Imagine making one of the most successful horror films of all time, but neither adequate financial recognition nor career opportunities follow. Three genre stars are fighting back against this
The found footage hit Blair Witch Project from 1999 is one of the most financially successful independent films of all time. With an original budget of just 35,000 US dollars (before marketing and rights sales), the spooky horror camping trip set the box office ringing to the tune of no less than 248 million. As if real witchcraft had been involved.
This was followed by two very different sequels, Blair Witch 2: Book of Shadows and Blair Witch, which were unable to build on the success either financially or critically. And while Lionsgate is already planning the reboot with horror company Blumhouse, the three film stars of the original are currently fighting for recognition, as Slash Film reports. They feel painfully ignored
Horror stars want a piece of the sweet witch’s house
Rei Hance (formerly known as Heather Donahue), Joshua Leonard and Michael C. Williams are probably not names you could pull off the cuff. They were the fictionalized documentary team from Blair Witch Project that the effective marketing for the film claimed actually went missing.
For eight days, they struggled through the woods in rural Maryland, more or less alone, for the shoot. For the most part, they improvised their dialog, took over the camera work and reacted surprisingly authentically to all kinds of witchcraft that the directors Daniel Myrick and Eduardo Sánchez subjected them to at night
(Rei Hance in Blair Witch Project)
Since the film was not a union production, they were fobbed off with a 300,000 dollar fee/buyout each and enjoyed no stake in the film’s success. In their 20s, that seemed like a lot of money. Now, however, they are “greyer, grumpier, wiser and much less fearful of standing up for their own rights and those who find themselves in similar compromised/exploitative situations due to a dehumanizing system.”
This is how Leonard describes it in his Facebook post, which is directed as an appeal to those responsible at Lionsgate. The directors and producers of the original film also have their say there.
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What do the former Blair Witch stars want?
Possibly inspired by the successful labor dispute of the 2023 Hollywood strike, Hance, Leonard and Williams are demanding that Lionsgate pay them the past and future royalties they would have received under a proper union contract. Additionally, they want to be consulted and involved in upcoming Blair Witch projects as appropriate. Furthermore, they would like a Blair Witch grant to support a newcomer film project with 60,000 dollars annually.
The supporting statement from the original filmmakers reads:
As we approach the 25th anniversary of Blair Witch Project, our pride in the storyworld we created is validated by the recent announcement of a reboot by horror icons Jason Blum and James Wan. While we, the filmmakers of the original, respect Lionsgate’s right to monetize their intellectual property as they see fit, we must highlight the significant contributions of the original cast. […] We celebrate the legacy of our film and equally believe that actors deserve to be celebrated for their enduring connection to the franchise.
Given the film’s success factor, 300,000 dollars is a comparatively low fee. However, many fans will doubt that Lionsgate will be tempted to pay further money to the former horror stars out of retroactive appreciation. It is not known whether the trio have already exhausted their legal options.
