'Sex and the City' opens to surprising $55.7 million Jun 2, 2008
"Neither did copycats of The Blair Witch Project. Getting that lightning in a bottle again isn't easy.". The film played to sold-out theaters in New York and Los Angeles, and Warner Bros. (USA Today)
Blair Witch Producer Robin Cowie May 17, 2008
When we formed Haxam films, one of the first ways that we marketed The Blair Witch Project was online, which, in addition to the Web consulting that I was doing, got me hooked. During my hiatus from Haxam, I took this know-how and interest to Worldwide Brands, helping to propel it forward. (Suite101.com)
Foolish Fiction Writer Launches Serialized Blog Novel Two Years After The Novel Was Rejected by Publishers May 16, 2008
Over the course of a few years, Cruz Coleman worked on a documentary film about with Ed Sanchez, co-director of The Blair Witch Project ... The Blair Witch Project. (Yahoo News -- Press Releases)
Lizzy Caplan and Jessica Lucas in 'Cloverfield' Apr 22, 2008
More, the film was hindered by overblown comparisons to "The Blair Witch Project," specifically regarding the shaky visuals' effects on intestinal fortitude. With its conversion to DVD (and, more specifically, the smaller venue of home television), "Cloverfield" loses much of its ability to churn sensitive stomachs. (Zap2it.com)
How 'Godzilla' led to one of year's biggest hits Apr 22, 2008
What they hit on was a refreshing mix of monster mayhem and the amateur-video style of "The Blair Witch Project" as a Manhattan farewell party for a friend being recorded on a hand-held digital camera becomes an impromptu documentary of the gargantuan's rampage. Don't Miss. (CNN -- Showbiz)
Baby face surfs into Big Apple Apr 14, 2008
In the movie, directed by Daniel Myrick, a co-creator of The Blair Witch Project, Prewett, 37, plays an Australian sniper attached to an American military unit in Afghanistan. The producers of The Objective believe he is the first actor to be cast by internet for a major film role. (Sydney Morning Herald)
Rapper Goes to Jail : 50 Cent feels Spectacular Regret in prison.... Apr 9, 2008
Joshua Leonard, who horror fans will remember as one of the cameraman stars of The Blair Witch Project, will write and direct the independently financed film. - John Shearer/WireImage. (IGN FilmForce)
Static Over Clear Channel and Mitt Romney Mar 28, 2008
Bain Capital has invested in many successful companies, including the Staples office-supply chain, Home Depot, Toys R Us, Burger King, Dominos Pizza and even Artisan Entertainment, producers of the low-cost, highly-profitable independent movie The Blair Witch Project. . (Newsmax)
How creepy do you want it? The famously eerie tale of nine dead Russian... Feb 28, 2008
How creepy do you want it. The famously eerie tale of nine dead Russian hikers, with all the bizarre details you can handle. (San Francisco Chronicle -- Sports)
Ignore This Zombie's Friend Request Feb 17, 2008
Unlike The Blair Witch Project or , Diary of the Dead doesn't worry too much about the verisimilitude of its found-footage conceit. Who cares how Debra got her hands on the security-camera tapes that show us some of the movie's more imaginative deaths. (Slate)
The Greats of Roth Feb 16, 2008
and on February 27th and 28th, pairs The Blair Witch Project with Cannibal Holocaust and Cannibal Ferox. Additionally, Roth talks about the value of revival houses (), and explains how films like those in his festival inspire him when he works on his own projects. (IGN FilmForce)
The Spiderwick Chronicles Feb 15, 2008
For example, Cloverfield is Godzilla meets The Blair Witch Project and Fool's Gold is How To Lose A Guy in 10 Days meets National Treasure. By that same token, The Spiderwick Chronicles is a sanitized version of Evil Dead 2 meets Gremlins -- a scrappy and sometimes scary supernatural tale that features a dangerous book and some even more dangerous critters who will stop at nothing to get it. (IGN FilmForce)
George A. Romero's Diary of the Dead Feb 15, 2008
Both, following The Blair Witch Project, purport to be stitched together from amateur video footage shot by college-aged kids in the midst of an inexplicable calamity. But the differences are important. (Globe and Mail -- Entertainment)
Zombies hit YouTube era in Diary of the Dead Feb 15, 2008
As in The Blair Witch Project and Cloverfield, which employed a similarly visceral first-person point of view and jittery, hand-held camerawork, its all a matter of perspective. 2008 The Associated Press. (MSNBC -- Movies)
What the hell?| Feb 14, 2008
It's what 'The Blair Witch Project' was trying to do. The sense of disorientation is only heightened by a screenplay devoid of the usual monster movie conventions: the scientist who understands the being; the military leader who figures out its weakness; the president who offers the words of reassurance. (iAfrica.com)
Win a 'Cloverfield' DVD camera! Feb 14, 2008
It's 'Godzilla' meets 'The Blair Witch Project. It's 'Cloverfield. (iAfrica.com)
Lights, camera, action! Baltimore a top city to make a movie Feb 14, 2008
Previous films made in and around Baltimore include: "The Accidental Tourist," "The Blair Witch Project," "Diner" and "Hairspray.". Austin, Texas, ranked first on the list. (Baltimore Business Journal, MD)
New film a 'Dead' ringer for early Romero Feb 10, 2008
" The friend first points a video camera at the man, then a gun. Romero's latest zombie film uses the handheld, subjective camera approach as "The Blair Witch Project" and "Cloverfield. " Calling into question the morals of whoever is filming, it makes the case that YouTube and MySpace are as frightening as walking dead. "If Hitler were alive today, he wouldn't have to stand out in that square. (Athens Banner-Herald)
George Romero back to basics Feb 9, 2008
Romero's latest zombie film uses the same handheld, subjective camera approach as "The Blair Witch Project" and "Cloverfield." Calling into question the morals and motives of whoever is filming, it makes the case that YouTube and MySpace are as frightening as walking dead. "If Hitler were alive today, he wouldn't have to stand out in that square. He could just put out a blog and he'd have millions of followers," Romero told The Associated Press in an interview. (AZCentral -- Entertainment)
Cloverfield Review Feb 8, 2008
The structure of the film is limited exclusively to the perspective of Hud's camera, which qualifies Cloverfield as a monster-movie descendant of The Blair Witch Project. Or, depending on how you look at it, a documentary version of last fall's The Mist. (IGN FilmForce)
Zombie king George Romero offers up Diary Feb 7, 2008
Romeros latest zombie film uses the same handheld, subjective camera approach as The Blair Witch Project and Cloverfield. Calling into question the morals and motives of whoever is filming, it makes the case that YouTube and MySpace are as frightening as walking dead. (MSNBC -- News)
Filmmaker gets back into frame Feb 1, 2008
A long-time director with four low-budget feature films to his credit, Fahey has been working as an intellectual property lawyer since an unhappy experience with the little-seen 2001 horror pic Cubbyhouse, starring Joshua Leonard, from The Blair Witch Project, and Craig McLachlan, left him disenchanted with filmmaking. "It was a very difficult process," Fahey said. (Sydney Morning Herald -- Entertainment)
‘Cloverfield’: A monster is loose in Manhattan Jan 31, 2008
While this picture actually looks a lot better, it is reminiscent of the same technique used in The Blair Witch Project. Being barraged with unsteady shots will surely induce queasiness in some moviegoers, but the overall effect is a good devise for delivering an angst-infused fantasy. (Lompoc Record, CA)
Film: J. J. Abrams' Cloverfield Jan 28, 2008
Foregoing traditional film making techniques, it brings back memories of the Blair Witch Project, with its camcorder quality scenes. From the get-go, it has the feel of a bad Youtube video making it on the big screen; poor camera control, phenomenally poor AV, and a dizzying array of camera angles to make for a more realistic home recording. (Suite101.com)
Sundance win for immigrant film Jan 28, 2008
Little Miss Sunshine, The Blair Witch Project and Reservoir Dogs are among the films that have used Sundance as a springboard to success. Bookmark with. (BBC News -- Entertainment)
Monster Movie Making People Sick Jan 26, 2008
Harry Smith speaks with otolaryngologist Dr. Michael Stewart about how shaky camera work in films like "The Blair Witch Project" and the newly-released "Cloverfield" can cause motion sickness ... Another movie a few years ago, "The Blair Witch Project," had a similar affect on people, Smith pointed out. (CBS News -- Early Show)
A 'Godzilla' For Modern Times Jan 25, 2008
As many have noted, its sort of The Blair Witch Project meets Godzilla ... The technique is less plausible than in The Blair Witch Project but believable enough for you to want to shout, Turn off the dang camera and run ... As many have noted, its sort of The Blair Witch Project meets Godzilla. (Townhall.com)
MEDIA-MEMORY MISTAKE Jan 24, 2008
At just the moment you thought The Blair Witch Project was safely forgotten, that its perpetrators were now employed as Wal-Mart greeters and all the sheep who fell for that hoax back in 1999 had vacated the premises or moved on to Inland Empire along comes Cloverfield s new video skullduggery. (Too bad Frank Darabont didn t use video technology for his more credible 9/11 thriller, The Mist. (New York Press)
Lewis: The ACTION 5! Jan 24, 2008
Your Connection to the. Web Search powered by YAHOO. (Athens Banner-Herald)
Beyond the motion sickness, 'Cloverfield' is monstrous fun Jan 23, 2008
Anyone who hated the camerawork of "The Blair Witch Project" can go ahead and sit this one out. "Cloverfield" takes the cinematic concept of horror from the characters' perspective and applies it to the monster-movie genre. (The Daily Lobo, NM)
Cloverfield: AU Review Jan 22, 2008
But if you found the Blair Witch Project an exercise in nausea, be warned; Cloverfield ups the ante in the shaky-cam stakes. Yet the cinematography is artfully done. (IGN FilmForce)
Small Film Becomes Monster Hit, Leads Box Office Jan 22, 2008
Media By Numbers reported Monday that the film may be the biggest Internet-driven movie release since "The Blair Witch Project" in 1999. With TV programming largely stuck in reality mode or reruns, Americans flocked to the movie theaters this weekend, buying an estimated $135 million in tickets, up 39 percent from last year. (NBC4.tv, CA)
When Monsters Attack Pretty People Jan 22, 2008
It's The Blair Witch Project all over again, complete with the logic holes (at what point does recording your life become more important than running for it. and Handycam-induced nausea. (Slate)
Cloverfield --- reviewed by Craig the Movie Geek! Jan 22, 2008
Turns out it's sort of a cross between Godzilla and The Blair Witch Project --- with imagery that really bring back to mind the September 11th attack footage that is ingrained in our minds. It's all shot from the POV of of the people that are right in the thick of it. (650 CKOM News Talk Radio)
'Cloverfield' a box-office monster Jan 21, 2008
Yes, that's sort of like The Blair Witch Project - and like that movie, the herky-jerky camera movement can make you seasick if you're prone to that kind of thing. But with its echoes of the 9/11 attacks and non-stop intensity, Cloverfield is both plenty scary and a heck of a lot of fun. (AZCentral -- Entertainment)
Jessica Lucas poised for monster breakthrough Jan 21, 2008
But better than a mere thrill-ride, the movie shot in an intimate, jumpy hand-held style reminiscent of The Blair Witch Project also gives Lucas a chance to display some acting chops in a film in which character development holds its own against a rampaging, scene-wrecking special-effects monster. The first 20 minutes or so of the film set the stage with a raucous send-off for Rob, who's headed off to Japan despite unresolved feelings for Beth (Odette Yustman), who shows up at the party... (Toronto Star)
Hollywood decamps to Sundance Jan 21, 2008
----------------- ----------------- RELATED BBC SITES. Last Updated: Sunday, 20 January 2008, 13:43 GMT. (BBC News -- Entertainment)
Monsters, updated Jan 19, 2008
The latest creature attack, a video cam and cellphone saga with the unlikely title of Cloverfield, looks at the end of civilization as seen through the lens of a disorienting hand-held camera, like Armageddon crossed with The Blair Witch Project. The brain child of producer J.J. Abrams (Lost) and director Matt Reeves (numerous Felicity episodes), Cloverfield begins in a Lower Manhattan loft, where Rob Hawkins (Michael Stahl-David) is on the receiving end of a surprise going-away party, just... (The Palm Beach Post)
Creating monster buzz Jan 19, 2008
The movie's Web presence obviously calls to mind past viral-minded tizzies for films from The Blair Witch Project to A.I.: Artificial Intelligence to Snakes on a Plane. What seems different about the Cloverfield campaign, though, is that it's not simply a marketing push; it's also a work of sprawling, multimedia storytelling, with the movie just one component of the narrative. (San Diego Union-Tribune)
Spoiler alert: 'Cloverfield' lives up to the hype Jan 18, 2008
The math is preposterously easy, actually: "Cloverfield" equals "Godzilla" divided by "The Blair Witch Project." (And if you want to know nothing more before buying a ticket, stop reading right now. Told solely from the point of view of one digital video camera wielded by one young guy named Hud (T.J. Miller), the film records scenes from a seven-hour attack on Manhattan by a Giant Thing. (Boston Globe)
'Cloverfield' delivers monster thrills, chills Jan 18, 2008
Think Godzilla meets The Blair Witch Project, with a Gen Y Big Chill element thrown in. Then add homages to Alien, Independence Day and War of the Worlds. (USA Today -- Life)
Inside CloverfieldDoes the film surrounded by secrecy live up to its hype? Jan 18, 2008
What followed was a media blackout on details about the film, together with a viral marketing campaign not seen since horror film The Blair Witch Project was released in 1999 ... Considered to be the pioneer of viral marketing, The Blair Witch Project cost just under 13,000 to make but raked in more than 125m worldwide. (BBC News -- Entertainment)
Chicago actor scares up starring role in `Cloverfield' Jan 18, 2008
"The film -- destined to evoke memories of Sept. 11 -- owe debts to "The Blair Witch Project," the "Godzilla" franchise and savvy marketing. "Lost" creator-turned-producer J.J. Abrams hitched a grainy trailer to "Transformers" last year that show Lady Liberty's head rolling down a street. A cyber-campaign followed.The monster -- which is "big, terrifying and fast" -- was added digitally to fleeing-mob scenes. For the infamous trailer, the F/X team fired "a tiny little rocket on a string" down... (Munster Times, IN)
Review: 'Cloverfield' a shaky look at monster attacking New York Jan 18, 2008
The first thing you need to get used to in "Cloverfield" is the potentially nausea-inducing shaky camera work, which makes "The Blair Witch Project" look like the latest Ken Burns documentary. Audiences will have to make other concessions, too. (San Francisco Chronicle)
Cloverfield: Cover your eyes, hold your stomach Jan 18, 2008
Cloverfield wants to be The Blair Witch Project, from the appetite-whetting teaser that debuted before Transformers to the intriguingly vague title to the documentary-style filmmaking and the super hush-hush marketing campaign. But it wants to be Blair Witch with special effects. (Seacoast New Hampshire)
Pass it on: Examples in viral marketing Jan 18, 2008
"The Blair Witch Project" (1996). Blairwitch. (Daily Orange, NY)
First, we flee manhattan Jan 18, 2008
Much like The Blair Witch Project with its hand-held Camcorder style, this thriller from J.J. Abrams (Mission Impossible 3) and longtime creative partner Matt Reeves is in perpetual motion, both visually and structurally. Its side effects include headache, nausea, anxiety and stomach ache -- so maybe don't order a bucket of KFC beforehand -- but it's worth it, in an adrenaline-pumping, masochistic way. (National Post)
Apocalypse New Jan 18, 2008
" And what fears are we currently bottling up? In one of the great ironies of 21st century culture to date, the U.S. has now imported the Japanese monster moviecreated in response to their fear of usas a way of dealing with our own fears, starting with the attacks of Sept. 11. The result is Cloverfield. The movie is shot in the same shaky-cam, amateur-video style as The Blair Witch Project, and like Blair Witch, it has a star-free cast. The film purports to be a record of what happens to a... (Time.com)
Monster 9/11 Diss? Jan 17, 2008
If you don t read anything into it, this slightly plotted edge-of-the-seat nail-biter is a good big studio take on "The Blair Witch Project." It s the perfect winter doldrums popcorn fest. The clever aspect of Reeves film is that it s all shot with a handheld camera that s supposed to be the camcorder belonging to one of the main characters. (Fox News)
'Cloverfield' Jan 17, 2008
Cloverfield owes an obvious debt to both Godzilla and The Blair Witch Project. Like the former, it's a full-on monster movie, with giant creatures terrorizing a city (in this case, New York). (AZCentral -- Entertainment)
GRIDSCHLOCK ALERT Jan 17, 2008
As The Blair Witch Project" meets Godzilla" meets the Banana Republic catalog, I'm not sure who suffered more: the characters or me. They: are being terrorized by a giant monster roaring through Manhattan who's destroying buildings, knocking down bridges and playing shot put with the Statue of Liberty's head. (New York Post -- Entertainment)
Cloverfield: Godzilla Goes 9/11 Jan 17, 2008
The movie is basically the 1954 Godzilla (itself a gloss on Ray Harryhausen's 1953 The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms, in which a prehistoric beast is roused by atomic tests to terrorize New York City) told in the style of, and with the characters from, The Blair Witch Project (but with a lot less internal cohesion; this could be called "The Blair Witch Reject"). The State of Liberty head comes from the poster for John Carpenter's Escape from New York (though that shot is not in the film). (Time.com)
'Cloverfield's' monster concept Jan 16, 2008
Hastily posted on the Internet, the trailer was soon being dissected with a fever perhaps not seen since the landmark buildup to 1999's "The Blair Witch Project," as fans began concocting wild theories about what caused the destruction (a humongous monster), what happens (it goes ballistic on Manhattan) and how much would viewers ultimately get to see (plenty). But the surprise and secrecy were one component of the inventive film, which opens Friday. (Los Angeles Times)
'Cloverfield' marketing is as mysterious as its subject Jan 13, 2008
Viral campaigns have also come a long way since "The Blair Witch Project," which famously used the Web to catapult the low-budget indie film into a $248 million blockbuster, in 1999. In addition to "Cloverfield," "The Dark Knight," director Christopher Nolan's "Batman Begins" sequel out this July, is also using a highly complex campaign, designed by alternate reality game (ARG) pros 42 Entertainment. (Boston Globe)
Mystery movie makes marketing history Jan 13, 2008
" The first posters of the film contained an image of a headless Statue of Liberty and the release date in small print, with no details, not even the names of stars. Since then, Australian users have logged on to 3000 different website forums about the film. When the final trailer for Cloverfield was posted onto Australian YouTube late last year, the site was inundated with visitors. It has since been viewed by more than 500,000 people. The success of Cloverfield's marketing campaign has... (Sydney Morning Herald)
Coming to a screen near you Jan 2, 2008
And, like the Blair Witch Project, The Beast and Snakes on a Plane, it seems to be paying off. The internet is abuzz with growing rumour, conjecture and speculation. (Sydney Morning Herald -- Technology)
Star Trek XI tops list of geek movies to watch in 2008 Dec 19, 2007
"The Blair Witch Project was another movie that used this style of filmmaking and that was a movie I thoroughly enjoyed." ... "The Blair Witch Project was another movie that used this style of filmmaking and that was a movie I thoroughly enjoyed.". (SearchOracle.com)
Strike thickens the plot at Sundance Dec 15, 2007
(Past breakouts include the 2004 films "Napoleon Dynamite" and "Garden State" and 1999's "The Blair Witch Project.") Mr. Gilmore says, "There wasn't anyone at last year's festival who was talking about Once' or Waitress' before the festival started." Indeed, much of the so-called buzz is generated by the folks hoping to sell their movies at Sundance, so filtering out the truly good films and the ones that will land distributors is tricky. "The Little Miss Sunshines' are rarities, and it will... (AZCentral -- Business)
Review: Wisecracking teen gets pregnant in 'Juno' Dec 15, 2007
She and her best friend, Bleeker (the gifted Michael Cera of "Superbad" and TV's "Arrested Development"), planned to watch TV one night because "The Blair Witch Project" was going to be on and they hadn't seen it since it came out. But instead, they had sex. (San Francisco Chronicle)
Batman Viral-Marketing Mysteries, Dewey Cox Tighty-Whities Have Us Stoked For New Flicks Nov 29, 2007
In the near-decade since "The Blair Witch Project" changed the rules of movie promotion, lines between the silver screen and the simple life have become increasingly blurred. Phony Web sites, interactive games, movie props and mysteries now appear wherever a potential moviegoer might be. (VHI.com -- Music News)
The Daily Break Nov 5, 2007
- The Blair Witch Project: Movies that really suck can make a lot of money if properly marketed. - White Chicks: The Wayans Brothers are not funny. (Daily Iowan, IA)
Full Story... Nov 2, 2007
Nervous kids, teens and adults entered the maze of frightening rooms, traversed through graveyards, a haunted forest resembling that in The Blair Witch Project, a room full of real body bags hanging from the ceiling and even a polka dot room with a hidden surprise. Sections of walls dropped down with a loud crash as people appeared behind. (Albert Lea Tribune, MN)
Holloween Horror Film Guide Oct 23, 2007
The Blair Witch Project worked so well because it was about people hopelessly lost in the woods. Sure, the shaky, documentary feel added a layer of realistic spookiness, but this was only a little lacquer on top of a solid structure that made it really shine. (Suite101.com)
"1-18-08," Monster-sized hype surrounds mysterious untitled movie trailer Oct 5, 2007
So maybe it will be something like "The Blair Witch Project" (but hopefully better) ... "While it looks like the Blair Witch Project, it will have much more of a payoff," said Robert Thompson, director of the Bleier Center for Television and Popular Culture. (Daily Orange, NY)
Top 10 scary movies Oct 4, 2007
"The Blair Witch Project" (1999) - I don't care how stupid you think it is, it's still scary. The second-best psychological frightfest. (The Palm Beach Post)
