globalfilmcritics.com
- ^ The New Classics: Movies | EW 1000: Movies | Movies | The EW 1000 | Entertainment Weekly
- ^ Filmspotting, Scariest Movies, Film, Podcast, Reviews, DVDs, Adam Kempenaar
- ^ BBC NEWS | Entertainment | The legend of the Witch lives on
- ^ Denning, Mark. "The Last Broadcast". New York Times/nytimes.com. http://movies.nytimes.com/movie/184453/The-Last-Broadcast/overview. Retrieved 2008-06-28.
- ^ Knipfel, Jim (2005-07-22). "Cannibal Holocaust". nypress.com. http://www.nypress.com/18/45/film/Jim%20Knipfel.cfm. Retrieved 2006-09-23.
- ^ "Blair Witch Rejects Official Site". http://www.nitestar.com/blair-rejects.html.
- ^ "The Tony Blair Witch Project at EOFFTV". http://www.eofftv.com/t/ton/tony_blair_witch_project_main.htm.
- ^ "The Massacre of the Burkitsville Seven: Legacy of the Blair Witch". Amazon. http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000056V6S/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top. Retrieved 2008-04-01.
- ^ "The Massacre of the Burkitsville 7 (review)". Rotten Tomatoes. http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/massacre_of_the_burkittsville_7/. Retrieved 2008-04-01.
- ^ Merill, Cade (2000). "Cade Merill's The Blair Witch Files". Random House. http://www.randomhouse.com/features/blairwitch/home.html. Retrieved 2009-09-08.
- ^ Smith, Jeff. 'Blair Witch Project Interview' IGN.com. April 14, 2000.
- ^ 'Metacritic: Blair Witch Volume 1: Rustin Parr'. Metacritic.
- ^ 'Metacritic – Blair Witch Volume 2' Metacritic.
- ^ 'Metacritic – Blair Witch Volume 3' Metacritic.
- ^ IGN staff. 'DVD Review of "The Blair Witch Project"' IGN.com. December 16, 1999.
External links
