By Jacob Cameron

The Blair Witch Project turns 25 years old this year. In that quarter-century, it has become the go-to example for the “found footage” genre of film. While the film was not the first found footage film; or even the first found footage horror film, its legacy has persevered. To this day, some appreciate the atmospheric horror on display, and others think it’s just three young adults running through a forest while shaking a handheld camera. But the film has remained ubiquitous with an entire sub-genre of film for a quarter-century.

The film was directed by Daniel Myrick and Eduardo Sanchez and it follows three film school students searching the woods of Burkittsville, Maryland for the mythical Blair Witch. The myth stems from a pair of gruesome incidents: the disappearance of a little girl in 1888, and a grisly incident in 1941 involving a hermit abducting and murdering 7 girls in the basement of his home. The former of these incidents, relayed by a local fisherman, is given an extra wrinkle when it is revealed that the girl claimed that she saw an old woman whose feet never touched the ground. The students head into the forest to find the titular Blair Witch, documenting everything that they can along the way via camcorder. For the three film students, it’s a journey that strains their nerves to the breaking point.

One of the more intriguing aspects of the film comes from its marketing. When it premiered at the Sundance Film Festival, traditional movie posters were eschewed in favor of “missing persons” posters. On IMDB, the tractor’s profiles had “missing, presumed dead” listed underneath their names. The film’s official website contained actual childhood photos from the 3 actors and testimonials from the investigators working on the case. The dedication to making the movie feel real would pay dividends as, by August 1999, the website would receive 160 million hits. USA Today would later report that the film would become the first “viral” movie.

The atmosphere truly is one of the key factors to the success of this film. From the very moment these students enter the forests outside Burkittsville, it gets eerie. The students are immediately thrown into a situation that they have no idea how to fix. The sounds of the Forrest continually mess with their heads; sticks get broken around them and fitted into symbols. Their equipment gets damaged, maps get discarded inadvertently, along with all manner of events that cannot be explained. It all builds to the terrifying conclusion.

Another factor that leads to this film’s success is the fear of the unknown. There are no clear answers as to whether or not there is such a thing as the Blair Witch. Part of the ending shows a distraught Heather, one of the students, finding the assorted remains of one of her fellow students.  A part of the movie that remains chilling due to the fear of the unknown. A theory exists that states that the witch is present, but hiding in plain sight, away from prying eyes. However, this is just a theory. 

The Blair Witch Project has spawned many imitators; along with two sequels released in the years 2000 and 2016. But none will be able to recapture the lightning in the bottle like Myrick and Sanchez did a quarter-century ago. It can be safe to assume that the “found footage” horror film will forever be haunted by the facts and myths of the Blair Witch Project.