Which horror film was purportedly based on a true story of three students filming a documentary in Black Hills, Maryland?

The horror film purportedly based on three students filming a documentary in Black Hills, Maryland, is The Blair Witch Project. Released in 1999, it presents itself as recovered footage from students Heather Donahue, Joshua Leonard, and Michael C. Williams, who investigate the local legend of the Blair Witch near Burkittsville, Maryland.

The “true story” angle was part of the film’s ingenious marketing, not a factual account. Promotional websites, festival materials, and missing-person-style notices encouraged audiences to wonder whether the students and their footage were real. In reality, the story and characters were fictional, although the performers used versions of their real names.

Directors Daniel Myrick and Eduardo Sánchez developed the Blair Witch legend and used improvisation, handheld cameras, and deliberately sparse special effects to create a documentary-like atmosphere. Most filming took place in Maryland’s Seneca Creek State Park rather than an actual Black Hills location.

The film became a landmark of found-footage horror and a major independent hit. Its approach influenced later films such as Paranormal Activity, REC, and Cloverfield, while also helping establish viral-style internet marketing for movies.