Happy almost-Halloween, Marylanders! This is the perfect time to watch the state's most famous horror movie -- the Blair Witch Project! This short but super-scary found footage film is packed with trivia that Marylanders and out-of-state fans alike will appreciate. Here are five fun facts.
1. The movie only took eight days to shoot
Though it took months to edit, the shooting itself only took a bit over a week. And the movie was shot on a budget of $60k, with the filmmakers saving money at every opportunity -- they even returned equipment to Circuit City for a refund. Despite the skimpy time and money budget, the movie went on to make almost $250 million.
2. The actors were genuinely scared for much of the filming
The actors agreed that the filmmakers were allowed to psychologically mess with them as the movie was made, but they didn't know exactly what was going to happen. They weren't expecting to be underfed, woken up in the middle of the night, or presented with creepy artifacts. This all made the actor's reactions even more chilling!
3. There isn't really a Blair witch...
To this day, many people believe that the events of the movie truly were based on historical events. Scaredy-cats, take a deep breath -- it was all made up. None of it -- not the missing children, the murdered men, or the witch -- is real. There are other witch legends in Maryland (such as that of Moll Dyer), but this one? Fake.
4. ...but the actors didn't know that!
The actors knew that they were making a scary movie, but they didn't realize that the mythology of the Blair Witch was completely invented just for the film. The people who they thought they were interviewing were planted by the filmmakers to help the movie seem more believable. One of them is actually the sister of director Eduardo Sanchez.
5. The movie scares even the best horror authors
According to IMBD, master of the macabre Stephen King got freaked out by the movie. His son brought it to him to watch while King was recovering from a bad car accident that nearly took his life, but King had to turn it off. Eventually, he finished the movie -- and continued creating creepy content.
