In many ways, it seems Blair is ushering in a revival of more serious, sophisticated and super-naturally-themed horror films. Titles released between now and the millennium include tales of demonic possession (Stigmata, Lost Souls), apocalyptic fury (End of Days) and otherworldly forces (The Haunting, Sleepy Hollow, Stir of Echoes, and The Ninth Gate, the latter two of which are also being released by Artisan.) These films also bear resemblance to earlier horror classics which Blair's filmmakers site as inspirations.

"Things like The Shining, The Omen, The Exorcist, The Amityville Horror," recalls Sanchez, listing some of his favorites. "It seemed at that time horror films were coming at you from a different direction. It was pre-slasher, and it was more about what was going on around the characters than what was actually happening to the characters. I think that's a lot scarier than anybody with a ski-mask coming after them."

"There are a lot of movies that I look back on now as cheesy as hell," continues Myrick. "But they invoked a feeling in me as a little kid, and I think it was about being a little kid. The boogeyman under the bed is a primal fear that everybody has experienced. Blair was trying to get into that. The format in which we chose to do that [involved] not knowing what the boogeyman looked like, because there was no way we could give you anything that would have been better than what was in your own mind."

What was in the audience's own mind often led to some rather extreme reactions. "We heard about this one girl," relates Myrick, "who went to one of our earlier screenings in Orlando, and she painted a cross on her forehead so she would be able to go to sleep. And I got a note from the actual historian in Burkittsville, telling me, 'Hey, you guys and this whole Blair Witch thing -- none of that took place out in Burkittsville!' It's like, relax, it's just a movie, ya know?" For one moviegoer, Blair Witch even outdid the terror of Jar Jar Binks. "Another guy said he took his son to see The Phantom Menace and our trailer was in front of it and he couldn't get the kid to sleep at night. He saw the trailer!" exclaims Sanchez. "You know," he adds, "young kids should definitely not see this film."

However, Sanchez does feel that his self-described "home movie of three people going to hell" can be easily experienced by any older viewer, despite its unconventional format. "As long as they go in without a preconception of seeing a Scream or a dolly move or a well-lit shot. As long as you don't go in there expecting a normal film, I think you can get through it," he believes. "Everybody is used to watching Cops and America's Funniest Home Videos and their own home movies, and they can get into this. They can get into the whole convention that it's a home movie. I think if you can get into that, you can be any age," Sanchez concludes. "As long as you have an imagination, really. As long as you can still freak yourself out."

The 11th Hour would like to extend our thanks to Eduardo Sanchez and Daniel Myrick for participating in this interview, as well as express our gratitude to Paul Campbell of Artisan Entertainment for his assistance in arranging it.