Read an extended interview with Dan Myrick at SRQBacklot.com

Growing up on Longboat Key wouldn’t inspire a dark side in many, but for Dan Myrick, director of The Blair Witch Project, a childhood on the Suncoast led to a life of Hollywood horror. Myrick was among the most anticipated guests at this year’s inaugural Skyway Film Festival and was welcome to all questions on his Sarasota heritage, current projects and success. The creek in his backyard served as a setting for a Bigfoot hoax where he attempted to fool all of his friends. He described a certain mischief that fostered his creative genius for what became the The Blair Witch Project.

“I have always had a love for art,” he says. But It wasn’t until he received a book about moviemaking that he realized there was an entire industry behind film, and he started working with his own camera when he was 13. After experimenting with film for a few years, he applied to the inaugural film class at the University of Central Florida. That’s where he met the people and gained the skills to make The Blair Witch Project a success.

Since the success of his film, Myrick has branched into fields beyond horror. He has a love for sci-fi and is currently working on a comedy to be pitched to HBO. Of course, his thriller roots are never far. He just finished shooting his next release, Under The Bed, a creepy thriller based on true events. The Los Angeles resident admitted he could see himself retiring back to the Sarasota area. “I kind of miss the smell of the shrimp boats and the mangroves,” he says, “I heard Stephen King has a place in the area and wouldn’t mind enjoying a Mai Tai with him on the beach.”

Read an extended interview with Dan Myrick at SRQBacklot.com

SRQ Backlot