The Blair Witch Project

Imagine, for a moment, that it is 1999. Amidst the vibrant movie culture of the age, films were investing more and more energy into special effects, music, actors... the average film cost about 53 million dollars by 1998, and many films far exceeded that, easily costing a hundred million dollars or more.

In the midst of this, there comes a new horror movie with a budget of 200,000-750,000 dollars— an order of magnitude smaller than other films.

The Blair Witch Project revolutionized horror with "found footage" style filming. The immersive experience led to many people questioning whether it was real or fake. Actors in the movie, in the promotional viewing, were listed as either "missing" or "deceased" in accordance with the characters of the movie. It grossed nearly 250 million dollars in the box office, rendering it one of the most successful independent films, and ranked 41st in the most successful horror movie of all time. The Blair Witch Project was proof that movies didn't need an exorbitant budget in order to be successful.

The Blair Witch Project revolutionized horror and blurred the lines between reality and fiction, and for that reason, it changed the movie industry forever.