|
|||||||
|
|
|
|||||
|
|
|||||||
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
Seen the movie? Have questions? We've got answers - check out The Spoiler FAQ.
What is "The Blair Witch Project"?
What is "The Blair Witch Project" rated?
When and where is the movie playing?
I'm not in the US - will "The Blair Witch Project" be released near me?
Will "The Blair Witch Project" be released on video and/or DVD?
Isn't there something about the Blair Witch on the Sci Fi Channel?
Who made the film?
Are you the filmmakers?
Warning: If you really don't want to know if the movie is true or not, stop here!
Is "The Blair Witch Project" a real documentary or is it fictional?
What about the news reports, police investigations, and interviews on the blairwitch.com site?
Is the Blair Witch a real legend? Is the mythology true?
Is there really a Burkittsville, Maryland?
What about the Sci Fi channel special "Curse of the Blair Witch"?
Why do you tell "the secret" in this FAQ?
Why should I believe you?
What is "The Blair Witch Project"?
"The Blair Witch Project" (TBWP) is quite possibly the most unsettling and frightening film ever made.
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....
That footage is "The Blair Witch Project."
It's rated R for language only - there's no onscreen violence, and just one very brief shot of a very small amount of gore, which you can't see all that clearly.
When and where is the movie playing?
"The Blair Witch Project" is now playing EVERYWHERE! - it's at 1,101 theaters right now, and will open at 1,000 more theaters on August 6.
To find a theater near you, check out Yahoo Movie Showtimes or Moviefone.
I'm not in the US - will TBWP be released near me?
This is the foreign release info as of August 1: The Blair Witch Project is currently playing in France. The UK release date is slated for October; Sweden will also be in the fall; and Australia will be December 26.
The following countries have also picked up the film, but we DO NOT have release dates yet. As soon as we find out, we'll put them here!
Belgium, Brazil, Bulgaria, Denmark, Finland, Germany, Hong Kong, Hungary, Iceland, Japan, Korea, Latin America, Luxembourg, Middle East, The Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, The Phillippines, South Africa, Switzerland, Taiwan.
Will "The Blair Witch Project" be released on video and/or DVD?
Yes, but no release date is available - if we had to guess, we'd say around the end of the year, but there's rumors that it might be available around Halloween.
Artisan Entertainment, the distributors of TBWP, also happen to be one of the major video distributors, and they have the deepest DVD library (they own the rights to 5000 DVDs). A recent article on "Blair Witch" marketing in Entertainment Weekly mentions "Artisan's capability to launch the film massively on video through its distribution arm and the company's exclusive deal with Showtime television."
In other words, even if you live in a bunker in the Siberian tundra, as long as you have a TV with a VCR, a DVD player, and/or cable, you will definitely be able to see "The Blair Witch Project"! plans are underway for a DVD chock-full of exciting extras.
The Blair Witch Project was made by Haxan Films, and it was picked up for distribution by Artisan Entertainment at the 1999 Sundance Film Festival.
CAST AND CREW
Heather Donahue * Michael Williams * Joshua Leonard
Production Designer: Ben Rock
Art Director: Ricardo R. Moreno
Director of Photography: Neal Fredericks
Music: Tony Cora
Executive Producers: Bob Eick and Kevin Foxe
Co-Producer: Michael Monello
Producers: Gregg Hale and Robin Cowie
Written, Directed and Edited by Daniel Myrick & Eduardo Sanchez
Isn't there something about the Blair Witch on the Sci Fi channel?
Yes. It's a one-hour special called "Curse of the Blair Witch," and it's a great look at the Blair Witch history and mythology. It doesn't spoil the movie at all, and in fact it'll only whet your appetite. If you get cable, we highly recommend that you watch it. For showtimes, see our news page.
No, we're just very dedicated fans....
We've been working on this site since April, and have gotten to know the filmmakers, who have provided us with some of the information on this site. They've also approved of the accuracy of our FAQ. The rest of our rather obsessive knowledge comes from an awful lot of good old-fashioned research (aka "surfing the Net all day").
If you'd like to contact the creators of 'The Blair Witch Project', visit the Haxan Films site at http://www.haxan.com
Is this a real documentary or are you pulling my leg?
The Blair Witch Project is entirely fictional. The entire thing is the brain-child of the films' co-writers/co-directors, Ed Sanchez and Dan Myrick, and was made over the past two years.
The three student filmmakers are played by actors. The actors used their real names in the film, and the conditions were a bit different than your average shoot: they were sent off into the woods for 8 days, and literally shot the film themselves. The only contact that they had with the crew was through notes and minimal rations left for them to pick up daily (they also carried a GPS, so they couldn't really get lost). They knew their 'characters' well, and knew the general setup of the 'story', but everything that happens as the story unfolds was a surprise to them. It's why the film is so believable.
Is all the stuff on the blairwitch.com site real or not?
No, it isn't. The newscasters, police investigators, and all the people who are interviewed are actors. The evidence photos and videos were staged. The film cans, video tapes, and backpack seen in the photos and video were artificially aged and weathered.
Is the Blair Witch a real legend? Is the mythology true?
No, it was also created by the filmmakers - as were all the supporting documents and all the events in the Blair Witch mythology. The filmmakers wanted to create a sense of history to add to the depth and believability of the film. - as well as a sense of ancient evil that makes the movie all the more frightening.
Is there really a Burkittsville, Maryland?
Yes, there is, near Frederick, MD. But it was never called Blair, and it does not have any witch legends! (There are some local legends, mostly involving Civil War ghosts, but no intestine-eating witches!)
Burkittsville is a very small town (about 200 people) and it's getting swamped by TBWP tourists and media and the poor place doesn't know what hit it. Most of the movie wasn't even filmed in or around Burkittsville, so you can't go there to see the locations, either.
If you want to know more about Burkittsville, go to
What about the Sci Fi channel special "Curse of the Blair Witch"?
The Sci Fi channel special is also fictional. It was produced by Haxan Films, the makers of "The Blair Witch Project." All the interview subjects are actors, although the interviews were improvised (and Tom Williams really is Michael Williams's brother). The period documents, books, newspapers, and letters were created for the special. The period film footage of Rustin Parr and "Mysterious Occurances" was also shot by Haxan Films.
Check our news page for showtimes.
Why do you tell "the secret" on this FAQ page?
We know some people are disappointed when we tell them it's not real, but we don't think we're really giving away a huge secret. When the film went to Sundance, it wasn't listed in the documentary section - you can read the Sundance catalog description - and the reviews that have appeared since then don't say it's a true story either. The filmmakers - Haxan Films, that is, the five guys from Florida who made it for $20,000 - don't mind making it look fairly real but are NOT trying to pull off a total hoax. (Gregg Hale, one of the producers, said, "If we wanted to really fool people, we could make it a lot harder to find out it's not true.") Artisan Entertainment - who bought it for $1 million and will probably make at least $15 from the theatrical screenings alone - is not telling people it's not true, but Haxan - and the actors - don't much like that! - we were just talking to the actors, who say they haven't been allowed to do interviews or press because Artisan wants people to think they're dead, which does NOT help their careers.
And besides, in our personal opinion, it's really pretty sick to market this as the actual footage of three people actually being stalked and killed - I mean, honestly, go find yourself a snuff film or hang out in slaughterhouse if that's what you're into! And we also really appreciate the hard work and creativity that have gone into the creation of the history and mythology, all the "period" documents and photographs, the Sci Fi special, and so on, and we think that's a lot more interesting and impressive than just "here's three people about to die, don't forget to buy some popcorn."
Well, you don't have to believe us; life is inherently uncertain. However, if you want proof that we know the filmmakers (and know what we're talking about), here's a picture of us and Ed Sanchez, co-writer/director. We'll also have a picture of us and the very much non-deceased Heather Donahue up soon, too.
And whether or not you believe us, there have been plenty of news articles about the making of the movie, and interviews with the filmmakers and the very-much-non-deceased cast members, which you can find on our news page.
Updated: August 3, 1999
The Official THE BLAIR WITCH PROJECT F.A.Q., v.2.0 © 1999, A&e