Example Article
The film purports to be footage found in the discarded cameras of three young filmmakers who had gone missing.
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. Locals tell them of Rustin Parr, a hermit who lived in the forest and abducted seven kids in the 1940s; he supposedly murdered them all in his basement, killing them in twos while having one stand in a corner. The students explore the forest in north Burkittsville to research the myth. They meet two fishermen, one of whom warns them that the forest is cursed. He tells them of a young child named Robin Weaver, who went missing in 1888; when she returned three days later, she talked about an old woman whose feet never touched the ground. The students hike to Coffin Rock, where five men were found ritualistically slaughtered in the 19th century; their corpses later disappeared.
They camp for the night, and the next day, find an old graveyard with seven small cairns, one of which Josh accidentally knocks over. That night, they hear the sound of sticks snapping. The following day, they try to hike back to the car but cannot find it before dark and make camp. They again hear sticks snapping. In the morning, they find that three cairns have been built beside their tent. Heather learns her map is missing. Mike reveals he kicked the map into a creek out of frustration, which provokes a fight between the trio as they realize they are lost. They decide to head south, using Mike’s compass and discover stick figures hanging from trees. They again hear mysterious sounds that night, including children laughing. After an unknown force shakes the tent, they hide in the forest until dawn.
Upon returning to their tent, they find that their possessions have been rifled through and Josh’s equipment is covered with slime. They come across a river identical to one they crossed earlier and realize they have been walking in circles. Josh vanishes the next morning, and Heather and Mike try in vain to find him. That night, they hear Josh’s agonized cries but are unable to find him. They theorize that his yells are a fabrication by the Blair Witch to draw them out of their camp.
The next day, Heather discovers a bundle of twigs tied with fabric from Josh’s shirt. Upon opening the bundle, she also finds a blood-soaked scrap of his shirt containing teeth and hair. Although distraught, she does not tell Mike. That night, she records herself apologizing to her own, Mike’s and Josh’s families, taking responsibility for their predicament.
They again hear Josh’s agonized screams and follow them to the abandoned ruins of the house of Rustin Parr containing demonic symbols and children’s bloody handprints on the walls. Trying to locate Josh, they go to the basement, where an unseen force assaults Mike, causing him to drop his camera. Heather enters the basement yelling, and her camera captures Mike standing in a corner facing the wall. Heather calls out to him, but he doesn’t react. The unseen force assaults Heather, causing her to drop her camera, and the film ends.
