Some of the scariest details within fictional stories lie in the unseen. The Blair Witch Project is a beloved horror classic that is credited with reviving the found-footage technique, and dedicated moviegoers have concocted an unpopular theory involving time travel that could explain the confusing timeline surrounding the disappearance of Heather Donahue and her crew.
What Is The Blair Witch Project About?
Released in 1999 and created by the combined efforts of Daniel Myrick and Eduardo Sánchez, The Blair Witch Project depicts the production of a documentary by three filmmakers -- Heather Donahue, Michael C. Williams and Joshua Leonard -- revolving around the supernatural entity known as the Blair Witch.
Heather, Michael and Joshua hike into the Black Hills near Burkittsville, Maryland, in the hopes of capturing footage of the Blair Witch. Subsequently, all three participants disappear without a trace. A year later, the footage of their escapades is discovered, providing clues as to what may have happened to them.
The Blair Witch Project's Time Travel Theory, Explained
As per the events of The Blair Witch Project, it can be inferred that the trio encountered the Blair Witch and was either abducted or killed -- the latter being the more likely outcome. This controversial theory suggests that the Blair Witch can manipulate time and space within the Black Hills Forest and that after they wandered into the woods, Heather, Michael and Joshua actually warped back in time.
However, this ending only confirms the disappearance of the crew, saying nothing about their remains or equipment. Further speculation argues that the sequence of events leading to the subsequent deaths of Heather, Michael and Joshua are mismatched. Interestingly, to support this claim, the original Blair Witch Project website used to promote the film makes an interesting claim in its timeline of events. It states:
October 16, 1995: Students from the University of Maryland's Anthropology Department discover a duffel bag containing film cans, DAT tapes, video-cassettes, a Hi-8 video camera, Heather's journal and a CP-16 film camera buried under the foundation of a 100 year-old cabin. When the evidence is examined, Burkittsville Sheriff Ronald Cravens announced that the 11 rolls of black and white film and 10 HI8 video tapes are indeed the property of Heather Donahue and her crew.
Taking this information into account, for the equipment and footage to be in a condition good enough to identify them as belonging to Heather Donahue, they must have been buried beneath undisturbed ground. For that to be possible, time travel is the only plausible explanation. Reiterating the in-depth explanation of the theory as it ties into The Blair Witch Project, Heather, Josh and Mike enter the woods. On the first night, they experience a time shift -- courtesy of the Blair Witch -- which takes them to the 1940s. They witness the trial of Rustin Parr, who had murdered seven children in Burkittsville under -- what he claimed to be -- the influence of the Blair Witch.
At the end of The Blair Witch Project, Heather experiences another time shift, which transports her further back to before the trial, when Rustin Parr had committed the aforementioned crimes. Afterward, the tapes are transported in a final time shift and buried under solid ground before the house was even built. Then, as is common knowledge, the tapes are discovered and the footage is released many years later.
Does The Blair Witch Project's Theory Check Out?
Certainly, the manipulation of time would explain why authorities never found the car, why the search parties -- whose time in the woods overlapped with that of Heather and company -- never found them, and why the camera and equipment were found buried underneath a cabin that existed years before the disappearance.
Furthermore, the Blair Witch: Vol. 1 – Rustin Parr video game is set around the 1940s era and shows footage of an investigator entering the basement of the 100-year-old cabin. He is greeted by the unnerving vision of Heather Donahue, supposedly in the flesh. What occurs afterward is reminiscent of The Blair Witch Project's ending. Heather runs downstairs with her webcam in hand, then screams at the sight of Mike facing the corner of the room. An unseen force attacks Heather and she collapses; her spirit becomes what can only be described as a transparent demon. Naturally, this could imply that the player witnesses Heather -- before her 'death' -- going even further back in time as history repeats itself.
Overall, the theory seems plausible, if not flawed by its unlikeliness. If there were a supernatural explanation to The Blair Witch Project, it would gain traction only from those who believe in it. Regardless, the possibility is very real and anything is possible in fiction.