10 Horror Movies That Lied About Their Premise

3. Despite The Crazed Frenzy It Generated, The Blair Witch Project Was Not Real

From The Depths
Artisan Entertainment

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.

Senior Writer
Senior Writer

Once described as the Swiss Army Knife of WhatCulture, Andrew can usually be found writing, editing, or presenting on a wide range of topics. As a lifelong wrestling fan, horror obsessive, and comic book nerd, he's been covering those topics professionally as far back as 2010. In addition to his current WhatCulture role of Senior Content Producer, Andrew previously spent nearly a decade as Online Editor and Lead Writer for the world's longest-running genre publication, Starburst Magazine, and his work has also been featured on BBC, TechRadar, Tom's Guide, WhatToWatch, Sportkskeeda, and various other outlets, in addition to being a Rotten Tomatoes-approved film critic. Between his main dayjob, his role as the lead panel host of Wales Comic Con, and his gig as a pre-match host for Wrexham AFC games, Andrew has also carried out a hugely varied amount of interviews, from the likes of Robert Englund, Kane Hodder, Adrienne Barbeau, Rob Zombie, Katharine Isabelle, Leigh Whannell, Bruce Campbell, and Tony Todd, to Kevin Smith, Ron Perlman, Elijah Wood, Giancarlo Esposito, Simon Pegg, Charlie Cox, the Russo Brothers, and Brian Blessed, to Kevin Conroy, Paul Dini, Tara Strong, Will Friedle, Burt Ward, Andrea Romano, Frank Miller, and Rob Liefeld, to Bret Hart, Sting, Mick Foley, Ricky Starks, Jamie Hayer, Britt Baker, Eric Bischoff, and William Regal, to Mickey Thomas, Joey Jones, Phil Parkinson, Brian Flynn, Denis Smith, Gary Bennett, Karl Connolly, and Bryan Robson - and that's just the tip of an ever-expanding iceberg.