In The Blair Witch Project (1999), the filmmakers investigate Burkittsville, Maryland.
The film follows student filmmakers Heather Donahue, Michael C. Williams, and Joshua Leonard as they travel to the town to investigate the local Blair Witch legend. They then enter nearby woods to record interviews and search for evidence, eventually becoming lost and frightened.
The film’s fictional documentary style helped blur the boundary between promotion and storytelling. Early marketing presented the events as if they might be real, using the internet and missing-person-style material to support the illusion. The actors’ real names were used for their characters, which contributed to the confusion.
The town was called Burkittsville in the film and was known as Blair in the legend’s earlier history. The production was shot largely in Maryland, and its low-budget handheld aesthetic became highly influential for later found-footage horror films.