The stars of the iconic 1999 horror film The Blair Witch Project spoke up about how they were cheated out of getting the profits they deserved from what became one of the most profitable independent films of all time.
Heather Donahue, Joshua Leonard, and Michael C. Williams lent their real names to the film and played fictionalized versions of themselves in the movie for a $500-a-week paycheck. The film’s shooting went on for eight days.
After being made with a $35,000 budget, the movie grossed a mammoth-sized $248 million worldwide and led to two film franchises. Yet, the windfall never arrived for the three actors, who struggled to pay rent and pay for groceries after the movie’s release.
