Show Notes
Venture into the depths of the Black Hills Forest as both directors of “The Blair Witch Project”, Dan Myrick and Ed Sanchez, join us on this episode of Talks From The Crypt to uncover the secrets behind one of the world’s most influential horror films of all time.
Hear exclusive behind-the-scenes stories that turned a low-budget indie film into a global phenomenon.From its inception to the legacy it left behind, learn about the creative process that brought worldwide attention to an entirely ‘new’ subgenre of horror: found footage. Explore the threads that link "The Blair Witch Project" to other iconic films, including "Cannibal Holocaust", “Faces of Death”, “Man Bites Dog” "Paranormal Activity", and "Cloverfield".
Go beyond Blair Witch as we touch upon their inspirations from classics like “The Omen”, “Jacob’s Ladder”, “The Shining”, and “Amityville Horror”. At the end of the episode, Dan and Ed respond to the world's most controversial myths and rumors that have entangled the film for 24 years.
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Ed Sanchez – https://instagram.com/sanchezonthemic / https://haxan.com
Dan Myrick – https://instagram.com/dan_myrick / https://gangofrobots.com
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CHAPTERS:
00:00 – Teaser 00:17 – Introduction 00:58 – Dan and Eduardo's Reunion 01:51 – Discussing "The Blair Witch Project" After 24 Years 03:22 – Blair Witch's Popularity & Impact 05:27 – Trailblazing Viral Marketing: “Paranormal Activity” & ”Skinamarink” 06:53 – Internet's Early Days: Misinformation and New Standards 09:22 – Found Footage Pioneers: "Cannibal Holocaust", "Man Bites Dog", "Faces of Death" 13:01 – Coming Up With ”The Blair Witch Project” – One Idea Started It All 15:44 – The State of Collaboration in Film Industry 18:28 – Why Ed & Dan Stopped Collaborating After Blair Witch 23:07 – Dan and Ed's Individual Contributions to Blair Witch 25:32 – Future Collaborations Between Dan and Ed? 27:15 – Reflecting on Their Working Relationship 28:40 – Casting and Selling Fiction as Reality: How They Convinced the World That Heather, Mike, and Josh Were Dead & The Casting Process 32:23 – Doubts Surrounding ”The Blair Witch Project’s” Success 34:36 – The First Screening: Sundance 1999 37:15 – The Moment They Realized “The Blair Witch Project” Redefined Horror 41:09 – Selling the Blair Witch IP: Any Regrets or Creative Control? 43:00 – Satisfaction with Selling the IP to Artisan 45:15 – Blurring the Lines Between Fiction and Reality: Influence on True Crime 49:07 – Could ”The Blair Witch Project” Be Pulled Off Today? 51:50 – Thoughts on Later Found Footage Films: ”Paranormal Activity”, ”Cloverfield” 53:04 – Favorite Horror Subgenres and Films: “The Omen”, “The Shining”, ”It’s Alive”, ”Amityville Horror” 56:57 – Dan & Ed's Current Projects 1:00:37 – The Challenges of Indie Filmmaking 1:02:27 – FACT OR FICTION - Dan and Ed respond to the world's most controversial myths and rumors surrounding ”The Blair Witch Project” (Crypt Notes) 1:02:54 – Crypt Note 1 – Alternate Endings & Fate of the Characters Explained 1:04:50 – Crypt Note 1b– Insight into the Film's Original Cut: ”The Blair Witch Project” Ending Explained 1:08:41 – Crypt Note 2 – The Bundle of Sticks Contained Actual Human Teeth and Hair 1:09:26 – Crypt Note 3 – An 'Actual Witch' is Seen In The Movie 1:12:34 – Crypt Note 4 – Heather Donahue’s Mother Received sympathy Cards from people who believed her daughter was actually dead or missing 1:12:50 – Crypt Note 5 – The actors were given less and less food each day of shooting to promote discord between them on-set 1:14:20 – Crypt Note 6 – One of the cameras was bought at Circuit City and was returned after shooting wrapped 1:15:08 – Crypt Note 7 – The safety word on-set was "Taco" 1:17:50 – Crypt Note 8 – The Blair Witch Project is a snuff film, Mike and Josh lured Heather into the woods to murder her 1:18:5
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