It’s not uncommon for directors to resort to extreme lengths to bring out the most authentic performance from the actors in horrors, with The Shining and The Exorcist being the most notable examples. Interestingly, similar was the case for The Blair Witch Project, arguably the most influential horror release in the last 25 years that extended beyond the genre’s confinements.
While it may not be the first of its kind, as the Cannibal Holocaust predated it by almost 2-decades, the impact of The Blair Witch Project can’t be overstated. And the two directors working on the Indie horror, went to great lengths to bring out the best from the actors involved in the film.
The Directing Duo Opted for an Unconventional Method to Film The Blair Witch Project
Eduardo Sánchez and Daniel Myrick took a page from William Friedkin’s notebook while directing The Blair Witch Project, which took place in the woods outside of a remote suburban Maryland town. And like Friedkin, who infamously put the actors through grueling processes in The Exorcist, the directing duo opted for a similar route to help The Blair Witch Project elevate from its B-movie potential. Unsurprisingly, the filming process for the unconventional horror was far from what was and is considered normal, as instead of a fully developed script, they resorted to a 35-page outline.
As a result, much of the dialogue was mostly improvised, and the directors decided to pose as a panel board asking actors why they should be released from jail to test their improvisation abilities. But things weren’t just unconventional up to the pre-production phase, as the actors’ ration was limited to bananas and power bars, with the creators lowering supplies each day to heighten tension. While it was undoubtedly extreme on the filmmakers’ part, they succeeded in what they set out to achieve, as The Blair Witch Project became a cultural phenomenon.
One New York Officer Reached Out to Creators Assuming the Film Was Real
Apart from storming the box office, making almost $250M on a final budget of $200-750K, some fans were also led to believe it was real, thanks to the movie’s impeccable marketing, Co-director Daniel Myrick, who explained the entire movie was shot under $60K, revealed that a New York police officer, who was under the impression that it was real, reached out to help the director. He said (via The Guardian),
“It cost about $35,000 (£26,000) to get all the footage shot. We already had some buzz going into the Sundance film festival, partly because of the website we built suggesting our student documentary-makers really had disappeared. I got a call from a New York police officer who had worked in Maryland for years and wanted to help. I had to tell him it was all fake.”
While many tried to repeat The Blair Witch Project‘s formula, most heavily fell short of the cult classic, which remains a staple in the horror community.
The Blair Witch Project is available to rent on Apple TV.
