The legend was created by Sánchez and Myrick and published on the official website for the movie, and was also explored in the mockumentary Curse of the Blair Witch. Of course, they also believed the legend of the Blair Witch was real, but it was only a very elaborate and carefully planned fictional story with the purpose of selling the movie to the audience. The impact of The Blair Witch Project was such that most viewers truly believed the story and footage were real and ventured into the woods to find clues of what happened to Heather, Michael, and Josh. Related: Blair Witch Project’s Stick Figures Real Meaning Explained The Blair Witch Project was a big box office hit and a success with critics, also becoming one of the most influential movies in the horror genre. The three disappeared, and what the audience watches is the “recovered footage” of their trip. Once in the woods, they began to realize that the legend isn’t entirely fictional, and they quickly found themselves living a real nightmare. Williams, and Joshua Leonard) who ventured into the Black Hills near Burkittsville, Maryland, to make a documentary about the local legend of the Blair Witch. Maybe the curse was real after all.Directed by Daniel Myrick and Eduardo Sánchez, The Blair Witch Project followed three filmmaking students (Heather Donahue, Michael C. Could it be that someone noted the efficacy of Blair Witch’s viral campaign, based on falsehood, fear and gullibility, and decided it was too good for simply promoting movies? Maybe Blair Witch shaped our political landscape as well as our horror one. Looking at our current post-factual soup of fake news, conspiracy theory, bogus mythology and untrusted sources, trust in “stuff you read on the internet” is at an all-time low. It could never happen again, though (the makers of A Cure for Wellness were forced to apologise for creating bogus online stories to promote the film).
Horror is traditionally about confronting our darkest fears but Blair Witch doesn’t really do that instead, it shows us other people confronting theirs.
What it did have, which often goes unremarked upon, was totally convincing actors. It is still one of the most delectably scary movies out there, and its ingenious premise required it to break all the rules: no script, no jump scares, no music, no professional crew, no special effects, not even any witches.
And it worked: many early cinemagoers thought the film was a documentary.