10 Horror Movies That Lied About Their Premise
3. Despite The Crazed Frenzy It Generated, The Blair Witch Project Was Not Real
Here in 2022, 23 years after the movie's release, it's almost laughable that anyone would genuinely think the events of The Blair Witch Project were entirely real. For those of us old enough to remember said release, though, that was very much the case back in 1999.
Daniel Myrick and Eduardo Sánchez's film didn't totally lie about what you were about to see, with The Blair Witch Project promoted as a feature based around three documentary makers exploring the purported myth of the titular witch. Where the lying part comes into things, is how this '99 effort was likewise promoted as being real footage from real filmmakers who really went missing when seeking out the eerie presence that was said to reside in the woods of Burkittsville, Maryland.
One has to remember, this was a time when the internet was in its infancy and before people realised that, y'know, just because information is online doesn't mean it's always true.
Not just was The Blair Witch Project stated to be 'real', but the smart duo of Myrick and Sánchez had created a website months ahead of the film even being announced. What was so special about this website? Why, it was a missing persons site looking for help in finding the trio of Heather Donahue, Michael Williams and Joshua Leonard - the three faux filmmakers from the movie.