The Blair Witch Project: 7 Most Compelling Fan Theories

The most widely accepted theory on the internet is that Josh and Mike took advantage of the opportunity to have Heather isolated and vulnerable in the woods, so that they could murder her and cover their tracks with the carefully orchestrated, ambiguous footage. There is actually a great deal of evidence in the film to back this theory up.

Supporters of this theory are quick to point out that the boys are almost always walking ahead of Heather, and often insist that they are in possession of the map and compass. This is admittedly very odd, considering that this is Heather's passion project that neither Josh nor Mike seem to care that much about, and that Heather is the one who had carefully planned their routes and itinerary.

It all plays out as if the boys are deliberately disorienting Heather, manipulating the route and perhaps even damaging the compass. It's certainly confirmed that they discarded the map, which in itself makes no sense whatsoever. Heather even wisely insists that they walk in a single direction to find their way back to civilisation, but Josh and Mike overrule her. Why would they reject the most logical course of action, unless they wanted to keep Heather weakened and vulnerable in the middle of nowhere?

Also, the most compelling piece of evidence in favour of a supernatural explanation is the mysterious cackling at night, which incidentally would have been easy for Mike to pull off as the project's sound technician. Heather's journal pages frequently state her mistrust of the pair. After the map goes missing, Heather even remarks: "you two are having just a little too much fun for my taste."

Some fans go a step further, speculating that Josh and Mike's motivations may have had something to do with their involvement in a cult of some sort. This would explain Mike's willingness to participate, as he only met Heather for the first time on the morning of their trip to Burkitsville. If Mike does not have the history with Heather that Josh does, and therefore cannot possibly have any personal reason to want her dead, the pair being cult members provides a motive.