Blair Witch: Book Of Shadows (Blair Witch Project) [Paperback]

D.A. Stern (Author)

Book Description

Series: Blair Witch Project | Publication Date: October 24, 2000

IN OCTOBER 1994, THREE STUDENT FILMMAKERS DISAPPEARED
IN THE WOODS NEAR BURKITTSVILLE, MARYLAND,
WHILE SHOOTING A DOCUMENTARY...

FIVE YEARS LATER, THE FILM THEY SHOT BECAME
ONE OF THE MOST PROFITABLE MOTION PICTURES IN HISTORY.

People across America were stunned by the runaway success of "The Blair Witch Project(TM) " -- none more so than the residents of Burkittsville. Suddenly the little western Maryland farming village was flooded with tourists seeking mementos of the fabled Blair Witch. Road signs disappeared, backpackers clogged local hiking trails, graveyards filled with enthusiasts trying for a firsthand glimpse of the supernatural.

While most Burkittsville residents -- in particular Sheriff Ron Cravens -- were angered by this wave of visitors, others took a more pragmatic approach. Like Jeff Patterson, who started up a business called the Blair Witch Hunt. At first, Patterson simply sold caps, T-shirts, and coffee mugs over the Internet. Then he decided to lead a group of four tourists into the Black Hills himself.

If you saw the film "Book of Shadows: Blair Witch 2, " you know what happened to Jeff Patterson, Kim Diamond, Stephen Ryan Parker, Tristen Ryler, and Erica Geerson.

BUT YOU ONLY KNOW HALF THE STORY UNTIL YOU READ THIS BOOK.

Compiled with the aid of noted paranormal journalist D.A. Stern, the material gathered herein reveals:

The secrets hidden in Jeff Patterson's troubled past The research Stephen and Tristen conducted for their book "The Blair Witch: Hysteria or History?" The eerie similarity between the Blair Witch and the little-known seventheenth-century legend of Bloody Sam Caine The genesis of the Blair Witch HuntPhotos and news reports relating to the case

Product Details

• Paperback: 144 pages
• Publisher: Pocket (October 24, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0743411897
• ISBN-13: 978-0743411899
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 7.2 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,810,584 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fantastic companion which really adds to the movie a LOT!, November 6, 2002

By 

San Fran Gruuv Fan (San Francisco, CA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Blair Witch: Book Of Shadows (Blair Witch Project) (Paperback)

While the "BW2" movie will probably never gain the same affection in the hearts of the public in the same way as it has with Blair Witch fanatics, this book should help push it a tad more in that direction by explaining a thing or two. Like the previous bestselling "Blair Witch Dossier", it is full of "real" newspaper clippings, evidence, etc. which are both fun to browse through and essential reading for diving even further into the film itself.

One of the things I love about both books is that D. A. Stern really develops the characters and allows them to all truly shine. He's really having a blast here, and you can just imagine him putting all this together while giggling to himself and thinking, "Man, is this FUN or WHAT?" I only wish I could have had such an opportunity myself to create something like this for someone.

I don't want to give away too much, I'll just list one detail which won't give away any secrets: an excellent example of how this volume doesn't merely "present" the characters but actually adds to their personalities is on pages that are supposed to be Kim Diamond's "Tour Questionnaire" that she filled out when signing up for The Blair Witch Hunt (you recall her, the cool Goth chic psychic). For the following choices, here's how she answered:

EMAIL: [e-mail] (NOTE: Yes, it's fake. -C.C.)
OCCUPATION: Genius

SLEEPING BAGS AND TENTS ARE AVAILABLE FOR RENTAL TO ALL OVERNIGHT TOUR GUESTS AT A NOMINAL COST: YOU CAN SUPPLY YOUR OWN, IF DESIRED.
[ ] I PLAN TO BRING MY OWN CAMPING GEAR
I NEED TO RENT A
[ ] SLEEPING BAG
[ ] TENT
(She leaves the above choices blank, and instead writes here "What's a tent?")

MEALS ARE INCLUDED IN THE COST OF YOUR TRIP. PLEASE LIST ANY SPECIAL DIETARY REQUIREMENTS IN THE SPACE BELOW:
(She writes "Beer".)

ANY OTHER COMMENTS?
(She answers, "What do we hunt with? Should I bring a gun?")

You get the idea. The book is filled with such personality details which really make it all the more believable and make you really want to believe that these characters are *real people* as opposed to mere cyphers set up in a spook film.

And now that I look at it, I can't help wondering what the actual actors think of it, especially since this is all using their real names just as with the first movie. I get the impression that they must get a kick out of it all and joke about it quite a bit (I can just see them asking friends, "Do I look particularly DEAD to you this morning?").

Whether you enjoyed "BW2" as much as I did or were confused enough to the point that you simply want some answers, check this one out. You'll dig it immensely.

Oh, and I do want to mention one last thing. A big one.

Again without giving away anything, I do want to clarify something for the cynics of the film concerning the biggest major gripe they've had regarding the movie: yes, you WILL find out within these pages exactly what "The Book of Shadows" is. But that's all I'll reveal. Buy it and you'll see.

But in the meantime, I'll be cheerfully singing, "I know something you don't knnnnoooow......" ;)

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A great companion... is NOT a novilization, November 7, 2000

By 

D. Skiles "cptdallas" (Kansas City, MO United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Blair Witch: Book Of Shadows (Blair Witch Project) (Paperback)

Despite what is stated below, this book is in NO WAY a novilization. In fact, it's a great companion piece to the film that really enhances the experience of Blair Witch 2 by providing tons of background details, much in the way the "Curse of the Blair Witch" TV documentary did for the first film. If you want to learn more about the characters of Blair Witch 2 through various "news articles, e-mails, files" and such, this is the place to find copies of those fun items.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Decent mythology, but photos blow the illusion!, November 5, 2000

By 

Daniel Cziraky (North Carolina, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Blair Witch: Book Of Shadows (Blair Witch Project) (Paperback)

Stern's BLAIR WITCH 2 tie-in quite compellingly continues the threads of the BW mock-mythology. Unlike the actual film, Stern insists the events in THE BLAIR WITCH PROJECT were real, and that the three documentarians are "still missing." Unfortunately, since BW2 is supposed to be a "re-enactment of true events," this means that the people in the movie are only actors. So, why are their photos presented in this book as if they're the "real" suspects in the so-called Black Hills Murders. Oops! Did you hear that? That was the "suspension of disbelief" crashing down around all this book's readers. This one flaw basically RUINS the whole book. Too bad, because the book is otherwise a pretty good work of fictional non-fiction.