The Chart Time Tunnel: The Blair Witch Project

In September 1999, cultural focus was locked on a little low budget indie horror film throughout the summer.

Back then, everyone was talking about The Blair Witch Project except me because I hate horror films, and I don't find getting scared out of my skull a fun thing to do. I might be the one person under 50 who hasn't seen The Blair Witch Project in Toronto. This film had an impact on the campus charts, too.

The Josh's Blair Witch Mix compilation was the highest debut the week of Sept. 9 to 16, 1999, entering the campus chart at #9. The high concept here: it's a compilation tape made by one of the characters in the film, and it was found at the crime scene after the discovery of the murder scene.

Now, as you might know, the film was a recounting of a series of events from 1994. So the inclusion of three songs from 1996 on this CD — Meat Beat Manifesto's "She's Unreal," Type O Negative's "Haunted" and Laibach's "God is God" — seemed to undermine the credibility of this "evidence." The compilation was yet another stab at popularizing goth/industrial music during this time: The Wish You Were Queer: A Tribute To Ministry compilation from the previous week's chart or the doom and gloom of 1998's Pi soundtrack are two other big examples.

It also seemed like a big time for compilation albums on the campus charts — especially motion picture soundtracks. The Acid House soundtrack rose seven spots to #17. The Stigmata soundtrack featuring music by Billy Corgan and Mike Garson debuted at #26 and the soundtrack for the long-lost 70's Blaxploitation movie, Soul Ecstasy debuted at #33.

Other non-soundtrack compilations included the Metro Break '99 album, which debuted at #27. The independently-released It Came From Halifax Harbour compilation featuring a track from The Guthries (Matt Mays' old band), The Sycamores, and Josh Martinez re-entered this chart at #44, as did the All Points In compilation at #49.

Guided By Voices' Do The Collapse returned as the #1 album this week, followed by Julie Doiron And Wooden Stars self-titled collaboration, which rose nine places to #2.

Cibo Matto's Stereo * Type A dropped to #3, while Blackie And The Rodeo Kings' Kings Of Love jumped five spots to the #4 slot and The Flaming Lips' The Soft Bulletin rose a couple spots to sit at #5.