The 1999 release of The Blair Witch Project was a game-changer for horror cinema, but the behind-the-scenes story of its production and filming conditions is scarier than the movie itself. The Blair Witch Project helped to set a trend with found footage movies, inspiring a new wave of popularity for the horror subgenre. At the time, the found footage concept was so unique that audiences believed The Blair Witch Project was a true story.
The Blair Witch Project follows three film students who disappear after heading into a Maryland forest to film a documentary on the titular local legend. The movie is told through the students’ camera footage, and it was filmed with a Hi8 camcorder and a 6mm camera, giving it a realistic POV feel as the found footage format effectively immerses viewers in the experience. However, The Blair Witch Project‘s authentic feel is as much due to the actors’ experiences behind the scenes as the footage itself.
The Blair Witch Project’s Cast Went Through Terrifying Working Conditions
The production of The Blair Witch Project was a harrowing experience for its cast. To achieve authenticity, directors Daniel Myrick and Eduardo Sanchez sent inexperienced actors into the wilderness to fend for themselves. According to Vice, the actors camped out for eight days with minimal guidance while filming. They were given GPS trackers to locate shooting spots and provided limited food rations to provoke irritability. The filmmakers intentionally made noise in the woods at night to increase the actors’ fear and exhaustion. Directors escalated their interference throughout the eight days, which is evident in the increasing impatience and desperation seen in the film.
Why The Blair Witch Project Needed To Feel Like A True Story To Succeed
In order for The Blair Witch Project to be genuinely terrifying, the film needed to come across as authentic. To achieve this, the filmmakers required amateur actors to immerse themselves in their roles fully. To further enhance the realism, the actors’ real first and last names were used in the film. It was important that these actors were new to the film industry and unrecognizable. Their lack of experience also contributed to a more authentic performance, as they had no basis for comparison. Overall, their inexperience played a crucial role in creating the realistic appearance of the film, which led to it becoming a phenomenal hit at the box office.
One of the most influential horror films of the 20th century, The Blair Witch Project inspired movies such as Paranormal Activity, REC, and V/H/S. Due to its success, The Blair Witch Project released a sequel in 2000, and a remake of the original was made in 2016. These subsequent films failed to capture the authenticity and chilling essence of the original. Although some of the filming tactics used may seem extreme and even cruel, it is evident that the directors recognized the significance of eliciting authentic reactions and emotions from the actors. Whether or not the filmmakers went too far is open to debate, but the outcome was undoubtedly flawless.
