The Blair Witch Project (1999)
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The story
In October 1994, film students Heather, Mike, and Josh set out to produce a documentary about the mythical Blair Witch. They travel to Burkittsville, Maryland, and interview residents about the myth. After hearing local legends of a hermit and a girl who vanished in 1888, the students venture into the nearby forest to research the legend. They encounter a fisherman who warns them that the forest is cursed. The trio begins a hike toward a site known as Coffin Rock, seeking to document the history of the area, unaware of the dangers that lie ahead in the dense, secluded woods.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
After traveling to Burkittsville, Maryland, to film a documentary about the Blair Witch, three students—Heather, Mike, and Josh—enter the woods. They learn of local legends involving a murderous hermit and a girl who vanished in 1888. After a fisherman warns them of a curse, they hike toward Coffin Rock. They find a site where search parties were previously mutilated and eventually find their own supplies tampered with. They become lost, and Josh eventually disappears. Heather and Mike hear his cries but believe it is a trap. Heather finds a bundle of his clothes containing bloodied hair and teeth. They eventually find an abandoned house where they hear Josh's voice. In the basement, Mike is struck by an unseen force and left unresponsive. Heather enters and is also struck, and the camera cuts to black.
- First release year
- 1999
- Runtime (minutes)
- 81
- Production countries
- United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Daniel Myrick; Eduardo Sánchez
- Writers
- Daniel Myrick · writer; Eduardo Sánchez · writer
- Cast and characters
- Heather Donahue · a fictionalized version of herself; Michael C. Williams · a fictionalized version of himself; Joshua Leonard · a fictionalized version of himself
- Genres
- psychological horror; found footage; pseudo-documentary
- Themes
- fear of the unknown; isolation; folklore
- Tone and mood
- suspenseful; eerie
- Premise and plot tags
- found footage; mockumentary; supernatural
- Franchise connections
- The Blair Witch Project
- Content notes
- fear
- Reception
- The film received highly positive reviews from critics, while audience reception was polarized. It is considered one of the most successful independent films of all time and a pioneer of the found-footage genre.
- Reported review scores
- Rotten Tomatoes · score: 86% · scale: percentage · review count: 176; Metacritic · score: 80 · scale: out of 100 · review count: 33
- Production trivia
- The film was the first to go viral before modern social media.; The actors were initially listed as 'missing' or 'deceased' in marketing.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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