By Leigh Evans
Artisan Entertainment was considered one of the biggest mini-major film studios around. That is, until they went defunct and were swallowed up by Lions Gate Entertainment… So goes the film industry. During their heyday, the studio gave us great films including Requiem For A Dream (2000), Novacaine (2001), National Lampoon’s Van Wilder (2002), and of course The Blair Witch Project (1999).
The sleepy little point-of-view horror film created a pop culture phenomena when it premiered in January of 1999. Aided by the newly emerging form of viral marketing, The Blair Witch Project made Artisan and the films’ creators (Daniel Myrick and Eduardo Sanchez) at Haxan Films $250 million dollars at the box office. Not bad, considering the films budget was a lean $60,000! A sequel would have been the obvious choice right?
In December of 1999, only ten months after the first film, Artisan Entertainment began planning Blair Witch 2. Haxan didn’t share the enthusiasm and had cold feet on moving forward with a follow up, so Artisan did what any money-craving film studio would do – they moved on without Haxan. Joe Berlinger (Paradise Lost: The Child Murders at Robin Hood Hills) was brought on board to direct and the world received Book Of Shadows: Blair Witch 2 on October 27th, 2000.
The film received mostly negative reviews and you wont find it on any best-of lists. That’s why Night Of The Horrorphile is taking it out of the woods and brushing it off for episode 17 this Friday. Book Of Shadows deserves a second view, especially now that fall is upon us. I’ve always considered it the pumpkin spice latte of horror films – always great on a cold autumn night.
Thanks for reading! Be sure to check out Night of the Horrorphile’s new episode on Book of Shadows: Blair Witch 2, dropping September 20th, 2019. If you like what you’ve read, please share out with your horror podcast loving friends! Follow us on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram! If you would like to write for us just send us a private message or DM on social media. Stay creepy!
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