In 1999, The Blair Witch Project, one of the most famous and influential horror movies ever made, was released to the public. While certainly not the first “found footage” horror movie to ever exist, it certainly popularized the subgenre, paving the way for franchises such as the Paranormal Activity and Hell House LLC movies. But what makes The Blair Witch Project so special and how could it possibly have made over 4000 times its original budget of $60,000? After all, despite films like it being released prior, the film still managed to make people question whether or not it was real (my Mom, who worked at a library during its release, can remember a few times when she was asked if the movie was real). For these answers, we can turn to how the film was marketed…and how it could be arguably considered one of the greatest feats of selling ever accomplished.
After the film’s release at the Sundance Film Festival, Artisan Entertainment bought the distribution rights to it, setting out on a marketing campaign which enhanced the film’s “found footage” style. The campaign was inherently designed to make the general public question whether or not the footage the film showed was real or not. For example, movie trailers, which depicted shaky hand-held video, were released on the film’s promotional website. However, what really sold The Blair Witch Project was the interpersonal interactions that the marketing campaign fostered with the public. For example, at one point the interns of Artisan Entertainment were sent out to cafes and dance clubs to ask people about the alleged “Blair Witch”, even going so far as to give out realistic-looking “missing persons” posters of the film’s stars. Overall, the marketing campaign only cost $1.5 million dollars, which was nothing considering the $250 million gross profit that the film brought in worldwide.
While these selling tactics could come across to some as disingenuous, it could be argued that a film about paranormal spirits killing three filmmakers in the Maryland woods is obviously a work of fiction. Artisan Entertainment simply played into the pre-existing question of whether the film actually happened. In essence, they allowed the public’s curiosity to get the best of them, which is an age-old selling tactic. If that’s the case, what then, can we take away from this? When it comes to entertainment (among other industries) people like to have their curiosity peaked, they enjoy uncertainty and the unknown. Selling people on products and ideas requires them to to be intrigued, creating a desire for them to buy into it. The marketing for The Blair Witch Project is a perfect example of this, giving key insights into how curiosity and little bit of interpersonal interaction can go a long way when selling to potential customers.
Source: www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/movies/story/2024-07-30/the-blair-witch-project-marketing-25th-anniversary-1999-project
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