Blair Witch Project Serial Killer
![Blair Witch Project](http://www.castleofspirits.com/rockpile.jpg)
The Blair Witch Project. The Blair Witch Project is amazing a random serial killer films like The Blair Witch Project are released. Blair Witch 2 is.
Theatrical release poster
The Blair Witch Project is a 1999 American found footage horror film written, directed and edited by Daniel Myrick and Eduardo Sánchez. The film was produced by the Haxan Films production company. The film relates the story of three student filmmakers Heather Donahue, Michael C. Williams, and Joshua Leonard who had character names in the film who disappeared while hiking in the Black Hills near Burkittsville, Maryland in 1994 to film a documentary about a local legend known as the Blair Witch. The viewers are told the three were never seen or heard from again, although their video and sound equipment along with most of the footage they shot was discovered a year later and that this recovered footage is the film the viewer is watching. 3
The film received unexpected acclaim from critics and went on to gross over US 248 million worldwide, 4 making it one of the most successful independent movies of all time. The DVD was released on Tuesday, October 26, 1999 and presented only in full-screen.
A sequel was released on October 27, 2000 titled Book of Shadows: Blair Witch 2. Another sequel was planned for the following year, but did not materialize. On September 2, 2009, it was announced that Sánchez and Myrick were pitching the third film, HEART OF LOVE. 5 A trilogy of video games based on the films was released in 2000. The Blair Witch franchise has since expanded to include various novels, dossiers, comic books and additional merchandise.
Contents
1 Plot
2 Production
2.1 Development
2.2 Casting
2.3 Filming
3 Reception
3.1 Box office
3.2 Critical
3.3 Promotion
3.4 Awards and nominations
4 Cinematic and literary allusions
5 Soundtrack
6 Media tie-ins
6.1 Books
6.1.1 The Blair Witch Files
6.2 Comic books
6.3 Video games
7 Home media
8 Sequel
9 Documentary
10 See also
11 Literature
12 References
13 External links
Plot edit
The film opens with introductory text:
In October of 1994, three student filmmakers disappeared in the woods near Burkittsville, Maryland while shooting a documentary. A year later their footage was found.
In the footage, Heather Donahue, Michael C. Williams and Joshua Leonard set out to produce a documentary about the fabled Blair Witch. They travel to Burkittsville, Maryland, formerly Blair, and interview locals about the legend of the Blair Witch. The locals tell them of Rustin Parr, a hermit who kidnapped seven children in the 1940s and brought them to his house in the woods where he tortured and murdered them. Parr brought the children into his house s basement in pairs, forcing the first child to face the corner and listen to their companion s screams as he murdered the second child. Parr would then murder the first child. Eventually turning himself in to the police, Parr later pleaded insanity, saying that the spirit of Elly Kedward, a witch hanged in the 18th century, had been terrorizing him and promised to leave him alone if he murdered the children, but was hanged anyway.
The second day, the students explore the woods in north Burkittsville to look for evidence that the Blair Witch exists. Along the way, they meet two fisherman, one of whom warns them that the woods are haunted and recalls that in 1888, a young girl named Robin Weaver went missing, and when she returned three days later, she talked about an old woman whose feet never touched the ground. His companion is, however, skeptical of the Blair Witch legend. The students hike to Coffin Rock, where five men were found ritualistically murdered in the 19th century, their bodies later disappearing, and then camp for the night. The next day they move deeper in despite being uncertain of their exact location on the map. They eventually locate what appears to be an old cemetery with seven small cairns. They set up camp nearby and then return to the cemetery after dark. Josh accidentally disturbs a cairn and Heather hastily repairs it. Later they hear crackling sounds in the darkness that seem to be coming from all directions, but assume the noises are from animals or locals.
The third day, they attempt to return to their vehicle but cannot find their way. That night, they again hear crackling noises but cannot see anything. The next morning their fourth, they find three cairns have been built around their tent during the night. Heather realizes her map is missing and Mike reveals he kicked it into a creek out of frustration the previous day. They realize they are now hopelessly lost and decide simply to head south. They discover a multitude of humanoid stick figures suspended from trees. That night they hear sounds of children and bizarre morphing sounds. When an unknown force shakes the tent, they flee in a panic and hide in the woods until dawn, starting their fifth day. Upon returning to their tent they find that their possessions have been rifled through and Josh s equipment is covered with a peculiar translucent slime. Later, they pass a log over a stream that was identical to the one they had passed earlier despite having traveled directly south all day, seemingly going in circles.
The sixth morning, Heather and Mike awaken to find that Josh has disappeared. After trying in vain to find him, they slowly move on. That night, they hear Josh screaming in the darkness but are not able to find him. The seventh morning, Heather finds a bundle of sticks and fabric outside their tent. As she searches through it, she finds it to contain blood-soaked scraps of Josh s shirt, as well as teeth, hair, and possibly a tongue, but though thoroughly distraught by the discovery, she does not mention this to Mike. As night falls, Heather films herself apologizing to the co-producers of her project as well as their families and breaks down crying and hyperventilates, understanding that something terrible is hunting her and Mike and will eventually take them. Later that night, they again hear Josh s agonized cries for help, and discover a derelict, abandoned house in the woods, which contains runic symbols and children s handprints on the walls. Mike races upstairs, following what sounds like Josh s voice, while Heather tries to follow. Mike then claims he hears Josh in the basement. He runs downstairs and after what seems to be a quick struggle, goes silent and drops the camera. Heather enters the basement screaming in fear while her camera catches a glimpse of Mike facing the corner. Something unseen is heard hitting Heather, causing her to drop her camera violently to the floor and the footage ends.
Production edit
Development edit
The Blair Witch Project was developed during 1993 6 by the filmmakers. The script began with a 35-page outline, with the dialogue to be improvised. 6 Accordingly, the directors advertised in Backstage magazine for actors with strong improvisational abilities. 7 There was a very informal improvisational audition process to narrow the pool of 2,000 actors. 8 9 In developing the mythology behind the movie, the filmmakers used many inspirations. Several character names are near-anagrams; Elly Kedward The Blair Witch is Edward Kelley, a 16th-century mystic. Rustin Parr, the fictional 1940s child-murderer, began as an anagram for Rasputin. 10 In talks with investors, they presented an eight-minute documentary along with newspapers and news footage. 11 This documentary, originally called The Blair Witch Project: The Story of Black Hills Disappearances was produced by Haxan Films.
The cemetery as part of the Blair Witch story
Filming began in October 1997 and lasted eight days. 7 12 Most of the movie was filmed in Walnut Mountain Park in Sullivan County, New York, although a few scenes were filmed in the real town of Burkittsville. 13 Some of the townspeople interviewed in the film were not actors, and some were planted actors, unknown to the main cast. The final scenes were filmed at the historic Griggs House in Granite, Maryland. Donahue had never operated a camera before, and spent two days in a crash course. Donahue said she modeled her character after a director she once worked with, citing the character s self assuredness when everything went as planned, and confusion during crisis. 14
Casting edit
According to Heather Donahue, auditions for the film were held at Musical Theater Works in New York City, and ads were placed in the weekly Backstage for an open audition. 15 The advertisement noted an entirely improvised feature film shot in a wooded location. 15 Donahue described the audition as Myrick and Sanchez posing her the question: You ve served seven years of a nine year sentence. Why should we let you out on parole. to which Donahue was required to improvise a response. 15
Joshua Leonard, also in response to audition calls through Back Stage, claimed he was cast in the film due to his knowledge of how to run a camera, as there was not an omniscient camera filming the scenes. 16
Filming edit
During filming, the actors were given clues as to their next location through messages given in milk crates found with Global Positioning Satellite systems. They were given individual instructions that they would use to help improvise the action of the day. 7 Teeth were obtained from a Maryland dentist for use as human remains in the movie. 7 Influenced by producer Gregg Hale s memories of his military training, in which enemy soldiers would hunt a trainee through wild terrain for three days, the directors moved the characters far during the day, harassing them by night and depriving them of food. 11
Almost 19 hours of usable footage was recorded which had to be edited down to 90 minutes. 9 The editing in post production took more than eight months. Originally it was hoped that the movie would make it on to cable television, and the filmmakers did not anticipate wide release. 6 The initial investment by the three filmmakers was about US 35,000. Artisan acquired the film for US 1.1 million but spent US 25 million to market it. 17 The actors signed a small agreement to receive some of the profits from the film s release. 7
A list of production budget figures have circulated over the years, appearing as low as 20,000. In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, Sánchez revealed that when principal photography first wrapped, approximately 20,000 to 25,000 had been spent. 18 Other figures list a final budget ranging between 500,000 and 750,000. 19
Reception edit
Box office edit
The Blair Witch Project was shown at the 1999 Sundance Film Festival, and released by Artisan on 30 July 1999 after months of publicity, including a campaign by the studio to use the Internet and suggest that the movie was a record of real events. The distribution strategy for The Blair Witch Project was created and implemented by Artisan studio executive Steven Rothenberg. 20 21
The Blair Witch Project grossed 248,639,099 worldwide. 22 After reshoots, a new sound mix, experiments with different endings, and other changes made by the studio, the film s final budget ended up between 500,000 and 750,000. 19
Critical edit
The movie has been widely acclaimed by critics. Rotten Tomatoes provides links to 133 reviews for the movie, with 87 of these reviews being favorable. 23 Also, the film holds a score of 81/100 on Metacritic, indicating universal acclaim. 24 The film s found footage format received near-universal praise by critics and, though not the first in the found footage device, the film has been declared a milestone in film history due to its critical and box office success. Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun Times gave the film a total of 4 stars, calling it an extraordinarily effective horror film. 25 It was listed on Filmcritic.com as the 50th best movie ending of all time. 26
Film critic Michael Dodd has argued that the film is an embodiment of horror modernizing its ability to be all-encompassing in expressing the fears of American society, acknowledging its status as the archetypal modern found footage feature, he noted that In an age where anyone can film whatever they like, horror needn t be a cinematic expression of what terrifies the cinema-goer, it can simply be the medium through which terrors captured by the average American can be showcased. 27 During 2008, Entertainment Weekly named The Blair Witch Project one of the 100 best films from 1983 to 2008, ranking it at 99. 28 In 2006, Chicago Film Critics Association listed it as one of the Top 100 Scariest Movies, ranking it 12. 29
Because the filming was done by the actors using hand-held cameras, much of the footage is shaky, especially the final sequence in which a character is running down a set of stairs with the camera. Some audience members experienced motion sickness and even vomiting as a result. 30
Promotion edit
The Blair Witch Project is thought to be the first widely released movie marketed primarily by internet. The movie s official website featured fake police reports and newsreel-style interviews. These augmented the movie s found footage device to spark debates across the internet over whether the movie was a real-life documentary or a work of fiction. 31 32 During screenings of the movie, the filmmakers made advertising efforts to perpetuate the events in the film as factual, including the distribution of flyers at festivals such as the Sundance Film Festival, asking viewers to come forward with any information about the missing students. 33 34 35 The IMDb page also listed the actors as missing, presumed dead in the first year of the film s availability. 35 36 The film s website contained materials of actors posing as police and investigators giving testimony about their casework, and shared childhood photos of the actors to add a sense of realism. 37
Awards and nominations edit
The Blair Witch Project was nominated for, and won, the following awards.
Award
Category
Subject
Result
Global Film Critics Award 38
Best Screenplay
Daniel Myrick
Nominated
Eduardo Sánchez
Independent Spirit John Cassavetes Award
Best Film
Won
Golden Raspberry Award
Worst Picture
Robin Cowie
Gregg Hale
Worst Actress
Heather Donahue
Stinkers Bad Movie Awards 39
Biggest Disappointment
Worst Screen Debut
Heather, Michael, Josh, the Stick People and the world s longest running batteries
Cinematic and literary allusions edit
In the movie, the Blair Witch is, according to legend, the ghost of Elly Kedward, a woman banished from the Blair Township latter-day Burkittsville for witchcraft in 1785. The directors incorporated that part of the legend, along with allusions to the Salem Witch Trials and The Crucible, to play on the themes of injustice done on those who were called witches. 8 They were influenced by The Shining, Alien, The Omen and Benjamin Christensen s 1922 silent documentary Häxan, after which the producers named their production company, Haxan Films. Jaws was an influence as well, presumably because the witch was hidden from the viewer for the entirety of the film, forcing suspense from the unknown. 6
Soundtrack edit
None of the songs featured on Josh s Blair Witch Mix actually appear in the movie. However, The Cellar is played during the credits and the DVD menu. This collection of mostly goth rock and industrial tracks is supposedly from a mix tape made by ill-fated film student Joshua Leonard. In the story, the tape was found in his car after his disappearance. Some of the songs featured on the soundtrack were released after 1994, after the events of the movie supposedly have taken place. Several of them feature dialogue from the movie as well.
Gloomy Sunday – Lydia Lunch
The Order of Death – Public Image Ltd.
Draining Faces – Skinny Puppy
Kingdom s Coming – Bauhaus
Don t Go to Sleep Without Me – The Creatures
God Is God – Laibach
Beware – The Afghan Whigs
Laughing Pain – Front Line Assembly
Haunted – Type O Negative
She s Unreal – Meat Beat Manifesto
Movement of Fear – Tones on Tail
The Cellar – Antonio Cora
Media tie-ins edit
Main article: Blair Witch franchise
Books edit
In September 1999, D.A. Stern compiled The Blair Witch Project: A Dossier. Perpetuating the film s true story angle, the dossier consisted of fabricated police reports, pictures, interviews, and newspaper articles presenting the movie s premise as fact, as well as further elaboration on the Elly Kedward and Rustin Parr legends an additional dossier was created for Blair Witch 2. Stern wrote the 2000 novel Blair Witch: The Secret Confessions of Rustin Parr and in 2004, revisited the franchise with the novel Blair Witch: Graveyard Shift, featuring all original characters and plot.
In May 1999, a Photonovel adaptation of The Blair Witch Project was written by Claire Forbes and was released by Fotonovel Publications.
The Blair Witch Files edit
A series of eight young adult books entitled The Blair Witch Files were released by Random subsidiary Bantam from 2000 to 2001. The books center on Cade Merill, a fictional cousin of Heather Donahue, who investigates phenomena related to the Blair Witch in attempt to discover what really happened to Heather, Mike, and Josh. 40
The Blair Witch Files 1 – The Witch s Daughter
The Blair Witch Files 2 – The Dark Room
The Blair Witch Files 3 – The Drowning Ghost
The Blair Witch Files 4 – Blood Nightmare
The Blair Witch Files 5 – The Death Card
The Blair Witch Files 6 – The Prisoner
The Blair Witch Files 7 – The Night Shifters
The Blair Witch Files 8 – The Obsession
Comic books edit
In August 1999, Oni Press released a one-shot comic promoting the film, simply titled The Blair Witch Project. Written by Jen Van Meter and drawn by Bernie Mireault, Guy Davis, and Tommy Lee Edwards, the comic featured three short stories elaborating on the mythology of the Blair Witch. In mid-2000, the same group worked on a four-issue series called The Blair Witch Chronicles.
In October 2000, coinciding with the release of Book of Shadows: Blair Witch 2, Image Comics released a one-shot called Blair Witch: Dark Testaments, drawn by Charlie Adlard and written by Ian Edginton.
Video games edit
In 2000, Gathering of Developers released a trilogy of computer games based on the film, which greatly expanded on the myths first suggested in the film. The graphics engine and characters were all derived from the producer s earlier game Nocturne. 41 Each game, developed by a different team, focused on different aspects of the Blair Witch mythology: Rustin Parr, Coffin Rock, and Elly Kedward, respectively.
The trilogy received mixed reviews from critics, with most criticism being directed towards the very linear gameplay, clumsy controls and camera angles, and short length. The first volume, Rustin Parr, received the most praise, ranging from moderate to positive, with critics commending its storyline, graphics and atmosphere; some reviewers even claimed that the game was scarier than the movie. 42 The following volumes were less well-received, with PC Gamer saying that Volume 2 s only saving grace was its cheap price 43 and calling Volume 3 amazingly mediocre. 44
Home media edit
The Blair Witch Project was released on DVD on October 26, 1999, with VHS and laserdisc versions released around the same time. The DVD included a number of special features, including The Curse of the Blair Witch and The Blair Witch Legacy featurettes, newly discovered footage, director and producer commentary, production notes, cast crew bios, and trailers.
A Blu-ray release from Lionsgate was released on October 5, 2010. 45 Best Buy and Lionsgate had an exclusive release of the Blu-ray available on August 29, 2010. 46
Sequel edit
A sequel, Book of Shadows: Blair Witch 2, was released in the autumn of 2000, but was poorly received by most critics. 47 A third installment announced that same year did not materialize. 48 Eduardo Sanchez has revealed that he is still planning Blair Witch 3 and that the film is inevitable, but added that there is nothing to officially announce as of now. 49
Documentary edit
The Woods Movie centers around the story behind the film; 50 the director Russ Gomm interviewed for this film the producer Gregg Hale and both filmmakers Eduardo Sánchez and Daniel Myrick. 51
See also edit
List of ghost films
Found footage pseudo-documentary
The Bogus Witch Project, a direct-to-video parody.
Literature edit
Schreier, Margrit 2004 : Please Help Me; All I Want to Know Is: Is It Real or Not. How Recipients View the Reality Status of The Blair Witch Project. In: Poetics Today, Vol. 25, Nr. 2, pp. 305–334 full text, qualitative content analysis on the movie s reception
References edit
Mark Hughes October 30, 2013. The Top Ten Best Low-Budget Horror Movies Of All Time. Forbes. Retrieved December 27, 2014.
The Blair Witch Project. Box Office Mojo. Retrieved April 4, 2013.
Editorial: Paranormal Activity Shadows The Blair Witch. DreadCentral.
The Blair Witch Project. Box Office Mojo.com. 2006-01-01. Retrieved 2006-07-28.
Geoghegan, Kev 2009-08-11. The legend of the Witch lives on. BBC News. Retrieved 2010-05-25.
a b c d Klein, Joshua July 22, 1999. Interview - The Blair Witch Project. avclub.com. Retrieved January 26, 2015.
a b c d e Staff January 1, 1999. Heather Donohue – Blair Witch Project. KAOS 2000 Magazine. Retrieved July 30, 2006.
a b Aloi, Peg July 11, 1999. Blair Witch Project – an Interview with the Directors. Witchvox.com. Retrieved July 29, 2006.
a b Mannes, Brett July 13, 1999. Something wicked. Salon.com. Retrieved July 29, 2006.
Blake, Scott Jul 17, 2007. An Interview With The Burkittsville 7 s Ben Rock. IGN.com. Retrieved July 30, 2007.
a b Conroy, Tom July 14, 1999. The Do-It-Yourself Witch Hunt. Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on October 1, 2007. Retrieved August 2, 2006.
Corliss, Richard August 16, 1999. Blair Witch Craft. Time Magazine. Retrieved 2006-07-30.
Kaufman, Anthony July 14, 1999. Season of the Witch. Village Voice. Retrieved September 26, 2006.
Lim, Dennis July 14, 1999. Heather Donahue Casts A Spell. The Village Voice. Retrieved September 26, 2007.
a b c Donahue, Heater. Interview with Craig Kilborn. CBS Networks. August 1999.
Loewenstein, Melinda March 16, 2013. How Joshua Leonard Fell In Love With Moviemaking. Backstage. Retrieved October 31, 2015.
Stanley, T.L. September 27, 1999. High-Tech Throwback – marketing of Blair Witch Project – Statistical Data Included – Interview. Brandweek. Retrieved 2006-07-29.
John Young. The Blair Witch Project 10 years later: Catching up with the directors of the horror sensation. Entertainment Weekly.
a b John Young July 9, 2009. The Blair Witch Project 10 years later: Catching up with the directors of the horror sensation. Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved July 10, 2009.
DiOrio, Carl July 19, 2009. Steve Rothenberg dies at age 50. The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved August 2, 2009. dead link
McNary, Dave July 20, 2009. Lionsgate s Steven Rothenberg dies. Variety Magazine. Retrieved August 2, 2009.
The Blair Witch Project. Box Office Mojo.com. January 1, 2006. Retrieved July 28, 2006.
The Blair Witch Project. Rotten Tomatoes.com. Retrieved February 10, 2011.
Ebert, Roger July 16, 1999. The Blair Witch Project. Roger Ebert.com. Retrieved July 28, 2006.
Null, Christopher January 1, 2006. The Top 50 Movie Endings of All Time. filmcritic.com. Archived from the original on August 20, 2006. Retrieved July 30, 2006.
VARTBvldUgs
The New Classics: Movies – EW 1000: Movies – Movies – The EW 1000 – Entertainment Weekly. Entertainment Weekly.
Filmspotting, Scariest Movies, Film, Podcast, Reviews, DVDs, Adam Kempenaar
Wax, Emily July 30, 1999. The Dizzy Spell of Blair Witch Project. The Washington Post. Retrieved March 1, 2012.
Weinraub, Bernard August 17, 1999. Blair Witch Proclaimed First Internet Movie. Chicago Tribune. Retrieved January 27, 2012.
Weinraub, Bernard October 30, 2015. Was The Blair Witch Project The Last Great Horror Film.. BBC News. Retrieved October 31, 2015.
IMDb: The Blair Witch Project.
Editorial: The 12 Ballsiest Movie Publicity Stunts.
a b The Blair Witch Project: The best viral marketing campaign of all time.
The Blair Witch Project.
The Blair Witch Project Official Website: The Filmmakers.
www.globalfilmcritics.com. www.globalfilmcritics.com. Retrieved May 29, 2012.
1999 22nd Hastings Bad Cinema Society Stinkers Awards. Stinkers Bad Movie Awards. Los Angeles Times. Retrieved July 8, 2013.
Merill, Cade 2000. Cade Merill s The Blair Witch Files. Random House. Retrieved September 8, 2009.
Smith, Jeff. Blair Witch Project Interview IGN.com. April 14, 2000.
Metacritic: Blair Witch Volume 1: Rustin Parr. Metacritic.
Metacritic – Blair Witch Volume 2 Metacritic.
Metacritic – Blair Witch Volume 3 Metacritic.
The Blair Witch Project Blu-ray. Blu-ray.com. Retrieved 2012-05-29.
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B., Scott August 21, 2001. Blair Witch Project 3 to Happen.. IGN.com. Retrieved July 30, 2006.
Blair Witch 3. Yahoo Movies. 2006-01-01. Archived from the original on 2006-05-09. Retrieved 2006-07-28.
Barton, Steve January 14, 2015. Eduardo Sanchez Talks Blair Witch 3. dreadcentral.com. Retrieved March 16, 2015.
Blair Witch Documentary Goes into The Woods Movie. DC. January 1, 2006. Retrieved July 28, 2006.
Finally a Doc On The Blair Witch Project – Trailer For The Woods Movie. DC. January 1, 2006. Retrieved July 28, 2006.
External links edit
Wikiquote has quotations related to: The Blair Witch Project
Wikimedia Commons has media related to The Blair Witch Project.
Official website
The Blair Witch Project at the Internet Movie Database
The Blair Witch Project at AllMovie
The Blair Witch Project at Box Office Mojo
The Blair Witch Project at Rotten Tomatoes
Woods Movie - The Making of The Blair Witch Project
Retrieved from https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php.title The_Blair_Witch_Project oldid 696867132
Categories: 1999 filmsEnglish-language films1999 horror filmsAmerican filmsAmerican horror filmsCamcorder filmsFakeloreFictional versions of real peopleFilms set in 1994Films set in MarylandFilms shot in MarylandFilms shot from the first-person perspectiveFound footage filmsAmerican independent filmsMockumentary filmsPsychological horror filmsSupernatural horror filmsWitchcraft in filmArtisan Entertainment filmsBlair Witch franchise 1999 hoaxesParanormal hoaxesFilms set in forestsFilms about film directors and producers.
![The Blair Witch Project](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/9/9a/Burkitcem.jpg/220px-Burkitcem.jpg)
- The Blair Witch Project. the life of notorious Burkittsville serial killer Massacre of the Burkittsville 7 is an excellent companion.
- The Blair Witch Project was released on DVD on October 26, 1999, with VHS and laserdisc versions released around the same time.
- The Blair Witch Project Mythology Filmmakers Aftermath Legacy.
AND NOW TO ANSWER SOME QUESTIONS ABOUT THE FILM SPOILER
The bible quote regarding the rocks that Mary Brown told them - what was it.
It was mentioned upon finding the rocks and it was also in Heathers Journal, it must of been something pretty important then huh.
Well, apparently no one connected with the movie actually knows what it is that s helpful huh..
I ve found out that it may be one of these:
Genesis -52: And Jacob took a stone, and set it up for a pillar. And Jacob said unto his brethren, Gather stones; and they took stones, and made a heap.And Laban said to Jacob, Behold this heap, and behold this pillar, which I have cast betwixt me and thee; This heap be witness, and this pillar be witness, that I will not pass over this heap to thee, and that thou shalf not pass over this heap and this pillar unto me, for harm.
Ecclesiastes 10:9: Who so removeth stones shall be hurt therewith; and he that cleaveth wood shall be endangered thereby.
Nahum 1:6
Who can withstand his indignation. Who can endure his fierce anger. His
wrath is poured out like fire; the rocks are shattered before him.
1 Kings
The LORD said, Go out and stand on the mountain in the presence of the
LORD, for the LORD is about to pass by. Then a great and powerful wind
tore the mountains apart and shattered the rocks before the LORD, but
the LORD was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake,
but the LORD was not in the earthquake.
The cemetery and the rock piles:
It was never made clear if that was indeed the cemetery that they were looking for - although they do refer to it as the cemetery within the film and in Heathers Journal, It s unclear if they mistake the grove of rock piles for the cemetery that they were looking for and are completely on the wrong track and lost without knowing it at that point in the film.
The rock piles hold some significance you might say represent the dead for the seven dead children there were seven piles of rocks in the cemetery that the serial killer Rustin Parr took down to his basement in his house on the hill and killed. Claiming he did it under the Blair Witch s control.
Josh kicked over one of the rocks in the piles at the cemetery, although Heather put it back and placed a kiss upon it that didn t make any difference to the Blair Witch, she don t like people messin with her rocks.
You notice how three rock piles appear outside their tent overnight.. They were representing the three of them marked for the killing.
Ahhh I hear you sayNow it s beginning to make a bit of sense.
The stick figures in the forest - what do they mean.
The producers of the film say that the stick-man is based on and taken from an ancient Rune, it basically means a warning - they say that with the large amount of stick figures hanging in the forest which mean warning, Josh, Heather and Mike just don t get it - it s a BLOODY BIG WARNING right there in front of them.
It is also said that the figures hanging in the trees in the forest represent spirits of the dead being able to travel between earth and the spirit world.
The trees, with their roots in the earth and branches up in the air, serve as bridges between the earth and spirit world. When the stick men are hung in a tree they provide a way for the spirit to travel between worlds.
Although it is not shown, Heather cut down one of these figures to have a closer look. You hear Josh later on tormenting her with the camera yelling you cut down one of the Blair Witch s Trinkets and now she s after you. Well it s not just that the Blair Witch is after Heather for cutting it down and giving the witch the sh s, but when she cut the figure down it supposedly traps the spirit in one of the worlds. Heather therefore trapped the spirit on earth, and the spirit didn t seem terribly impressed by that fact..
So far they ve done numerous amounts of things to really piss off both the Blair Witch and the spirit world. BOY ARE THEY IN FOR IT.
What was the slimy oily stuff all over Josh s gear - why Josh.
Remember - Josh kicked over one of the stones in the so called cemetery. Blair Witch is gonna get him for that one, so she slimed him with her slime, making him ONE MARKED MAN.
If you follow the Blair Witch Legend you have to see the t.v show on the Mythology, you hear the story of a little girl who was pulled into the creek by a ghostly hand that seemed to grab her and pull her under the river gravel right in front of witnesses in the 1800 s. It was reported that afterwards the creek was polluted with an oily substance and full of floating stick figures for weeks.
So the witch obviously just goes out sliming every now and then.
It s not really too clear what it s actually supposed to be, could be ectoplasm.
What was Heather screaming at after running out of the tent.
Whilst in the tent they hear children s voices and other strange noises. Then the tent starts violently shaking and moving, they run from the tent and Heather faces left screaming what was that, what the. . was that.
There were actually other camera men standing in the dark dressed in white thermal underwear I don t know how Heather managed to scream and not fall over laughing at that one - the guys were pacing them and supposed to show up on the cameras as ghostly white images, which were going to be examined more closely at the end of the film - or in one of the documentaries. For whatever reason probably because they didn t look like ghostly images but guys running around in their underwear they didn t use this white ghostly figure footage.
The Josh Mystery
It is never made clear about where Josh went or how he went, the question still remains: Did he walk out of the tent by himself and never come back., Did he run of and find his way out of the forest and go live in Bolivia. Was he abducted mysteriously from the tent overnight., Did he go out early in the morning for a little early morning constitution and get abducted then or be misled by a spell from the witch and gotten lost out on his own..
It seems that maybe Josh was abducted or misled by the Witch at some point during the night or early morning you ll just have to imagine whichever version of his disappearance that you prefer, we come to the conclusion that he didn t run off to Bolivia because Heather finds his teeth and some other weird stuff in a stick bundle outside the door tied up with bloody shirt bits of Josh s.
There is much discussion as to what was in the package. We know that it was teeth, but the other thing could of possibly been his tongue, it s never made too clear. But that is not proof that he is dead yet.
Heather doesn t show Mike the bundle, this is probably to protect him against the knowledge that something really bad has happened to Josh and things are going from bad to worse. Mike is under the belief that Josh has simply run for help and Heather obviously wanted him to keep thinking that.
Later on in the night you hear Josh screaming and moaning and calling out somebody help me. That could be a trick or it could be Josh, one has to wonder how his voice sounds so lovely and clear when he s got no teeth. Whatever it is - it s DEFINITELY a lure for Mike and Heather.
How about the house at the very end huh.
Well the one big problem with the house is that once you see the Documentary you notice how in the 1940 s
when Rustin Parr was arrested for the murder of the seven children, the townsfolk burned down the house down. And the Anthropology dig that found their film and tapes were investigating a burnt down house also. Um.so why do Mike and Heather go to a house that is not burnt down, was it perhaps a different house..
It is actually the house of Rustin Parr. And it just adds the the entire mystery as to why the house is still standing and not burnt down at that particular point in time. It is a truly haunted house.
The Symbols and hand prints in the house:
The symbols of hands are in blood - and you will notice that they are low down on the walls and small - which gives forth the belief that they are children s hands. In the start of the documentary when Heather is standing in the cemetery she talks of how children have disappeared and how the graveyard is unusually full of children s graves. The hand prints on the walls represent all the dead children that the Blair Witch has taken and killed as revenge for being cast out of the community into the woods in 1785 along with the children who were murdered in the 1940 s and any other children who went missing suddenly in the woods.
The weird symbols that look like Sony Playstation symbols on the walls.
The symbols are supposedly pagan symbols, they don t mean anything except Do not underestimate the power of playstation. They clue you in on how the house and the goings on all pertain to the symbols carved in the dead search party on coffin rock and the children who were killed in the basement and how they are all somehow related to each other meaning they were all done by the Blair Witch.
THE ENDING - WHAT S THE DEAL WITH THAT.
This part was a little confusing to me also - I find that everyone who s seen the film doesn t get something about the ending.
Let me explain.
First thing to remember is:
Mike is carrying the Hi8 camera colour and sound
Heather is carrying the 16mm film Black and White film no sound
It gets confusing because you can see what s on Heather s camera but her voice sounds far away. The reason being that the 16mm film camera which Heather is carrying doesn t record sound. Hence they had a DAT recorder with them to record sound. The Hi8 camera DOES record sound. You can Hear Heather running around the house from Mikes camera down in the basement. Thats why she sounds so far away when you see her camera shots. The Hi8 camera is dropped by Mike down in the basement. At the very very end you hear Heather get closer and closer to it as she is running down to the basement.
Wasn t Mike Knocked out when he went down to the basement - is he hanging or standing in the corner.
Mike was clonked by something in the basement, that s for sure, however it was just hard enough to quieten him, get him under control and make him drop the camera, not to kill him. He simply stands there and doesn t run or help Heather because whatever clonked him has either scared him senseless or taken him under their control. If you go back to the legends surrounding the Blair Witch the interviews earlier on in the film you are told of how Parr made one person stand in the corner facing the corner whilst he killed the other as they were taken down to the basement two at a time. He apparently couldn t stand their eyes looking at him.
As you can see by the picture poor ol Mikey is either relieving himself getting chased around in the dark can be really stressful on the bladder. or waiting to be killed, at this stage he s lost control of himself and you would say that he s no longer with us. He s NOT hanging as many suggest - he is standing in the corner. Whilst Heather is screaming her guts out and is coming down to the basement to be killed. It is unclear whether she is being chased by something or just hysterical and screaming because she knows she s about to be dead..
Who did the killing.
That s totally left up to your imagination. It could of been Josh - you notice that when they trace his screams they are led to the house. Josh screams out Mike and Heather from the basement, luring them down there for only 1 reason. Mike chases after him and that s when he gets clonked upon reaching the basement. You never see Josh in the basement - but it s not as if we are given a good look around there. So it could of been Josh under some sort of murderous spell. It also could of been the ghost of Rustin Parr. Or it could of been the Blair Witch herself. Or the basement might of had a curse or spell upon it.
Why didn t the search party that went out looking for them disappear.
In the history of the Curse of Blair Witch you find out that a search party went missing looking for a little girl in 1825 and were found disemboweled on coffin rock with pagan symbols on their faces and feet. They were alive when cut due to the fact that the ropes around them were cut deep into their skin, showing signs of a struggle.
So then why weren t any of the search party members who were looking for Heather, Josh and Mike taken by the witch.
It seems that once the Blair Witch has had her fair share of adult sacrifices she doesn t seem to want more. The second search party that found the first on coffin rock never went missing. They successfully found their way out of the forest and back again to the rock with the Sheriff. All made it out of the woods.
It seems she only has an uncontrollable thirst for children.
Then how come the Anthropology team didn t go missing either, they must of camped out in the woods to investigate the remains of the house..
Once again - it s stated in the documentary that the Blair Witch only does something murderous every 50 or so years. You would be perfectly safe to enter the woods and go camping during the period between.
Go onI dare you
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Was a serial killer from the 1940s Blair Witch; Elly Kedward; Rustin Parr; Black what the spirit of the witch told him to do. Rustin Parr was.