Misplaced Pages

#519480

110-461: The Blair Witch Project is a 1999 American psychological horror film written, directed, and edited by Daniel Myrick and Eduardo Sánchez . One of the most successful independent films of all time, it is a " found footage " mockumentary in which three students ( Heather Donahue , Michael C. Williams , and Joshua Leonard ) hike into the Black Hills near Burkittsville, Maryland , to shoot

220-638: A CP-16 film camera. The three actors shot all the footage shown in the film, except for one interview about Rustin Parr's murders. The " found footage " was shot with a Hi8 camcorder. Most of the film was shot in Seneca Creek State Park in Montgomery County, Maryland . A few scenes were filmed in the historic town of Burkittsville. Some of the townspeople interviewed in the film were not actors, and some were planted actors, unknown to

330-532: A British traveling tailor, but it was first popularised in the UK on the River Thames . By the 1880s, large numbers of visitors took part in the pastime, which was connected to the late Victorian craze for pleasure boating. Although Thomas Hiram Holding is often seen as the father of modern camping in the UK, he was responsible for popularising a different type of camping in the early twentieth century. He experienced

440-537: A broad range of age, ability, and ruggedness, and campsites are designed in many ways as well. Many campgrounds have sites with facilities such as fire rings, barbecue grills, utilities, shared bathrooms, and laundry, as well as access to nearby recreational facilities, however, not all campsites have similar levels of development. Campsites can range from a patch of dirt to a level, paved pad with sewer and electricity with many public and private campgrounds also offering cabin options. (For more information on facilities, see

550-581: A character in a movie or show, the music exemplifies the emotion of the character, the viewer feels what the character feels, creating a synergy between character and viewer. The addition of music breathes more depth into emotional response that visual stimuli can not accomplish on its own. Music can subconsciously influence the viewer, further intertwining them emotionally with what they are watching forcing them to feel more deeply whatever emotion they are feeling from watching making it an important piece of psychological horror and its success in inciting emotions in

660-399: A corner facing the wall. Heather calls out to him, but he does not react. The unseen villain assaults Heather, causing her to scream and drop her camera. In an eerie silence, the camera continues to work, albeit on its side. The sideways image holds for a few seconds, and then the film concludes with a cut to black. Development of The Blair Witch Project began in 1993. While film students at

770-565: A documentary about a local myth known as the Blair Witch. Myrick and Sánchez conceived of a fictional legend of the Blair Witch in 1993. They developed a 35-page screenplay with the dialogue to be improvised . A casting call advertisement on Backstage magazine was prepared by the directors; Donahue, Williams, and Leonard were cast. The film entered production in October 1997, with the principal photography lasting eight days. Most of

880-476: A fabrication by the Blair Witch to draw them out of their camp . Heather discovers a bundle of twigs tied with fabric from Josh's shirt the next day. Upon opening the bundle, she finds a blood-soaked scrap of his shirt containing a tongue, a finger, some teeth and hair. Although distraught, she does not tell Mike. That night, she records herself apologizing to her, Mike's, and Josh's families, taking responsibility for their predicament. She admits that something evil

990-543: A few countries, including Sweden and Scotland, public camping is legal on privately held land as well. Camping is a key part of many youth organizations around the world, such as Scouting , which use it to teach both self-reliance and teamwork. School camping trips also have numerous benefits and can play an essential role in the personal growth and development of students. The Cambridge Academic Content Dictionary defines camping as: The act of staying and sleeping in an outside area for one or more days and nights, usually in

1100-429: A fire as well as for warming an enclosed space. One or two band-aids are mandatory in this type of camping. Any camper, and not only the survival ones, need waterproof matches or a lighter and a large safety pin or fish hook which can be used in fishing . Rubber gloves , antiseptic wipes, tinfoil , jackknife, or halazone tablets (which purify the water) are also to be included in a survival kit. The following

1210-460: A form of educational experience. Spending the night away from home distinguishes camping from day-tripping , picnicking , and other outdoor activities. Camping as a recreational activity became popular among elites in the early 20th century. With time, it grew in popularity among other socioeconomic classes. Modern campers frequent publicly owned natural resources such as national and state parks , wilderness areas , and commercial campgrounds. In

SECTION 10

#1732783225520

1320-448: A kit should include a small metal container that can be used to heat water over a campfire , a small length of duct tape which can prove useful in many situations, and an emergency space blanket . These blankets are specially designed to occupy minimal space, can be used as emergency shelters for keeping the camper warm, and their reflective properties mean that they can be easily seen from an aircraft . Candle stubs are good for starting

1430-428: A protagonist, thus confusing or unsettling the audience and setting up an ominous or disturbing overarching tone. In other cases, the narrator or protagonist may be reliable or ostensibly mentally stable but is placed in a situation involving another character or characters who are psychologically, mentally, or emotionally disturbed. Thus, elements of psychological horror focus on mental conflicts. These become important as

1540-480: A rendition of "the ultimate triumph of the Sundance scam: Make a heartless home movie, get enough critics to blurb in near unison 'scary' and watch the suckers flock to be fleeced". A critic from The Christian Science Monitor said that while the film's concept and scares were innovative, he felt it could have just been shot "as a 30-minute short ... since its shaky camera work and fuzzy images get monotonous after

1650-420: A restored version of the film from new digital transfers of the video & film elements, approved by the producers and directors, which was released in the UK on November 11 that year. The film earned $ 1.5 million from 27 theaters in its opening weekend, with a per-screen average of $ 56,002. The film expanded nationwide in its third weekend and grossed $ 29.2 million from 1,101 locations, placing at number two in

1760-643: A rugged experience in the outdoors prefer to camp with only tents, or with no shelter at all ("under the stars"). According to an infographic produced by Red Rover Camping and based on data from the 2014 American Camper Report published by the Coleman Company, Inc. and the Outdoor Foundation, camping in the United States is gaining popularity after a fall of 4.2  million participants from 2011 to 2012. According to data provided by

1870-702: A sound is added. Additionally, the replacement of soundtracks with sound effects highlights the role of noise in the plot of movies, such as A Quiet Place , where the blind extraterrestrial monsters are programmed to attack noise sources. The novels The Golem written by Gustav Meyrink , The Silence of the Lambs written by Thomas Harris , Robert Bloch novels such as Psycho and American Gothic , Stephen King novels such as Carrie , Misery , The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon , The Shining , and Koji Suzuki 's novel Ring are some examples of psychological horror. Shirley Jackson 's We Have Always Lived in

1980-408: A special place in the hearts of many Australians , as it offers a unique opportunity to connect with the country's diverse natural landscapes and rich outdoor heritage. Australia benefits from a favorable climate and an expansive array of camping grounds and sites throughout the country. Before the onset of COVID-19 , there was a notable 67% increase in the number of caravan and camping trips over

2090-496: A subgenre of horror video games . While such games may be based on any style of gameplay , they are generally more exploratory and "seek to instigate a sense of doubt about what might really be happening" in the player. Phantasmagoria (1995), D (1995), Corpse Party (1996) and Silent Hill (1999) are considered some of the first psychological horror games. Sometimes, psychological horror games will simulate crashes, file corruptions, and various other errors, such as

2200-411: A subtle escalation of suspense and horror of what can not be seen. Hitchcock's Rear Window places the main character as the primary information source for the viewer; their confusion is pervasive. The viewer lacks an omniscient understanding of events, resulting in an suspenseful and slow then explosive revelation. Shadows hide events or truths yet to be revealed, sometimes foreshadow events, and notify

2310-474: A temporary housing arrangement. Campgrounds for custom harvesters in the United States may include room-to-park combines and other large farm equipment. Camping is also popular at air shows, notably at the Oshkosh air show where people often camp in a small tent under their aircraft's wing. In Evangelical Christianity , camping for a spiritual retreat was encouraged by the development of camp meetings in

SECTION 20

#1732783225520

2420-583: A tent. Camping describes a range of activities and approaches to outdoor accommodation. Survivalist and wild campers typically set off with as little as possible to get by. Other campers might use specialized camping gear designed to provide comfort, including their own power and heat sources as well as camping furniture. Camping may be combined with hiking , as in backpacking , and is often enjoyed in conjunction with other outdoor activities such as canoeing , kayaking , climbing , fishing , and hunting . Fastpacking involves both running and camping. There

2530-516: A trip through a cinematic dark ride." Academics and historians have stated different origin periods to the psychological horror film. Historian David J. Skal described The Black Cat (1934) as "being called the first psychological horror movie in America." Academic Susan Hayward described them as a post-World War II phenomenon and giving examples of psychological horror films as Psycho (1960) and Peeping Tom (1960). Hayward continued that

2640-459: A while, and there's not much room for character development within the very limited plot". R. L. Schaffer of IGN scored it two out of ten, and described it as "boring – really boring", and "a Z-grade , low-rent horror outing with no real scares into a genuine big-budget spectacle". At the 1st Golden Trailer Awards , it received a nomination for Most Original Trailer and won two categories: Best Horror/Thriller and Best Voice Over. At

2750-568: A young child named Robin Weaver, who went missing in 1888; 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 slaughtered in the 19th century; their corpses later disappeared. They camp for the night and, the next day, find an old graveyard with seven small cairns , one of which Josh accidentally knocks over. That night, they hear

2860-465: Is Languedoc and Roussillon with around 19,331,663 nights spent at campsites during 2015, whilst the department with the most campsites is the Vendée. Canada is a country that has four different seasons throughout the year. In this day and age, with the proper camping equipment, it is possible to camp all over Canada all year round. At the end of the 19th century, Canada started establishing areas all over

2970-407: Is a chance they will enjoy our film, and we hope they will check it out". Film critic Michael Dodd has argued that the film is an embodiment of horror "modernizing its ability to be all-encompassing in expressing the fears of American society". He noted that "in an age where anyone can film whatever they like, horror needn't be a cinematic expression of what terrifies the cinema-goer, it can simply be

3080-660: Is a list of commonly used camping equipment: Much of the remaining needed camping equipment is commonly available in the home, including dishes, pots, and pans; however, many people opt not to use their home items but instead utilize equipment better tailored for camping. These amenities include heavy plastic tableware and salt and pepper shakers with tops that close to shelter the shakers from rain. Old kitchen gear purchased from thrift stores or garage sales may also be used in place of home items as an alternative to buying specialized (and more expensive) camping equipment. Backpackers use lightweight and portable equipment. Campers span

3190-456: Is also labeled by lifestyle: Glamping (glamorous camping) combines camping with the luxury and amenities of a home or hotel, and has its roots in the early 1900s European and American safaris in Africa. Workamping allows campers to trade their labor variously for discounts on campsite fees, campground utilities, and even some degree of pay. Migrant camps are formed not for recreation but as

3300-430: Is consistently listed as one of the scariest movies of all time. Despite the success, the three main actors had reportedly lived in poverty. In 2000, they sued Artisan Entertainment claiming unfair compensation, eventually reaching a $ 300,000 settlement. The Blair Witch Project launched a media franchise , which includes two sequels ( Book of Shadows and Blair Witch ), novels, comic books, and video games. It revived

3410-483: Is enough to inform the viewer that something or someone is there, but reveals nothing else, manipulating the viewers fears of what could be. Studies by Thayer and Ellison in the 1980 studied the effects of different types of music layered on top of stressful visual stimuli, they used dermal electromagnetic to capture information about physiological stimulation while watching and listening. They found that with stressful music and composition laid over top stressful images

The Blair Witch Project - Misplaced Pages Continue

3520-426: Is haunting them and will ultimately take them. That night, they hear Josh calling out to them and follow his voice to the abandoned ruins of the house of Rustin Parr, featuring children's bloody handprints on one of the walls. Trying to locate Josh, they go to the basement, where an unseen villain assaults Mike, causing him to drop his camera. Heather enters the basement yelling, and her camera captures Mike standing in

3630-490: Is no universally held definition of what is and what is not camping. Just as with motels , which serve both recreational and business guests, the same campground may serve recreational campers, school field trips, migrant workers, and the homeless at the same time. Fundamentally, it reflects a combination of intent and the nature of the activities involved. A children's summer camp with dining hall meals and bunkhouse accommodations may have "camp" in its name but fails to reflect

3740-445: Is poised to persist. Camping on open land, regardless of ownership, is legal in a few countries, including Sweden and Scotland. In Sweden, a right of public access – allowing outdoor recreational activity on privately held wilderness – is enshrined in the constitution. Large groups, however, must obtain the landowner's permission. In Scotland, people may camp on most unenclosed land, whether state- or privately owned. There

3850-871: The 15th Independent Spirit Awards , The Blair Witch Project won the John Cassavetes Award (for best first feature made for under $ 500,000). The 20th Golden Raspberry Awards gave Heather Donahue its Worst Actress award, and nominated producers Robin Cowie and Gregg Hale for the Worst Picture award. At the Stinkers Bad Movie Awards , the film won the Biggest Disappointment category and received three nominations: Worst Picture (Cowie and Hale), Worst Actress (Donahue), and Worst Screen Debut (Heather, Michael, Josh,

3960-554: The Sci-Fi Channel on July 12, 1999. Sánchez and Myrick also maintain a website which adds further details to the legend. The legend describes the killings and disappearances of some of the residents of Blair, Maryland (a fictitious town on the site of Burkittsville, Maryland ) from the 18th to 20th centuries. Residents blamed these occurrences on the ghost of Elly Kedward, a Blair resident accused of practicing witchcraft in 1785 and sentenced to death by exposure . The Curse of

4070-474: The University of Central Florida , Daniel Myrick and Eduardo Sánchez were inspired to make the film after realizing that they found documentaries on paranormal phenomena scarier than traditional horror films. The two decided to create a film that combined the styles of both. In order to produce the project, they, along with Gregg Hale , Robin Cowie and Michael Monello, started Haxan Films . The namesake for

4180-411: The wind and cold . Survival camping involves certain items that campers are recommended to have with them in case something goes wrong and they need to be rescued. A survival kit includes mandatory items that are small and must fit in one's pocket or which otherwise could be carried on one's person. This kit is useless in these circumstances if it is kept in the backpack that is left in camp. Such

4290-502: The 19th century, to promote spiritual renewal, far from the city and in nature. These camps were an opportunity to pray, sing and listen to sermons for several days. Various church associations have also established campgrounds or conference centers in isolated locations, which provide retreat times for children and adults. ‹The template How-to is being considered for merging .›   The equipment used in camping varies by intended activity. For instance, in survival camping

4400-487: The 2017 visual novel Doki Doki Literature Club! Camping Camping is a form of outdoor recreation or outdoor education involving overnight stays with a basic temporary shelter such as a tent . Camping can also include a recreational vehicle , sheltered cabins, a permanent tent, a shelter such as a bivy or tarp , or no shelter at all. Typically, participants leave developed areas to spend time outdoors, in pursuit of activities providing them enjoyment or in

4510-736: The Adirondacks and essentially live off the land, camping at farms and buying food along the way just like ordinary Americans out for a holiday on the road." The International Federation of Camping Clubs (Fédération Internationale de Camping et de Caravanning) was founded in 1932, and national clubs from many countries affiliated with it. By the 1960s, camping had become an established family holiday standard, and today, campsites are widespread across Europe and North America. Different types of camping may be named after their form of transportation, such as canoe camping , car camping, RVing , and backpacking , including ultralight backpacking . Camping

The Blair Witch Project - Misplaced Pages Continue

4620-747: The Blair Witch presents the legend as real, complete with manufactured newspaper articles, newsreels , television news reports, and staged interviews. The Blair Witch Project premiered as a Midnight Screening on Saturday, January 23, 1999, at the Sundance Film Festival , and opened Wednesday, July 14, at the Angelika Film Center in New York City before expanding to 25 cities at the weekend. It expanded nationwide on July 30. For its basic cable premiere in October 2001 on FX , two deleted scenes were reinserted during

4730-482: The Castle is often viewed as one of the best examples of psychological horror in fiction. Bill Gibron of PopMatters declared a mixed definition of the psychological horror film, ranging from definitions of anything that created a sense of disquiet or apprehension to a film where an audience's mind makes up what was not directly displayed visually. Gibron concluded it as a "clouded gray area between all out splatter and

4840-590: The Fédération Nationale De L'Hôtellerie De Plein Air (FNHPA) shows that around 113  million nights were taken at French campsites in 2015, which was up by 3.9% in the same period in 2014. French holidaymakers took 77 million of these, and the rest was made up of other nationalities, the majority of whom were Dutch, German, and UK tourists. The French Government hopes to have 100  million tourists each year by 2030. The most popular region for camping

4950-637: The Great British Tourism Survey conducted by Visit England, almost 4.5  million camping and caravanning holidays were taken by British residents during the first half of 2015, for an average of 3.7 nights. As in the United States, camping is gaining popularity, with an 8% increase in trips compared to the same period in 2014. The Caravan Club and the Camping and Caravanning Club represent UK campers. Scotland allows " wild camping " on privately-owned wilderness. Data collected by

5060-618: The Internet over whether the film was a real-life documentary or a work of fiction. Some of the footage was screened during the Florida Film Festival in June. During screenings, the filmmakers made advertising efforts to promulgate the events in the film as factual, including the distribution of flyers at festivals such as Sundance, asking viewers to come forward with any information about the "missing" students. The campaign tactic

5170-525: The Stick People and the world's longest running batteries). An array of other films have relied on the found-footage concept and shown influence by The Blair Witch Project . These include Paranormal Activity (2007), REC (2007), Cloverfield (2008), The Last Exorcism (2010), Trollhunter (2010), Chronicle (2012), Project X (2012), V/H/S (2012), End of Watch (2012), and The Den (2013). Some critics have also noted that

5280-403: The United States box office , surpassing the science fiction horror film Deep Blue Sea but behind Runaway Bride . The film expanded further to 2,142 theaters and again finished in second place with a gross of $ 24.3 million in its fourth weekend, behind another horror film The Sixth Sense . The film dropped out of the top-ten list in its 10th weekend and by the end of its theatrical run,

5390-452: The action of the day. Teeth were obtained from a Maryland dentist for use as human remains in the film. 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 a long way during the day, harassing them by night, and depriving them of food. Instead of using fictional names, all three actors used their real names in

5500-657: The activity in his youth when he spent much time traveling across the American prairies with his parents. Later he embarked on a cycling and camping tour with some friends across Ireland . His book on his Ireland experience, Cycle and Camp in Connemara led to the formation of the first camping group in 1901, the Association of Cycle Campers, later to become the Camping and Caravanning Club . He wrote The Campers Handbook in 1908, so that he could share his enthusiasm for

5610-448: The actors as either "missing" or "deceased". Due to its successful Sundance run, Artisan Entertainment bought the film's distribution rights for $ 1.1 million. The film had a limited release on July 14 of the same year, before expanding to a wider release starting on July 30. While the film received critical acclaim, audience reception was polarized. The Blair Witch Project was a sleeper hit . It grossed nearly $ 250 million worldwide and

SECTION 50

#1732783225520

5720-432: The actors to add a sense of realism. By August 1999, the website had received 160 million hits. After the Sundance screening, Artisan acquired the film and a distribution strategy was created and implemented by Steven Rothenberg . The film's trailer was leaked on the website Ain't It Cool News on April 2, 1999, and the film was screened at 40 colleges in the United States to build word-of-mouth. A third, 40-second, trailer

5830-459: The campsite and RV park articles.) Other vehicles used for camping include motorcycles, touring bicycles, boats, canoes, pack animals , and even bush planes ; although backpacking on foot is a popular alternative. Tent camping sites often cost less than campsites with full amenities, and most allow direct access by car. Some "walk-in" sites lie a short walk away from the nearest road but do not require full backpacking equipment. Those who seek

5940-467: The characters face perverse situations, sometimes involving the supernatural , immorality , murder , and conspiracies . While other horror media emphasize fantastical situations such as attacks by monsters , psychological horror tends to keep the monsters hidden and to involve situations more grounded on artistic realism . Plot twists are an often-used device. Characters commonly face internal battles with subconscious desires such as romantic lust and

6050-492: The characters' and audience's view of potential danger through strategic lighting and visual obstructions—like in Bird Box (film) —can heighten suspense and engage the imagination, leaving much of the threat unseen. In many cases, and in a similar way as the overlapping genre of psychological thriller , psychological horror may deploy an unreliable narrator or imply that aspects of the story are being perceived inaccurately by

6160-425: The complexities of human experiences that prompt viewers to connect with characters confronting conflict. Modern research reveals the relationship between empathy and fear or the lack thereof with interest in horror. Research shows that the effects of psychological horror affects females more than males.  A current hypothesis for this difference between the genders is that it relates to social expectations and

6270-447: The cost of the film to several hundred thousand dollars before its Sundance debut and, after marketing costs, the total cost of the film has been estimated as ranging between $ 500,000 and $ 750,000. In 2024, Donahue, Leonard and Williams detailed to Variety how, according to their claims, they had never been adequately compensated by Artisan Entertainment/Lionsgate for their work in the original movie. They recall living in poverty after

6380-493: The dark about its titular villain, proving once more that imagination can be as scary as anything onscreen." On Metacritic the film received a weighted average of 80 out of 100 based on 33 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews". Audience reception to the film, though, remains divided; Those polled by CinemaScore gave it an average grade of "C+" on a scale of A+ to F. The Blair Witch Project 's found-footage technique received near-universal praise. Although this

6490-549: The dark is almost always scarier than what makes the noise in the dark. —Roger Ebert, writing for the Chicago Sun-Times The Blair Witch Project drew acclaim from critics. The review aggregation website Rotten Tomatoes gives the film a score of 86% based on 165 reviews from critics, with an average rating of 7.70/10. The website's consensus reads: "Full of creepy campfire scares, mock-doc The Blair Witch Project keeps audiences in

6600-505: The desire for petty revenge. In contrast, splatter fiction and monster movies often focuses on a bizarre, alien evil to which the average viewer cannot easily relate. However, at times, the psychological horror and splatter subgenres overlap, such as in the French horror film High Tension . Fascination with horror films lies in the unreasonable, irrational, and impossible. Jung and Nietzsche 's theories exemplify humans need to escape

6710-457: The early twentieth century, the popularity of camping in the United States grew as a result of the publicity created by The Vagabonds: Henry Ford , Thomas Edison , John Burroughs , and Harvey S. Firestone . This group of famous American businessmen, inventors, and authors traveled for ten years to different states, and the press highly documented their trips from across the country. Oftentimes, "...these rough and tumble pioneers would drive toward

SECTION 60

#1732783225520

6820-587: The end credits of the film. Neither deleted scene has ever been officially released. The Blair Witch Project was released on VHS and DVD on October 22, 1999 by Artisan, presented in a 1.33:1 windowboxed aspect ratio and Dolby Digital 2.0 audio. Special features include the documentary Curse of the Blair Witch , a five-minute Newly Discovered Footage , audio commentary , production notes, and cast and crew biographies. The audio commentary presents directors Daniel Myrick, Eduardo Sánchez, and producers Rob Cowie, Mike Monello and Gregg Hale , in which they discuss

6930-401: The ending with Mike standing in the corner was invented days before it was shot. After filming, the 20 hours of raw footage had to be cut down to 81 minutes; the editing process took more than eight months. The directors screened the first cut in small film festivals in order to get feedback and make changes that would ensure that it appealed to as large an audience as possible. Originally, it

7040-413: The entire movie would be composed of their found footage, and that they had not given much thought to the clause that allowed production to use their real identities. This led to subsequent discussions with Lionsgate regarding the usage of their likenesses. Despite the conflicts, Donahue, Leonard and Williams have called themselves proud of their work in the movie. The Blair Witch Project is thought to be

7150-409: The equipment consists of small items which have the purpose of helping the camper in providing food , heat , and safety . The equipment used in this type of camping must be lightweight and it is restricted to the mandatory items. Other types of camping such as winter camping involve having specially designed equipment in terms of tents or clothing that is strong enough to protect the camper's body from

7260-525: The fictional 1940s child-murderer, began as an anagram for Rasputin . The Blair Witch is said to be, according to legend, the ghost of Elly Kedward, a woman banished from the Blair Township (latter-day Burkittsville ) for witchcraft in 1785. The directors incorporated that part of the legend, along with allusions to the Salem witch trials and Arthur Miller 's 1953 play The Crucible , to play on

7370-466: The film as a marketing influence to promote his 2002 horror film Cabin Fever with the internet. The Blair Witch Project was included in the book 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die . Psychological horror film Psychological horror usually aims to create discomfort or dread by exposing common or universal psychological and emotional vulnerabilities/fears and revealing the darker parts of

7480-447: The film grossed $ 140.5 million in the US and Canada and grossed $ 108.1 million in other territories, for a worldwide gross of $ 248.6 million (over 4,000 times its original budget). The Blair Witch Project was the 10th highest-grossing film in the US in 1999, and has earned the reputation of becoming a sleeper hit . In Italy it set an opening weekend record for a US film. Because the filming

7590-535: The film hides the witch from the viewer for its entirety, increasing the suspense of the unknown. In talks with investors, the directors presented an eight-minute documentary, along with newspapers and news footage. The documentary was aired on the television series Split Screen hosted by John Pierson on August 6, 1998. Principal photography began on October 23, 1997, in Maryland and lasted eight days, overseen by cinematographer Neal Fredericks , who provided

7700-411: The film's basic plot premise and narrative style are strikingly similar to Cannibal Holocaust (1980) and The Last Broadcast (1998). Although Cannibal Holocaust director Ruggero Deodato has acknowledged the similarities of The Blair Witch Project to his film, he criticized the publicity that it received for being an original production; advertisements for The Blair Witch Project also promoted

7810-507: The film's production. The Curse of the Blair Witch feature provides an in-depth look inside the creation of the film. More than $ 15 million was spent to market the home video release of the film. The film's Blu-ray version was released on October 5, 2010, by Lionsgate . Best Buy and Lionsgate had an exclusive release of the Blu-ray made available on August 29 the same year. Additionally, in 2024, British label Second Sight Films completed

7920-420: The film, something Donahue has regretted doing. She revealed in 2014 that she had trouble finding new roles because of it. According to the filmmakers' commentary, the unseen figure that Donahue is shouting about as she is running away from the tent is the film's art director Ricardo Moreno, who was wearing white long-johns, white stockings, and white pantyhose pulled over his head. The final scenes were filmed at

8030-579: The filming was done on the Greenway Trail along Seneca Creek in Montgomery County, Maryland . About 20 hours of footage was shot, which was edited down to 82 minutes. Shot on an original budget of $ 35,000–60,000, the film had a final cost of $ 200,000–750,000 after post-production and marketing. When The Blair Witch Project premiered at the Sundance Film Festival at midnight on January 23, 1999, its promotional marketing campaign listed

8140-570: The first widely released film marketed primarily by the Internet. Kevin Foxe became executive producer in May 1998 and brought in Clein & Walker, a public relations firm. The film's official website launched in June, featuring faux police reports as well as "newsreel-style" interviews, and fielding questions about the "missing" students. These augmented the film's found footage device to spark debates across

8250-472: The found-footage technique and influenced similarly successful horror films such as Paranormal Activity (2007), REC (2007) and Cloverfield (2008). The film purports to be footage found in the discarded cameras of three young filmmakers who had gone missing. In October 1994, film students Heather, Mike, and Josh set out to produce a documentary about the mythical Blair Witch . They travel to Burkittsville, Maryland , and interview residents about

8360-493: The gender roles we are exposed to during childhood. As a result of the lack of cross-cultural research on the psychological effects of horror, one hypothesis is that individual cultures develop their own unique sense of horror, based in their cultural experiences. Hitchcock 's Rear Window used light and deliberate shadows to incite suspense in the viewer. Suspense is a fundamental part of Hitchcockian horror. The use of shadows through light to cover up information results in

8470-561: The goods as a dread-drenched horror movie, The Blair Witch Project puts a clever modern twist on the universal fear of the dark and things that go bump in the night". Lisa Schwarzbaum of Entertainment Weekly gave a grade of "B": "As a horror picture, the film may not be much more than a cheeky game, a novelty with the cool, blurry look of an avant-garde artifact. But as a manifestation of multimedia synergy, it's pretty spooky". Some critics were less enthusiastic. Andrew Sarris of The New York Observer deemed it "overrated", as well as

8580-610: The great outdoors with the world. Possibly the first commercial camping ground in the world was Cunningham's camp , near Douglas, Isle of Man , which opened in 1894. In 1906, the Association of Cycle Campers opened its first camping site in Weybridge . By that time, the organization had several hundred members. In 1910 the Association was merged into the National Camping Club. Although the First World War

8690-591: The historic Griggs House , a 150-year-old building located in the Patapsco Valley State Park near Granite, Maryland . Filming concluded on October 31, Halloween . In an interview with Entertainment Weekly , Sánchez revealed that when principal photography first wrapped, approximately $ 20,000 to $ 25,000 had been spent. Richard Corliss of Time magazine reported a $ 35,000 estimated budget. By September 2016, The Blair Witch Project has been officially budgeted at $ 60,000. Sánchez says that

8800-761: The human psyche that most people may repress or deny. This idea is referred to in analytical psychology as the archetypal shadow characteristics: suspicion , distrust , self-doubt , and paranoia of others, themselves, and the world. The genre sometimes seeks to challenge or confuse the audience's grasp of the narrative or plot by focusing on characters who are themselves unsure of or doubting their own perceptions of reality or questioning their own sanity . Characters' perceptions of their surroundings or situations may indeed be distorted or subject to delusions , outside manipulation or gaslighting by other characters; emotional disturbances or trauma; and even hallucinations or mental disorders . Additionally, restricting

8910-402: The idea that the footage is genuine. Despite initial reports that The Last Broadcast creators— Stefan Avalos and Lance Weiler —had alleged that The Blair Witch Project was a complete rip-off of their work and would sue Haxan Films for copyright infringement , they repudiated these allegations. One of the creators told IndieWire in 1999: "If somebody enjoys The Blair Witch Project there

9020-534: The main cast. 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 had once worked with, noting her character's "self-assuredness" when everything went as planned, and confusion during crisis. The actors were given clues as to their next location through messages hidden inside 35 mm film cans left in milk crates they found with Global Positioning Satellite systems. They were given individual instructions to use to help improvise

9130-534: The medium through which terrors captured by the average American can be showcased". In 2008, The Blair Witch Project was ranked by Entertainment Weekly as number ninety-nine on their list of 100 Best Films from 1983 to 2008. In 2006, the Chicago Film Critics Association ranked it as number 12 on their list of Top 100 Scariest Movies. It was ranked number 50 on Filmcritic.com 's list of 50 Best Movie Endings of All Time. In 2016, it

9240-401: The myth. Locals tell them of Rustin Parr, a hermit who lived deep in the forest and abducted seven children in 1941; he murdered them all in his basement, killing them in pairs while having one stand in a corner, facing the wall. The students explore the forest in north Burkittsville to research the myth. They meet two fishermen, one of whom warns them that the forest is cursed. He tells them of

9350-459: The pool of 2,000 actors. According to Heather Donahue, auditions for the film were held at Musical Theater Works in New York City . The advertisement said a "completely improvised feature film" would be shot in a "wooded location". Donahue said that during the audition, Myrick and Sánchez posed her the question: "You've served seven years of a nine-year sentence. Why should we let you out on parole?" to which she had to respond. Joshua Leonard said he

9460-604: The preceding decade. In the year concluding in 2019, Australians embarked on a record-breaking 13.9 million caravan and camping journeys. Of these excursions, commercial caravan parks and camping grounds contributed to 52% of trips, 62% of nights spent, and 64% of total expenditure. Since the lifting of COVID-related restrictions, there has been a strong rebound in numbers. By the conclusion of the year in June 2022, trips had reached 12.7 million, while spending surged to an unprecedented $ 10.5 billion. With over 770,000 caravan and campervan registrations nationwide in 2021, this upward trend

9570-618: The production company is Benjamin Christensen 's 1922 silent documentary horror film Häxan (English: Witchcraft Through the Ages ). Myrick and Sánchez developed a 35-page screenplay for their fictional film, intending dialogue to be improvised . The directors placed a casting call advertisement in Backstage in June 1996, asking for actors with strong improvisational abilities. The informal improvisational audition process narrowed

9680-595: The province of Québec did go camping, that being about 1,600,000 people. In the same research, the study has shown that a certain 8% of those campers were strangers. The popularity of camping in Canada is not only for locals but also for travelers. About 34% of the camp fanatics in Québec are camping on either National Parks or Provincials Parks . According to the Australian government , camping and caravan holds

9790-450: The psychological horror films and slasher films are both interchangeable terms with "horror-thrillers". Hayward said the genre resembled the slasher film with both being "vicious normalizing of misogyny ". She wrote that in both film genres, the male had a dependence on the female for a sense of identity derived from his difference from her, and often killed them with items like knives or chainsaws. Psychological horror video games are

9900-402: The psychological response was greater than when watching the same visual stimuli with non stressful sound. Music with a positive tone results in viewers perceiving simultaneous visual stimuli as positive, and when negative tones are used viewers perceive visual stimuli as negative or more threatening. They made three hypotheses and were able to prove two with their research: When following

10010-419: The real world and live in a sublime space where anything is possible. Horror allows the watcher to escape mundane conventional life and express the inner workings of their irrational thoughts. H.P. Lovecraft 's explanation for the fascination of horror stems more from the lack of understanding of a humans true place and our deep inner instinct we are out of touch with, and the basic insignificance of ones life and

10120-593: The sound of sticks snapping. The following day, they try to hike back to the car but cannot find it before dark and make camp. They again hear sticks snapping. In the morning, they find three cairns built beside their tent. Heather learns her map is missing; Mike reveals he kicked it into a creek out of frustration, which provokes a fight between the trio as they realize they are lost. They head south, using Heather's compass, and discover stick figures hanging from trees. They again hear mysterious sounds that night, including children laughing. After an unknown force or person shakes

10230-405: The spirit and form of "camping" as it is broadly understood. Similarly, a homeless person's lifestyle may involve many common camping activities, such as sleeping out and preparing meals over a fire but fails to reflect the elective nature and pursuit of spirit rejuvenation that are an integral aspect of camping. The history of recreational camping is often traced back to Thomas Hiram Holding ,

10340-449: The success, being barred from saying so publicly, and having few options since they had no "proper union or legal representation when the film was made." In summer 1999 they received a bump in the low five figures. In October 2000, with the release of Blair Witch 2 impending, Donahue convinced Williams and Leonard to sue Artisan. They reached a $ 300,000 settlement for each of them. The three actors claim that they had no clear knowledge that

10450-463: The tent, they hide in the forest until dawn. Upon returning to their tent, they find their possessions have been rifled, and Josh's equipment is covered with slime. They come across a river identical to the one they crossed earlier and realize they have been walking in circles. Josh vanishes the next morning, and Heather and Mike try vainly to find him. That night, they hear Josh's agonized cries but are unable to find him. They theorize that his yells are

10560-501: The territory to be later named " National Parks ". These days, the parks are now known for being some of the most popular campgrounds in the country. But it was not always accessible to everyone. In Canada, before the 1910s, camping was reserved only for men. The first camping ground to be established in a National Park in Canada was in 1964 at the Lake Louise . According to data by a study made by Camping Québec in 2016, 20% of

10670-537: The test audience, although scared, were confused by it. Donahue screams in terror and finds Michael C. Williams facing a corner in the basement before she is knocked to the ground. Although the ending was not changed, an additional interview was added to the first section of the film to contextualize the ending. The directors and Williams traveled back to Maryland and shot four alternate endings, one of which employed bloody elements. They also shot additional interviews, at least one of which (the Parr backstory) making it into

10780-472: The themes of injustice done to those who were classified as witches. The directors also cited influences such as the television series In Search of... , and horror documentary films Chariots of the Gods and The Legend of Boggy Creek . Other influences included commercially successful horror films such as The Shining , Alien , The Omen , and Jaws —the latter film being their major influence, as

10890-447: The universe at large. Horror forces us to remember. Psychological horror further forces the manifestation of each individuals own personal horror. Our unseen humanity and our most basic human impulses forces us to seek out stimuli to remind us of our true nature and potential. Psychological horror not only ilicits fear, anxiety, and disgust but it also has the capacity to foster empathy in audiences. The genre allows audiences to navigate

11000-416: The viewer to hidden truths, resulting in suspense and the self reflection of known truths by the viewer. Light is used as a metaphor for what we know and can be seen, in the light, and what we do not know and are trying to figure out, what is in the shadows. Half illumination can be used to express a duality of emotions and uncertainty. The use of a burning cigarette or cigar, a tiny light in a sea of darkness

11110-537: The viewer. While sound design is deliberately crafted in the horror genre to evoke an emotional response, the absence of sound can be equally effective in evoking an emotional response. Soundtracks are utilized to build tension or accent a startling event, like a jump scare . However, in the film A Quiet Place , much of what builds suspense is the sparse, muted sound design. Films with minimalistic, limited soundtracks leave audiences unable to predict coming scenes and often lead to more pronounced emotional responses when

11220-424: The wide-release cut. This footage would be the only segment of film not shot by the main actors. Ultimately, the directors and Williams decided to keep the original ending. Myrick said: "What makes us fearful is something that's out of the ordinary, unexplained. The first ending kept the audience off balance; it challenged our real world conventions and that's what really made it scary". Post-production fees increased

11330-423: Was cast due to his knowledge of how to run a camera, as no omniscient camera was used to film the scenes. Pre-production began on October 5, 1997, and Michael Monello became a co-producer. In developing the mythology behind the film, the creators used many inspirations. For instance, several character names are near- anagrams : Elly Kedward (The Blair Witch) is Edward Kelley , a 16th-century mystic, and Rustin Parr,

11440-433: Was done by the actors using hand-held cameras, much of the footage is shaky , especially the final sequence in which a character is running down a set of stairs with the camera. Some audience members experienced motion sickness and even vomited as a result. At a time when digital techniques can show us almost anything, The Blair Witch Project is a reminder that what really scares us is the stuff we can't see. The noise in

11550-420: Was hoped that the film would make it on to cable television, and the directors did not anticipate a wide release . The final version was submitted to Sundance Film Festival . After becoming a surprise hit at Sundance, during its midnight premiere on January 25, 1999, Artisan Entertainment bought the distribution rights for $ 1.1 million. Prior to that, Artisan had wanted to change the film's original ending, as

11660-565: Was not the first film to use it, the independent film was declared a milestone in film history due to its critical and box office success. Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times gave the film four stars, and called it "an extraordinarily effective horror film". Peter Travers of Rolling Stone called it "a groundbreaker in fright that reinvents scary for the new millennium". Todd McCarthy of Variety said: "An intensely imaginative piece of conceptual filmmaking that also delivers

11770-423: Was ranked by IGN as number 21 on their list of Top 25 Horror Movies of All Time, number 16 on Cosmopolitan ' s 25 Scariest Movies of All Time, and number three on The Hollywood Reporter ' s 10 Scariest Movies of All Time. In 2013, the film also made the top-ten list of The Hollywood Reporter ' s highest-grossing independent films of all time, ranking number six. Director Eli Roth has cited

11880-474: Was responsible for a certain hiatus in camping activity, the association received a new lease of life after the war when Sir Robert Baden-Powell (founder of the Boy Scouts movement ) became its president in 1919. In the US, camping may be traced to William Henry Harrison Murray 's 1869 publication of Camp-Life in the Adirondacks, resulting in a flood of visitors to the Adirondacks that summer. During

11990-469: Was shown before Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace in June. USA Today reported that The Blair Witch Project was the first film to go viral despite having been produced before many of the technologies that facilitate such phenomena existed. The backstory for the film is a legend fabricated by Sánchez and Myrick which is detailed in the Curse of the Blair Witch , a mockumentary broadcast on

12100-426: Was that viewers were being told, through missing persons posters, that the characters were missing while researching in the woods for the mythical Blair Witch. The IMDb page also listed the actors as "missing, presumed dead" in the first year of the film's availability. The film's website contains materials of actors posing as police and investigators giving testimony about their casework, and shared childhood photos of

#519480