The first book in the now-famous Blair Witch series, The Blair Witch Project, was published in July 1999. Did you know that Montgomery County is where the majority of the cult horror movie was filmed?
Three film students travel to Burkittsville, Maryland’s fictional Black Hills Forest in October 1994 to document the Blair Witch, a local legend, in this independent spooky thriller. After the students inexplicably disappear, University of Maryland anthropology students find the video they left behind a year later. Viewers see the purportedly authentic, uncut video.
Despite being set in Frederick County, most of the movie was filmed at Seneca Creek State Park’s woodlands in Gaithersburg. Additionally, several sequences were shot in Wheaton. In just eight days, the movie was finished before Halloween 1997.
The movie has strong local ties. Daniel Myrick and Eduardo S. Sanchez, who attended Wheaton High School and Montgomery College, co-wrote, directed, and edited the film. Sanchez has said that the Blair Witch legend was inspired by the enigmatic atmosphere of Long Branch Creek, which is behind his childhood home.
With a global box office total of over $250 million, The Blair Witch Project went on to become one of the most successful independent films ever. It is widely acknowledged for popularizing the found-footage method later employed in blockbusters like Paranormal Activity, and it also inspired a multi-film franchise.
The legacy of the movie has long been appreciated by Gaithersburg residents. To commemorate its MoCo beginnings, Seneca Creek State Park has even held Blair Witch Heritage Hikes. Perhaps now is the ideal time to go to the park and take in the sights of famous movie locations like Coffin Rock.
