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Greg Hastings · Boot Joined: 22 Oct 2004 Posts: 11

At this point I'd be very surprised if this turns out to be an ARG. More background research: Eric Heisserer's homepage has been around since 2001 with intermittant updates, including movie reviews, blogish stuff, and so forth. He's a screenwriter, & has done science fiction and horror work in the past. So it looks like this is just an experiment with a new medium.

I suggest that people don't try to contact him any more. I'm going to send him a link to this thread and apologize for bothering him. Maybe he'll get a laugh out of it, at least.

**Posted:** Wed Oct 27, 2004 11:09 pm

EricHeisserer · Kilroy Joined: 28 Oct 2004 Posts: 2 Location: Los Angeles

Thanks for the interest. Prior to this, I hadn't heard of ARG, so it's a rather pleasant side effect of the site discovery.

You are correct that the Dionaea House is not an ARG but rather just an unconventional story. Although I planned only to hand out the URL to specific readers once it was complete, the site was obviously "discovered" and word spread quickly. Remarkably quickly.

Sorry for the confusion. In a week the piece will be more-or-less finished and I can craft a more appropriate reply (including a few personal replies to emails in my inbox).

In the meantime, my interest in the concept of ARG is piqued, so I may browse here for a spell.

Thanks again,
Eric

p.s. I would still appreciate it if you would not promote off-boards this little message, to help me preserve the current tone of the piece. One's sense of realism seems to involve readers much more, and I'd hate to spoil that sensation. Of course, I imagine this group isn't called "alternate reality" for nothing... Smile

**Posted:** Thu Oct 28, 2004 4:25 am

zerosignifier · Boot Joined: 08 Nov 2003 Posts: 50

OH JEBUS!

**Posted:** Thu Oct 28, 2004 4:43 am

Greg Hastings · Boot Joined: 22 Oct 2004 Posts: 11

When I saw that he had posted here, I almost mentioned that I've seen calls for talented writers to assist with ARGs - y'know, in case his interest becomes *really* piqued. But I didn't, because I thought it'd be presumptious.

So thanks for giving me the chance suggest it in a non-presumptious way. Wink

**Posted:** Thu Oct 28, 2004 5:48 am

Cyfre · Boot Joined: 25 Oct 2003 Posts: 63 Location: Tampa FL

Most scripts that are sold don't even make it to pre-production, to be honest. So it's no big surprise that The Manifestant isn't available for search on IMDB at this point.

**Posted:** Thu Oct 28, 2004 8:24 am

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cpip · Veteran Joined: 29 Jul 2004 Posts: 109 Location: KY

Thanks for stopping in to let us know, Eric.

Also, sorry about both the phone call and the e-mail now. Embarassed

**Posted:** Thu Oct 28, 2004 10:22 am

Antiarc · Boot Joined: 25 Aug 2004 Posts: 62

Heheh, I was wondering how long this would take to show up here. Eric's a friend of mine, so I saw it when it launched, and it smelled like it had the framework to be picked up by an ARG group.

Even though it isn't one, it's still a masterful piece of writing. Major kudos on creeping the collective internet out, Eric. Smile

**Posted:** Mon Nov 01, 2004 2:21 pm

addlepated

Holy schnickies. I just read the main site and the LJ blogs. I am totally impressed by this. Eric, you should be published. This is great - shades of The Shining and House of Leaves and The Haunting of Hill House. I love haunted house stories, I really really do. Nice work!

**Posted:** Mon Nov 01, 2004 4:03 pm

Antiarc · Boot Joined: 25 Aug 2004 Posts: 62

Well, I'll let Eric tell the story if he wants, but it looks like he might get a little commercial exposure as a direct result of this thing. Wink

**Posted:** Mon Nov 01, 2004 4:17 pm

EricHeisserer · Kilroy Joined: 28 Oct 2004 Posts: 2 Location: Los Angeles

Thanks for all your support, and thanks for welcoming me here. I'm excited to learn about ARG, and when I have more time to focus on another side project, I will inquire about how I might help here.

The Dionaea House is just now being discovered by producers in my industry, largely due to Internet attention, and the feedback I've gotten (privately and publicly) has had a huge impact. I only wish I could say I'd done it on purpose, but it was a complete surprise. I'm not sure anyone can create interest on purpose. The power is, and always has been, in forums like this one. You support what engages you mentally; what scares or excites you. Collectively, your voices cause people to stand up and pay attention. Within five days, that little website went from zero hits on Google to six pages of discussions.

I won't ever lose sight of that, as I make it to meetings. It's made my opening line easy:

"Hi. I'm Eric Heisserer, I'm here on behalf of the Internet. I think they'd like to see a different kind of horror story."

Sincerely, thanks again.

**Posted:** Thu Nov 04, 2004 12:35 am

Unknown · Guest

Hello ladies and gentlemen,

Artisan you say? Ah, yes. We all remember the Blair Witch Project correct? There was a website, very similar to Dionaea House, that gave us the illusion that there actually were three film students who ventured into some woods in Maryland, and got eaten alive by some unknown entity. I hate to spoil the fun, really I do, but this is just more of the same. The Manifestant is a script, in the same line of the Blair Witch Project, just as in-depth and frankly more interesting I might add, that will pull us in, make us believe that it is real only to have the movie come out in theatres, freak us all out, and then Mr. Eric will come and let us all know it isn't real, and that everything is ok. Should be a great movie! I shall be watching the "Coming Soon" posters at mt local cinema.

Mr. Unknown

**Posted:** Thu Nov 04, 2004 6:38 pm

Flidget Jerome · Unfettered Joined: 26 Aug 2004 Posts: 308

**Posted:** Fri Nov 05, 2004 8:32 am

addlepated

**Posted:** Fri Nov 05, 2004 6:03 pm

addlepated

FYI - http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0490113/

More has been added to the original Dionaea House story since this was originally posted in 2004. It's definitely worth reading through again.

**Posted:** Thu Jul 03, 2008 2:38 pm

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