![]() ![]() This allowed them to interact with their audience directly without destroying the illusion they'd worked so hard to build.įans soon began building their own websites in hopes of unraveling the mystery or further developing the mythos established on the official page. To this end, they created an email newsletter to update fans about the status of their efforts in editing together the "found" footage from the woods. Haxan didn't just want fans interested in knowing more about the Blair Witch mythology, they wanted fans talking to each other about it - and talking to other people who'd previously never heard of the Blair Witch. But the guys at Haxan understood how fan sites could drive conversations and facilitate communication between like-minded movie fans, and implemented something similar to generate interest. At most, a movie would have a website that included release date info, maybe a plot tease, a poster, and cast info - and that would be a very forward-thinking bit of marketing at the time. With public use of the internet in its near-infancy, few mainstream Hollywood films were using it to market their films. He’s like, "No, no, no, you’re not." The internet was the truth. I said "This is Heather, you’re talking to her." He wouldn’t believe it. At a screening event with the lead actress in Los Angeles, executive producer Kevin Foxe tried unsuccessfully to convince an audience member that Heather was alive and well: The ruse worked so well that some people refused to believe the actors hadn't perished, even when they were standing right in front of them. Producer Gregg Hale told The Week that it was a "pretty brilliant" stunt on Artisan's part, though "there was definitely evidence out there that were still alive." Perhaps the most convincing stunt was somehow getting IMDb to update the actors' profiles to list them as " missing, presumed dead." ![]() The timeline text even includes links to other bits of lore, fake wood carvings, and fabricated newspaper clippings - giving it a cohesive, fully developed feeling.īy the time Artisan was controlling the bulk of the promotion for the film, the studio wanted to make it seem like the three stars of the film had legitimately gone missing. It goes through the beginnings of the lore surrounding the witch, Elly Kedward, the events of The Blair Witch Project, and the mysterious disappearance of Donahue, Leonard, and Williams. Instead, it was written with all the earnestness of so many conspiracy-filled, urban legend fan sites. Written in the form of a timeline, the "mythology" section of the site didn't give any clues that the legend was a modern-day fabrication. The site added great detail to the legend to further whet the appetites of fans ahead of the film's release. To flesh out the believability of their eventual found footage film, they started, one of the first ever examples of a viral movie marketing website. ![]() Here's a look at some of the best and most audacious promotional stunts and viral marketing tactics that were used to make The Blair Witch Project such a groundbreaking hit.Īfter the promo documentary about the Blair Witch generated a great deal of intrigue and obsession, the creators decided to explore the lore of this convincing yet fictitious urban legend. Arguably, the greatest legacy of The Blair Witch Project isn't the impact it had on horror movies, but on movie marketing for decades to come. The key to the film's success was the way it blurred the line between fiction and fact, convincing people that what they saw might very well be real. According to the movie's opening title card, the final cut is made from reels of lost film discovered by police after the trio went missing in 1994.ĭespite lackluster reviews from critics and some filmgoers, the movie grossed over $248 million on a $60,000 budget. Williams, and Joshua Leonard (all played by actors of the same names), search for clues about the myth, but end up getting lost in the woods and hunted by unseen forces. The students, Heather Donahue, Michael C. The Blair Witch Project - directed by friends Daniel Myrick and Eduardo Sánchez - follows three college filmmakers to Burkittsville, MD, in their attempt to document the local legend of the Blair Witch. Its production company, Haxan, is credited with essentially inventing viral marketing, and though the film didn't invent the found footage genre, it inspired countless knock-offs, homages, and imitations to follow. Even before The Blair Witch Project hit theaters in 1999, it had already made a major impact on the history of horror films. ![]()
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