Though it remains very divisive, few can argue the influenceThe Blair Witch Projecthad on the horror genre and the legacy it left in its path. It fooled some audiences into thinking it was real footage thanks to a genius marketing campaign, and even after all these years, it remains one of the most compelling and believable pieces of found-footage horror ever crafted. Its commitment to realism throughout its running time, and the naturalistic performances fromHeather Donahue(Heather),Michael Williams(Mike), andJoshua Leonard(Josh) strike up a match of fear which has rarely been replicated in thefound footage subgenre. Working off a 35-page screenplay by directing duoDaniel MyrickandEduardo Sanchez, the movie manages to create immeasurable amounts of tension without showing anything in the flesh. The true horror hides offscreen and does not reveal itself. But what if there was nothing to reveal at all?
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The movie opens with an obligatory block of text which explains how the footage was recovered after the disappearance of the three film students. Following this, we hear multiple interpretations of the Blair Witch folktale. The legend is told through a series of interviews with the residents of Burkittsville (formerly known as Blair), and through this, we hear that chilling story of Rustin Parr and how he killed seven children by luring them into his basement. He would have one stand in the corner whilst he killed the other one as supposedly he could not stand feeling their eyes watching him. All of these murders, Parr claims, were committed by him whilst under the influence of the Blair Witch. There are other stories of missing children and ritualistic murders that the locals tell of, all of which point to the woods being inhabited by a vengeful, murderous witch.
The sincerity and insistence that these stories are real are enough to intrigue anyone, and while these scenes give the audience context and perspective, they also demonstrate the wide-eyed vulnerability of Heather. She seems quick to buy into the stories, and yet she is rather dismissive of anyone unaware or skeptical of the Blair Witch legend. This makes her an easy target later on. Clearly, the legend is real to some of the locals, but that is all it is; a legend, and buying into it – even just out of curiosity – is what gets Heather killed. Though it may seem like the Blair Witch is the one behind the killings, there are subtle suggestions that she is not, for the simple fact that she does not exist.
Heather is at the forefront of the documentary. It is her passion project, and when things start to go wrong, she is the only one whose behavior remains consistent. Josh and Mike exhibit very unusual behaviors, which do not always match the situation they are in. Mike, especially, is hugely unlikeable and makes a bad situation worse by claiming that he kicked their only map into the creek. He fails to provide a convincing reason why he did it and both Heather and Josh rightfully react furiously to this. Mike and Heather appear to introduce themselves to each other at the beginning, so Heather is instinctively more cautious around him. In the woods, Mike shows alarming signs of an unhinged personality, and he ranges from fearless to cowardly. As Heather is the one behind the camera for the majority of the movie, the audience naturally feel more of a connection to her, which makes Mike and Josh’s behavior more unusual as they appear to team up against her, particularly in the movie’s second half. The tension among the three leads is almost as high as the tension built surrounding the possibility of the Blair Witch’s presence.
The movie is less about a witch hiding in the shadows, and more about how the three characters deal with being lost in the woods. The never-ending maze of trees is a primary cause of the characters’ problems. Horror movies in one location – such asThe ShiningandThe Lighthouse– have shown the devastating toll it can take on a person’s mind. Throw in a local legend about a witch, and it is no wonder their documentary ended tragically. Suffering from recklessness and irrationality, Mike and Josh turn their attention to Heather and hatch a plan to kill her. There are many occasions when they team up against her as though they are in cahoots and deliberately keeping things from her. They both ridicule her for getting wet, and Josh harshly taunts her by throwing the camera in her face, and Mike is verbally abusive to her on many occasions. The theory that Josh and Mike are the ones behind Heather’s death has cropped up in the past, but audiences have struggled to come up with a possible motive.
There are several reasons why Josh and Mike might want to murder Heather. They become increasingly frustrated at her for getting them lost and constantly filming them. Josh and Heather clearly have a history too, which is not explored, but more so hinted at in the tension that arises between them. A bad breakup between them in the build up to the shooting of the documentary would explain their somewhat confrontational relationship. The tension between Mike and Heather is more apparent, and it is only amplified when Josh goes missing and it is just the two of them in the final act. A simpler, more horrific reason could be how the endless sea of trees that entombs them all sees Josh and Mike turn to dark deeds to deal with paranoia and isolation. Heather appears to resist the insanity and remains her true self for the entirety. She gets emotional, and fears hugely for her life, especially after Mike and Josh distance themselves from her. The iconic apology scene is a heartbreaking moment in which Heather breaks down and blames herself for everything.
The famous stick figures imply sinister goings-on, but they are not that unusual and could have a very innocent explanation. Kids or locals built them, for example. The figures themselves are fairly easy for Mike and Josh to replicate too to scare Heather further and make her vulnerable enough to be lured into the basement in the climax. As obvious as it may sound though, the biggest piece of evidence that points towards there being no witch inThe Blair Witch Projectis the fact that she is never actually seen onscreen. The Blair Witch has to be the most iconic antagonist in the horror genre who does not have a second of screen time. She is neither seen nor explicitly heard, but her presence is felt because of all the stories that the trio hears before entering the woods. Given what the audience knows, it is easy to assume that the Blair Witch is the culprit behind everything, but on the other hand, what we know is also what Mike and Josh know. They are both present for the interviews with the locals and can see Heather’s excitement upon hearing these stories.
There is no concrete evidence to confirm the existence of the Blair Witch. Audiences have likely got a very clear image of her in their minds, but all of that comes from the subtleties and implications withinThe Blair Witch Project. The fact remains that, as strong as the witch’s presence may feel at times, there are alternative explanations for the movie’s events. It is important to think about what may have occurred when the camera was not rolling, and what might have been said between Josh and Mike when they start to show extreme rage towards Heather. What happened to the two of them after Heather’s murder is anyone’s guess, but we never actually saw Mike dispose of the map as he claimed, so perhaps he and Josh were holding onto it to find a way out after killing Heather. The fact that the movie itself was thought to be real by some upon its release shows how some audience members cannot distinguish fact from fiction, and no one really knows what is going on off-camera. The true brilliance ofThe Blair Witch Projectis how its ambiguity paves the way for a plethora of theories.
