The Blair Witch Project (1999)

Directors:

Daniel Myrick
Eduardo Sánchez

Writers:

Daniel Myrick (writer) &
Eduardo Sánchez (writer)

Release Date:

30 July 1999 (USA)

Genre:

Horror | Mystery | Thriller

Tagline:

In October of 1994 three student filmmakers disappeared in the woods near Burkittsville, Maryland, while shooting a documentary...A year later their footage was found.

Plot:

In October of 1994, three student film makers disappeared in the woods near Burkittesville, Maryland. One year later, their footage was found.

Plot Keywords:

Forest | Legend | Maryland | Student Film | Video Camera

Awards:

11 wins & 16 nominations

Cast

Heather Donahue	...	Heather Donahue
Joshua Leonard	...	Joshua 'Josh' Leonard
Michael C. Williams	...	Michael 'Mike' Williams (as Michael Williams)
Bob Griffith	...	Short Fisherman
Jim King	...	Interviewee
Sandra Sánchez	...	Waitress (as Sandra Sanchez)
Ed Swanson	...	Fisherman With Glasses
Patricia DeCou	...	Mary Brown
Mark Mason	...	Man in Yellow Hat
Jackie Hallex	...	Interviewee with Child

MPAA:

Rated R for language.

Runtime:

81 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White | Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby SR

Certification:

Canada:14 (Nova Scotia) | Canada:14A (Alberta/British Columbia) | Canada:AA (Ontario) | Canada:PA (Manitoba) | Malaysia:18PL | Hungary:16 | South Korea:18 | Argentina:13 | Australia:MA (original rating) | Australia:M | Belgium:KNT | Chile:14 | Denmark:15 | Finland:K-16 | France:-12 | Germany:12 | Hong Kong:IIB | Iceland:12 | Netherlands:16 | New Zealand:R13 | Norway:15 | Peru:14 | Portugal:M/12 | Singapore:NC-16 (re-rating) | Singapore:PG (original rating) | Spain:13 | Sweden:15 | Switzerland:16 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:16 (canton of Vaud) | UK:15 | USA:R (certificate #36716) | Philippines:PG-13

Filming Locations:

Adamstown Village Market - 5550 Mountville Road, Adamstown, Maryland, USA

Company:

Haxan Films

Trivia:

The actors were given no more than a 35-page outline of the mythology behind the plot before shooting began. All lines were improvised and nearly all the events in the film were unknown to the three actors beforehand, and were often on-camera surprises to them all.

Goofs:

Crew or equipment visible: In the house a red light flash (from a camera) can be seen though an open window.

Quotes:

Heather Donahue: I want to avoid being cheesy, here. I want to avoid any cheese.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Sticks and Stones: Investigating the Blair Witch (1999) (V)

Soundtrack:

The Ballad of Gilligan's Isle

Not your average horror film

A film which fell foul of its own publicity machine, `The Blair Witch Project' was abhorred and derided by the mainstream film-going public which it became unfortunately directed at due to its extraordinary and outlandish marketing campaign. `The Blair Witch Project' is not a typical film that the typical cinema-going public would normally be exposed to. The camera-work is jerky, the dialogue repetitive and inane and the action virtually non-existent. At times confusing, annoying, irritating and tedious, this film is nonetheless a brilliant piece of arthouse experimental film-making. This movie is virtually all style-there's hardly any plot, no real action, no semblance of a real script-and one that works on a deeper psychological level than the standard mainstream horror film. Indeed, only the very last image in the film is truly frightening, and only if it can be correlated to an incident at the very beginning. The rest of it only becomes scary afterwards, when the audience has had time to consider what they've seen. It is groundbreaking, manipulative cinema made without a script, with an amateur cast and with little or no post-production values. This is a remarkable film which can only really be appreciated, if the accompanying hype is overlooked, as a unique, avant-garde art film and not the regular Hollywood stock it was presented as to the public.