The Quick of It -
I have a ‘special’ relationship with the Blair Witch. No, not like that, shame on you! The first one, THE BLAIR WITCH PROJECT, was
an inspiration to all marketing professionals.
The hype was tremendous, and some people thought this was an actual
account being released to the silver screen.
This, above all else, demonstrated the pure genius behind the marketing
push.
Haxan and Artisan used the initial promo website as a base to start
a viral marketing campaign, and built onto the content to further the
mystery. By the time everything was
said and done, the marketing budget reached one million dollars. As a side note, Artisan Entertainment bought
the rights after its release at Sundance in 1999. So, to follow the numbers:
Production Budget: $60,000
Rights Sold: $1,000,000
Marketing and Promotions: $1,000,000
Box Office Total: $248,600,000
Like I said, pure genius.
Now for another film, a sequel to the first, seemed almost a poor
venture to the possible expectations by any studio. And for me, I will never have the experience I did with the
first. You see, I went to the theatre
with someone who believed this was authentic found footage. You can’t make this up! His experience was more horrifying than
anyone could possibly achieve in that theatre that day!
In this sequel, BLAIR WITCH has a new group heading out into the
woods, one being the younger brother to Heather from the original film, James
(James Allen McCune). As with the
first, you are challenged to believe in the supernatural when it does not
foreseeably exist, as the movie’s universal laws being based on the real
world. Things are quickly questioned or
debunked, a means to build onto the sense of realism and ground the audience. Everything seems normal right up until that
valve is released.
This film has to be one of the most intense found footage films to
date. After a particular “breaking”
point, you are on a ride that you wish you could get off. Understandably, this may not be for
everyone, but those people who do, you will not be disappointed. I could hear people in the audience having
trouble with the psychological impact and the visual assault. And I am not just talking about jumps and screams. I am talking about twisting uncomfortably in
their chairs and trying to get reassurance from their neighbors with nervous
chatter.
Director Adam Wingard (of YOU’RE NEXT, V/H/S, V/H/S/2, THE GUEST)
really pulled this one together. The
use of multiple cameras thanks to new technology, to include a drone, offered
new perspectives and shots. He
re-teamed with writer Simon Barrett to make this film and they achieved a new
level of found footage intenseness. To
their benefit, I’m sure all the previous hype from past films fed right into
the audience’s psyche. Like I said,
people who hate found footage will not appreciate this movie, but they sure are
missing out.
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