Word: witching
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Dates: during 1990-1999
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...occasionally throw a scare into an audience. The ravenous extraterrestrial in Alien. Jack Nicholson going bonkers in The Shining. The thought of a sequel to Big Daddy. But the scariest cinematic moments, for the most part, have come courtesy of low-budget independent films that, like The Blair Witch Project, arrive unheralded from outside the Hollywood mainstream to chill us with their grungy lack of artistry. These films disorient moviegoers by removing the usual Hollywood guideposts that subtly reassure us it's only a movie: recognizable stars, slick production values and a respect for ordinary dramatic conventions--like the triumph...
...problem with renegade horror, of course, is that it quickly gets domesticated and respectable. Directors such as Hooper and Raimi went on to big budgets and big stars. Horror villains such as Michael Myers and Freddy Krueger became kids' Halloween costumes. The Blair Witch will undoubtedly reappear in a sequel. But nothing will match those first bone-chilling, totally unexpected nights in the woods...
...blockbuster falls in the woods, does anybody hear it? When movie buyers first saw The Blair Witch Project at January's Sundance Film Festival, the silence from bidders was deafening. Some bored viewers even walked out during the premiere; others were too afraid to walk home afterward. The acquisitions team of independent studio Artisan Entertainment also felt divided, but figured the cheapo horror flick had at least enough potential to justify an offer of $1.1 million for worldwide rights. With U.S. box office now climbing toward $100 million, it may have been the smartest deal since Peter Minuit bought Manhattan...
...though, Artisan is basking in its good fortune with Blair Witch. Its executives plan to meet with the filmmakers this week to discuss sequels and prequels. The film's success has even earned Artisan higher visibility on Wall Street, where there's been talk of an IPO or debt offering. In at least one way, however, Artisan does hope to emulate its chief indie rival, Miramax. "In five years' time," says Block, "we certainly want to win an Academy Award for Best Picture." Blair Witch in Love, anyone...
...Heather, there is a Burkittsville, Maryland. It's a lovely little town of some 200 souls, whose old homes, festooned with flowers and flags, make Mayberry look like Milwaukee. The good folks of Burkittsville can even handle a media frenzy, seeing as all those Blair Witch doings supposedly took place here. "I don't mind," says postmaster Larry Ott of the strangers dropping in to snap photos and buy postcards. "It takes the boredom...