Nine years after the low-cost horror
film "The Blair Witch Project" became a hugely profitable cult
phenomenon, its co-director hopes to recapture some of that
excitement with his new thriller, "The Objective."
"I want people to appreciate "Blair Witch" for what it was
but at the same time give whatever else I do at least a
fighting chance and say, 'OK, this guy can do more than just
one movie, he can do more than just Blair Witch,"' Daniel
Myrick, told Reuters in a recent interview.
"The Objective," which tells the story of a CIA officer and
special forces crew on a mission in the Afghanistan mountains
confronted by supernatural threats, premiered at New York's
Tribeca Film festival and is seeking a distributor.
In some ways, it mirrors "Blair Witch," including the
general narrative of a team of characters lost and forced to
deal with the unknown, as well as using "first-person" filming
techniques to add to suspense, said Myrick, 44.
"It's similar in that you have a group of people in a
situation they don't quite understand," he said. "It's a kind
of a ghost story, psychological thriller."
But he said "The Objective," shot in Morocco, was "a more
cinematic film in a lot of ways, traditionally, than 'Blair
Witch,"' which deliberately used shaky, amateur footage to tell
the story of three young filmmakers lost in the woods where
they were terrorized by an unseen presence.
While "The Objective" cost less than $5 million to make,
modest by Hollywood standards, its budget was considerably
higher than the $35,000 and credit cards used to finance "The
Blair Witch Project," which went on to make $250 million
worldwide.
After his 1999 success, Myrick turned down offers to make
the sequel and direct other thrillers. Several of his projects
were released straight to video.
"I am in no rush to make that big Hollywood movie and give
up that control and make something I am not proud of," he said,
adding he preferred to make independent films that usually
guarantee more creative control.
"Unfortunately, for better or worse, those films tend to be
a little more risky and a tough sell to Hollywood at times," he
said.
While the word about "Blair Witch" spread through an
innovative Internet marketing strategy, "The Objective" gained
buzz for using online Web auditions and casting an actor from
Australia straight from his online audition.
Myrick said he was hopeful the buzz would produce big
audiences.
At least one early reviewer was not so hopeful. "This
supernatural thriller is unlikely to achieve the phenomenal
success of its fabled predecessor," Variety said in its review.
(Editing by Michelle Nichols and Peter Cooney)
In Theaters 
