<i>Blair Witch</i> Hits Home Video
As horror film enthusiasts were preparing for the release of The Blair Witch Project on home video, employees at the Borders Books and Music store in York County, Pa., were setting up for a spooky midnight party in honor of the contemporary cult film.
But suddenly, a real-life nightmare confronted the storeÂ's owners. Other shops in the York area started selling the video in advance of the release date.
Artisan Entertainment, the Film Company that produced the low-budget summer success, had asked stores to start selling the film Friday. But when shipments came in on Tuesday, some video companies stocked the shelves early.
Borders employee Angela Hagner planned a midnight party of trivia, games and giveaways at the mega-bookstore in Springettsbury Township, but then Borders told her to start selling the video ahead of the release date.
Hagner's party went on, though. She invited customers to come out to the store early Friday morning to get copies of the low-budget horror film that drew big-buck ticket sales.
In other parts of the country, people are celebrating the video's release in different ways. One hiking group is charging $25 for a ghost hunt Friday evening in the hills of Burkettsville, Md., where the fictional story took place. Extra police patrols are planned for the area.
For more information on another independent film, The Omega Code, that is scoring big at movie theaters, read "Bibical Thriller Gets Big Bucks."
To learn more about The Blair Witch Project, check out CBS's coverage of the film's theater debut last summer:
"Blair Witch: Fact Or Fiction?"
"Blair Witch Can Cause Nausea"
"Town Haunted By Blair Witch Role"
"Reality Check On Blair Witch"