When actors and actresses shoot to stardom lightning fast, the ride down can be just as quick. I remember the stars from Clerks who thought acting was going to be easy after getting the leads in their first roles, only to join a long list of one hit wonders. Heather Donahue was the star of Blair Witch Project and a co-creator so when her post Blair Witch career did not take off she could give up and do something quirky. She decided to become a pot grower. She spent a decade growing pot and hoping not to get caught before leaving it all and writing a book. It is really rare that an out of work actor or actress who has not been in the public eye for a decade can capture your attention with something other then a tell all book, but her choice of career did.
I still think the poster for Blair Witch is in the top 3 scariest movie posters ever. I think it was also the first viral marketing campaign and it worked amazing. I think there was a survey taken and about 35% of the people who saw the movie thought it was a real event they were watching.
I saw that movie several months after it came out. I knew it wasn't true and I knew that the actors had made a boatload of money from it, millions I think because they all had percentages. and still, it scared the sh-t out of me. it was really well done and really really scary.
ReplyDeleteshe's lucky she didn't get caught. I wonder why someone who already has millions that she got from the movie would decide to do something so risky. prison isn't fun.
I was 17 when I saw it and had never heard of it before. It was just a special screening and not really being pushed yet so I wasn't exposed to reviews and other people's reactions. I really had no idea what kind of movie I was going to honestly, I just tagged along & new it was about a "witch". I WAS SO SCARED & thought it was real for-like-ever. I live in Maryland and Burkittsville is here... where it takes place. So real, one of my favs still.
ReplyDeleteI thought it was just meh. I knew it wasn't real and the characters started to annoy me. Especially when the one said we don't need to follow the stupid map and got rid of it(or something to that effect). I kept waiting for the scary part, which for me didn't occur til the last couple minutes of the film and even then it was a let down.
ReplyDeleteI'm with Patty. I LOVE horror and this one did nothing for me. I even tried watching it alone in the dark and...nothing. Never did understand all the hoopla.
ReplyDeleteThat said, remember when Heather Donahue did a Steak 'n' Shake commercial a year or two after the movie came out? I thought it was kind of sad. :-/
patty - i felt like you. i thought so much of it was watered down and then the last like five minutes were great.
ReplyDeleteI had a difficult time watching it. The camera jumped around so much I got nauseous.
ReplyDeleteI agree it's not as scary... But Heather! You go girl!
ReplyDeleteI did not find the movie scary; I thought it was annoying as hell, though...
ReplyDeleteI remember seeing that chick in a Steak 'n Shake commercial years ago. Mmm, Steak 'n Shake. Def a good place to go after a doobie or two.
ReplyDeleteFirst off, I want to wish a very Happy Birthday to fellow CDANers @figgy and @Gibbz!
ReplyDeleteHave a good one guys, and hope the family knows that you deserve a separate gifts for your birthday AND for Christmas. Salute! Even though it's early here, somewhere in the world, it's already noon!
I would say exactly what BNL said...most of the movie was BORING, made me kind of nauseous with the camera work, then the last five minutes were awesome. I was like, really? All this hype? Eh...
ReplyDeleteNow Paranormal Activity...THAT was scary!
I thought the movie was over rated....we did much better work when I was in college...
ReplyDeleteI think that the only way to make that movie scary is going camping after. There's nothing scarier than waking up in the middle of the night hear children laughing in campsite next door.
ReplyDeleteDumb movie
ReplyDeletetoo cool! if shes in the right state she is legally allowed in "state" to grown up to x8-10 plants if you go to your dr. he will allow you to grow more depending on the circumstances and illness.
ReplyDeletetoo cool she got away with it! it must have been in the middle of nowhere and of course totally under the radar until the book was written.
question...did she get rid of the farm? or is someone else farming for her now that she's written the book? hmmmmm....
IMO, the premise of Blair Witch was better than the execution -- ditto Paranormal Activity.
ReplyDeleteThe jerky footage made me literally puke, too.
Half way through I was really looking forward to all the characters being murdered horribly. Gawd, what a bunch of whining a-holes!
ReplyDeleteI am easily scared and also didn't find it scary till the very last bit. I always think of An American Werewolf in London as a perfect example of a huge movie where the lead actor really didn't do anything afterwards.
ReplyDeleteFor Halloween last year, I was trying to think of a decoration to put by the front door. I had recently been trimming some trees, so I had a bunch of branches that were waiting to be cut down and fit into my trash barrel for yard waste. I remembered the stick figure totems from Blair Witch and decided I'd make a bunch of them and hang them around the door. The first child that came to the door was about three, and his mom was with him. She looks at the door, and yells, "Blair Witch!" I didn't think anyone would remember since the movie came out over ten years ago.
ReplyDeleteI thought it was super scary! Guess I was the only one... :)
ReplyDeleteInteresting article...
ReplyDeleteI was in college when this came out and everyone was talking about it. I saw it months after the fact, so I knew about the premise. The snot running down her nose was what bothered me the most but it really did scare me. I think this movie was WAY better than Paranormal Activity, which had about 10-15 minutes of actual scariness in it.
I saw it in the theatre and I knew it wasn't real, but it scared me anyway. But I'm easily scared by movies though...*L*
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