Film Theory: Blair Witch's SECRET KILLERS! (Blair Witch Project) 

I find the idea of two guys trying to scare and kill a girl in the woods is way scarier then a stupid witch.

My favorite part of this movie is that the film crew would send someone out dressed up to rush through the woods or hide to scare the actors. If you see something walking around in the background, it's one of those crew members and the actors weren't aware. So if you hear one of them going "What was that!?" It's the actual reaction.

I like to think both theories are true. The guys, annoyed by the girl decide to prank her by pretending to be lost only to walk right into a actual supernatural event.

I think its also plausible that mike and josh were attempting a malicious prank and got scared by a real haunting halfway through, it would explain their weird actions and reactions, but also explains any unexplainably supernatural buts in the movie

Plot twist: After murdering Heather, Josh and Mike die from a mixture of exposure and starvation cause they lost the map. :D

can we all agree that kicking a piece of paper is the worst way of disposing of it

The thing I like best about this movie is IT DOESN’T MATTER WHAT THE CAUSE IS. Supernatural or not, it’s terrifying, and it’s infinitely scarier not knowing exactly what’s going on. Whether she’s seeing some kind of supernatural abomination or someone she used to trust about to brutally end her life, something very wrong is happening and it’s scary.

I’m pretty sure the reason Mike was standing in the corner of the room was because of the killer that supposedly lived in the house explained at the beginning of the movie, apparently the man would face the children the other way because he didn’t want them watching as he killed other kids.

“Sorry your daughter was killed by a forest witch.😪” I’m sorry I’m wheezing😂😂

MatPat: There’s nothing supernatural in the Blair Witch franchise Blair Witch the game: I’m about to end this man’s whole career

I come back to this one all the time, because this is one of a few theories that I treat as very plausible, and in fact very likely. There are some small issues- like how Mike and Josh would get away with this without drawing suspicion (then again, disappearing in '94 was a lot easier than today)- but for the most part there's zero evidence of a monster, and plenty of opportunity for the boys to slip away and set up the scary stuff. There are several things that the movie almost included- an actual visual of the witch, alternate endings where Mike was staring at Heather or doing something different- but the end product as-is tells us that there's zero evidence of the paranormal that can't be explained or reasonably doubted. I'm also of the mind that a demonic entity is far less terrifying than real people. Like yeah, the unknown is scary. But what's scarier to me is how awful people are capable of being. I've heard too many true crime stories and seen too much of the dark side of humanity, that the paranormal is no longer as scary. When I'm in the woods at night, my top fear is other people, not wild animals or cryptids. All in all, one of my top 5 theories across channels

Here's my thought: Maybe Josh and Mike murdered Heather in exchange of escaping the woods?... Maybe the Blair Witch manipulated them?...

Imagine if they actually put this in the movie. Picture this: just one scene at the end, after everything else. Mike and Josh running through the forest, laughing. That’d be crazy.

Everyone *Sleeping* Mike at 12 am: You know what....Im gonna build a rock pile

When The Blair Witch Project was the scariest movie you’d ever seen so you tried to scare your sister by making her watch it but she’d already watched MatPat’s theory about it so the entire movie she was like “ooooohhh piles of rocks so SCARY.” Thank you MatPat. You have destroyed my dreams

i just watched this movie for the first time recently, and I love this theory, and I fully believe it. The nail in the coffin for me is, at the beginning of the movie when Heather is interviewing the people of the town, she comes across a mother who says that two men went hunting up by the cabin where the witch lives, and disappeared off the face of the earth (those men possibly being Mike and Josh and the cabin being the murder house at the end?) and then another guy she talks to mentions there was a male serial killer who killed seven kids, and killed them by twos, making one face the corner while he killed the other. Both of those two interviews are undeniable evidence for me that this theory is true. Idk if I believe the whole thing about Mike being able to set up speakers, especially considering this movie took place before Bluetooth speakers were a thing, and there are no outlets in the woods, but I believe this theory nonetheless. Also, about the seven kids thing, I noticed while watching the movie that the first time they see the piles of rocks, there are seven piles (which I’m sure Heather would immediately connect to the seven dead kids) and then the second time they see the piles, there’s three, which I assume is supposed to be a foreshadowing by the “witch” that the three of them are next. Idk. Just thought that was an interesting detail.

The reason he stood in the corner was because in the movie the group were told stories about how the murderer would make children stand in the corner so they wouldn’t be scared by the deaths of their fellow kids.

This theory is 10x scarier than the one we're supposed to believe.

I had all the same questions and suspicions years ago after it came out - I was teased for having "writer's brain" where I'm always over-thinking plots and can't just enjoy the movie. Glad to see I'm not alone.

Mat is 100% correct here, getting spare human teeth is shockingly easy

That awkward moment when your film theory is better thought out than the actual sequel to the film.

I always felt bad for heather, she just wanted to make her movie :(

The fact they added missing people papers on places and made a documentary and gave the parents sympathy cards is just the funniest and most awsome way to advertise the move

I thought this exact thing as soon as I finished the movie, it all seems so weird how Josh and mike get so angry at her and yell to the point Heather is crying and screaming at them to stop, after constant arguments and disagreements Josh goes missing and everyone else is left alone??? Then they hear Josh yelling and whenever mike calls out for Josh’s name he does not answer however almost every time Heather calls for Josh, a scream can be heard back that sounds like josh, mike leads them to that house, then they camera cutting to mike in the corner and heathers camera goes blank??

Some things that I thought were really interesting about the movie: - The directors gave the actors a script of a few pages that explained the story and the actions they would have to follow while filming BUT it didn't have many details, there were many things they didn't know, a lot was added by the directors while filming. - To guide the actors the directors were nearby all the time (the actors were aware of this from the beginning), they would place a basket with food and personal stuff every morning nearby their tent before they wake up. The basket also contained notes about what they would have to do that day (That's how the directors added decisions while filming). - It was stablished that the directors would use flashlights to guide them in the night, also they would add things, like the piles of rocks and the dolls BUT the directors didn't tell the actors the methods they would use to scare them so a lot of their reactions are real, even the crying. - There were other endings filmed like one in wich Mike was found dead by Heather hanging from a rope. - The people that are interviewed in the town at the beginning of the film are not part of the casting, they were not actors. Those were actually residents of the town nearby the forest. - The actors didn't know there was no Blair Witch legend, they thought the legend was used as an excuse for the film, also the people in town were paid by the directors to tell scary stories about the witch to the actors so they would believe that is was an actual legend of the town, this increased the initial fear of the actors. - The movie was filmed in 8 days - There were not many people involved in the making of the film, the 2 directors, the 3 actors, the writer of the script and a couple more. And because the film doesn't have special effects or sounds, just editing, the making of the film was very low in cost - Due to it's low cost "The Bllair witch project" is one the most profitable movies in history and one of the most succesfull independent films ever. With an original budget around $50000 the movie earned $250 millions

That was actually one of Matpat's best film theories.

Fun fact: 90% percent of this movie was unscripted the actors ACTUALLY got lost in the woods mike really did kick the map into the creek most likely because the directors basically drove them to insanity by playing spooky sounds in woods and giving them less and less food but still enough so they wouldn't starve. Edit: ok so most of this is just lies the actors had personal scripts that they couldn't say to the other actors. Sorry for messing it up

Okay maybe it's just me but even the way Mike talks in the ending scenes is like...like he's almost got this giddiness about him when he shouts "I hear him downstairs!" 13:46 As if his composure is breaking because he's having trouble maintaining the act through his excitement. And at 13:23 when he yells at Heather to get in the house, it sounds more like impatience and irritation than any sense of fear or compassion at her hesitation. I like to think Josh and Mike went through all the trouble of faking the paranormal events before killing Heather to keep the footage as a potential alibi, or because they wanted to create a spooky legend before disappearing themselves. They're like those murderers who are inspired by horror movies and want to create a sense of mystery around their killing. Maybe that's why the tapes end up being found, because Josh and Mike made sure they were left somewhere outside the woods. I know this is almost certainly not what the writers intended but I love it so much more, it's so sinister and totally hidden to the general audience unless you really twist your mind.

"In case it's been a couple of years since you watched this movie" Me who has never watched the movie: *Yup!*

This theory makes the movie so much more scarier

to this day i am convinced that blair witch project is actually *psychological* horror (rather than supernatural)

Because the legend is litterally the hermit brought down two kids, one would stay in the corner, while the other kid was being killed.

Everyone saying that they wish they were Heather: 👁👄👁

”My nose is running like a mofo rn” 😂💀

I was around for the release of the Blair Witch movie. The fact that people of the time (lots of them) thought that a real, magical snuff film was being shown in all the movie theaters across the world, shook my faith in the concept of human intelligence in such a way that I never truly recovered.

I love this theory. But wonder, would Josh and Mike then go into hiding? Change their identities? With everyone believing they’re dead?

This theory actually is way better and scarier than the "ohhh yes there's a killer witch in the woods". Me likey

Legend says that Heather and Josh are still still fighting for the map

What about: The ending of Blair Witch (2016), Half of Blair/Burkittsville’s children mysteriously died, and that Rustin Parr (the sort of-copycat killer) claimed he committed the murders because of a “old lady ghost.” Either way a great theory. Edit: The emotional shifts are most likely from their paranoia - and Mike yelling, “I’m going upstairs!” is if he truly might die that night and Heather somehow survived, he would be yelling out to her where he’s going to let Heather know is last known location if he suddenly goes missing, and Heather is the only survivor. Edit 2: In Blair Witch (2016,) it’s revealed that the Witch can manipulate the layout of the house, which could also mean that she could make sounds from upstairs and downstairs. As with Mike standing in the corner, Rustin Parr, the owner (and killer) of the house that the trio goes into lured the children into his house. When he was murdering the children, he had the (what would be the witness) stand in the corner - which also ties in with Mike standing in the corner. The witch forces Mike into the corner, like Rustin did to the witnesses back in the day.

The craziest part about the movie wasn’t the witch or anything else it was why when going into a haunted forest none of them thought to bring a single weapon

Never thought I'd see matpat say "my nose is running like a mofo"

I just had a crazy idea: Let's say that, in some alternate universe, this theory was the original intention of the producers. Then the sequel comes along and it's has the blatant supernatural elements of the sequel movie in our universe. The reason for this? The Blair Witch is actually HEATHER'S SPIRIT, which now attacks everyone who enters the woods where she died. So, in essence, The Blair Witch isn't real until Mike and Josh make it real by scaring and murdering Heather. Now wouldn't THAT be a twist?

I remember wanting to write a short followup story for this movie, about a guy who had his own theory about what happened and wanted to go into the woods to confront the witch. One of the big moments in the story that puts the guy at threat and creates dread was a moment of doubt while he was thinking about his relationships near a campfire, which threw off his confidence just as the witch arrived in a mist form to inspect him, helpless. The movie might not have shown a witch, but the sounds of people and children when she was around made me think she keeps tormented spirits about her, and that is the source of her strength. And maybe one of them, if encouraged (a little girl perhaps), could rally the other spirits to desert the witch, dispelling her form - or at least weakening her to the point where she didn't have so much influence. The hard and dangerous part is reaching her to do so.

This is an interesting interpretation, however, it doesn’t detract from the initial concept of an actual supernatural witch stalking, possessing, and killing them. In fact, both concepts support each other. The idea of a witch could be a metaphor for hatred- a hatred that permeated Josh and possessed him to want to murder this girl, and lure his friend into the plot.

And I'm here laughing that the sound guys name is Mike

*Some evil source in the woods* **Shows a dancing pumpkin**

This is by far my favourite of your theories. You have a good idea so much evidence and a really solid presentation. Well done.

This theory actually makes perfect sense, considering this was the case with the sequel. It wasn’t the witch that actually killed the girl, it was the people.

And we would have gotten away with it, too, if it weren't for you meddling theorists!

So the Blair Witch was framed?

Another point is how Mike and Josh kept making a fuss of Heather filming when they got lost. They kept pointing it out and making an unnecessary and big deal about her filming. Heather had to remind them, the filming was part of the documentary, to which they replied along the lines, "We are lost and you're obsessed about your documentary". I have to say, your theory kinda sticks!

Yeah but they could have killed her at any point before they got to the house. They were apparently way out where no one could hear them. Then they themselves disappeared afterwards anyway. Why go through all that trouble unless they just got a thrill out of scaring her before they killed her?

A murder plot is actually scarier than a witch Edit: please stop criticizing me its tiring

% of the movie 10% spooky 20% stress 70% map

This has always been one of my all-time favorite theories. Sad to see you go, but I wish you the best!

I want a sequel of this. A documentary style man hunt and trial….but with a witch reveal too

I haven't even seen the movie but im convinced

The movie makes us see this forest through Heather's eyes, so in the end we are as blind as she is, detatched from our common sense. Your theory convinced me 100%.

something about this exact video from film theory just keeps drawing me back. love it. basically make time no mater if i am in a rush or not

It’s sad that he is stepping down but I hope he has a good life after

*Mike and Josh force her to go the wrong way* Heather: Guess i'll die

Holy crap, that is WAY more terrifying than the story as portrayed... that's some seriously messed up crap.

it’d be cool if there was a sequel where the protagonist sees the signs/red flags and doesn’t fall for the whole witch stuff and manages to escape

I heard someone suggest something different: Heather was the killer. She was part of a witch coven and lured them into the forest (she's the one who chooses where they do it and what on). She was attacked at the end by a witch, but only so it would look like she wasn't actually part of the coven, and asked to be attacked. Afterward they sacrifice the two guys to their deity and Heather takes on a new identity in the coven.

“I’m so scared, when people don’t label their personal food.” -Michael Scott

this theory makes the film less stupid and filled with more substance.

Interesting theory. But, what about the children who were laughing and shaking the tent? Mike may have set a couple of speakers outside to create the laughing, ok, but how did he make the tent shake? They would have to had accomplices to do that, which seems unlikely.

Blair witch (2016): Allow me to introduce myself.

Mat's theories and ideas are usually so over the top, but this is legitimately very plausible and makes a lot of sense

Legend says that if you go into those woods, you can slightly hear the word "map" over and over 😈

This is probably my all time favorite Film Theory video. And definitely my head-canon since it came out.

2:17 I kid you not, this is the plot of part of an episode of Transformers Prime Like, spoiler warning, but three decepticons are sent on a mission to find something, but two of them are actually just tasked with killing the third because the third was becoming a problem for Megatron.

Whoa. That must've been some awful relationship Josh and Heather had for Josh to consider MURDER. Did she never refill the toilet paper or something? Was the toilet paper always facing the wrong way? If so, then I am fully supportive of the murder. Only evil people put toilet paper facing inwards.

Jesus christ, Matpat. This. This is the reason why I subsribed to you. Loyal Theorists will always be here for you. Loveyou man

Fun fact: The crew was actually trying to run away from girl scouts selling cookies. They were low on budget and no one wanted to feel bad. So they all ran away into the woods but the girls were relentless. They edited it just to you don't see them talking about it but the entire movie is about how the girl scouts hunted them in the woods by being one step ahead and making them go in circles. With their navigation badges they were able to trick all of them because they didn't know how to calibrate the compass based on a deviation. They were finally able to leave the woods after one of the crew pawned the camera and bought the cookies. Since they were all out in the woods so long and got wet, the cookies were all soggy and tasted like crap. One guy hung himself.

Occam’s Razor - “The simplest explanation is usually the right one.”

I feel like the reason mike didn’t turn around was probably the guilt of seeing heather getting killed.

“My nose is running like a Mofo” -Matthew Patrick 2016

I love the dancing jack-o'-lantern man in the opening. Thank you so much for that clip!

This is the best video you guys ever made. And the most plausible one as well

I'll tell you what really supports this theory: Josh and Mike were trying to get into Heather's head as soon as they entered the woods. They both were constantly questioning Heather's navigation and she kept insisting they weren't lost; and they weren't. They all arrived at Coffin Rock and, later, the cemetery as planned. Yet despite all this they kept needling her about her navigation. It really seemed like they wanted to get her to doubt herself so they could take some kind of control.

this movie was scarier for the actors than viewers

Not sure why I'm just stumbling on this now. Amazing theory! I'm thinking the creators were smart in that the witch story works for children and yet there is an option that doesn't involve supernatural fantasy that is pretty dark for adults to enjoy. Basically like Shrek, with the raunchy jokes that go over kids' heads so the parents can enjoy a cartoon too.

13:17 i mean, yes he has lots of self preservation and stays away from the sounds at night, it is his best friends screams. If you heard your best friend screaming in an abandoned house you would at least think about going down there to help them

What about when that guy was being interviewed at the beginning of the movie, and talked about how one person would be sent to the corner to wait while the witch kills the other person.

Me: who would build stone piles at 3:AM in a "hounted" woods? Mike & Josh: Oh boy 3:AM!

In interviews the creators of the movie did say that the house was the same house where the kids were killed in the 40s which was also supposedly burnt down by the villagers after the murderer was executed so it is supernatural that the house was there in the first place.

This is one of those movies which I don't really care for, but still appreciate what they were trying to do with it. It was a relatively new approach to filmmaking and marketing, and I respect them for trying it.

I love the Blair witch project because it was a movie that could only be as scary as it was at the time with its usage of viral marketing. There will never be another Blair Witch

"Sorry your daughter was killed by a Forest Witch."

I went camping off the Appalachian trail last year and on my way hiking out, one of those little witch stick thingys fell out of a tree and hit my arm. I had nightmares

Props to Matt for walking into some sort of woods at night wearing a hat and making himself cry to film this intro, probably wildly uncomfortable for him-

I recently wore a bear costume and a witches hat and called myself “The Bear Witch Project” hehhehe

The first 25 seconds is every youtuber apology in a nutshell

Now this could be a scary story in and of itself if those two kept on doing this, someone notices that they’re in multiple found footage films, and the FBI takes them down.

this theory makes so much sense to me. honestly in my head this is the timeline that i accept. but. i do want to bring up a few of the things that matt claimed not to make sense. namely, the events inside the house. in the event that it was really something supernatural, why can't all the weird stuff just be the witch messing with them? toying with her meal? people don't question why pazuzu makes reagans head spin around or spider walk on the stairs or barf on a priest. so why is it so hard to believe that a witch spirit who has been toying with the crew for multiple days might send them on a wild goose chase in the house, make one guy face the wall just to be creepy, and then finish them all off? she doesn't get victims too often and they're trapped in her domain, so why not have fun? and who says she has to physically be in the spots in the house that the voices are coming from? if she can possess people then why wouldnt she be able to at least throw her voice, if not just having such tight control of the area that she can make multiple things happen in multiple places at once? the very little overt mythos of the witch opens her abilities up to possibly be anything so it's just super weird to me to assume she's physically in any given place. then again, i recognize that this is matt's job and he's positing his theories and evidence in this way because this is how he works. and it's significantly less scientific of me to say "ghosts do weird stuff, so that's why things were weird." I'm just positing my own thoughts in the opposite direction from his for fun, just as he's making thing overly logical for fun. super awesome theory regardless of my criticism.

I always assumed that maybe the Blair Witch was responsible for the other two's strange behavior, like maybe it possessed them, and lured them into her home.

“Sorry I didn’t bring any Kleenex, my nose is running like a mo-fo” -Matthew Patrick 2016 (Got the date wrong)

I remember this theory being discussed at length on IMDb message boards back in the day. I wish they were still going 😮

I always think about this Theory, and how effectively horrific he presented it. Real great storytelling chops in this one.