Filmmaker Makes 'Blair Witch' Claim
By MIKE SCHNEIDER, AP
ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) - The makers of the surprise hit horror movie ``The Blair
Witch Project'' are being sued by a former partner who says he was cheated out of a credit
on the film and deserves some of the millions of dollars the movie is reaping.
Sam Barber, an Orlando filmmaker, said that his company paid for much of the
movie's preproduction costs and that he should have been listed as a producer or executive
producer in the credits. He also claims that director Dan Myrick and Myrick's
girlfriend broke into his office and took documents, a master copy of the film and other
tapes.
Barber is suing Myrick - one of the film's two directors - Myrick's girlfriend,
Kristal Jordan, and producer Greg Hale. John Marshall Oden, an attorney for all
three defendants, denied the theft allegation and called the lawsuit an attempt at
harassment.
Barber filed his lawsuit in June 1998, long before ``Blair Witch'' became one of
this summer's biggest surprises. The movie has made more than $36 million. Barber is
seeking a percentage of the movie's gross, and he claims the percentage eventually could
be worth at least $10 million.
The defendants have filed a countersuit against Barber, alleging he tried to
interfere with their agreement with Artisan Entertainment, the film's distributor, by
seeking an injunction in California to stop the movie's release. The injunction was
denied. ``Blair Witch'' purports to be the story of three college-age filmmakers who
disappear in the Maryland woods while trying to make a documentary on the legendary Blair
Witch. Five University of Central Florida graduates spent $60,000 to shoot the film.
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Filmmaker Makes 'Blair
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BlairWitch.com
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