The Blair Witch Project

by D.A. Stern, Dave Stern

In October of 1994, three student filmmakers disappeared in the woods near Burkittsville, Maryland, while shooting a documentary...
A year later their footage was found.
What actually happened to Heather Donahue, Michael Williams, and Joshua Leonard deep in the Maryland woods has become the stuff of legend. What they captured on film in their final days has transformed their sudden disappearance into one of America's most suggestive nightmares...
Now the complete story can be told.
In an exclusive arrangement with the filmmakers' families, noted journalist D. A. Stern and private investigator Buck Buchanan have unsealed the official police reports to compile the first fully detailed and illustrated investigative report on one of the most disturbing cases in Maryland history...

~The legends, myths, and facts surrounding the Blair Witch
~The uncanny connection to Maryland mass murderer Rustin Parr
~Detailed crime-scene photos
~Heather Donahue's chilling journals
~Related cult murders and bizarre disappearances
~The meaning of the strange campsite talismans, symbols, and ruins
~Exclusive interviews wht the victims' friends and families
~Insight into the shocking case from Haxan Films and Artisan Entertainment

Genres: Horror, Fiction, Witches, Mystery, Thriller, Supernatural, Film

191 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1999

About the author

See Dave Stern and David Stern.

Reviews

[Floor tussendeboeken · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you liked the movie: Read this, it's as fun and creepy as the movie
If you hated the movie: Steer clear of this

[Pinkerton · Rating 3 out of 5]

Dossier contenente rapporti, trascrizioni delle registrazioni, qualche lettera e in più: le pagine del diario ritrovato di Heather Donahue. Il lavoro svolto da un’agenzia privata, la Buck Buchanan detective agency, dato che la madre della ragazza era insoddisfatta dell’infruttuosa ricerca operata dalle forze di polizia. Vengono sentite le persone vicine ai ragazzi scomparsi per farsi un’idea della loro personalità. L’ipotesi che possa trattarsi tutto di una montatura è quella più caldeggiata dalle autorità ma, nonostante questo, un’angosciante filo di inquietudine sembra andare a turbare, chi più chi meno, molti di quelli che hanno preso parte all’indagine. Il motivo? Ovviamente la strega! Perché come direbbe Dylan Dog: “Il fatto che io creda o meno all'autenticità di tali fenomeni è del tutto irrilevante. Ciò che conta è che non mi rifiuto a priori di crederci, come fa la maggior parte della gente "seria"...”. Vengono ascoltati anche coloro che compaiono nel filmato, essenzialmente ribadendo quanto s’era già visto, e qualche storico locale per non lasciare nulla di intentato neanche sulla pista occulta (tanto che viene consultata persino una medium). C’è poi una terza via che non ha nulla a che fare né col soprannaturale né con uno scherzo di cattivo gusto, mi riferisco a Rustin Parr. Indipendentemente dal fatto che i ragazzi volessero girare un vero video o fabbricare una burla, sarebbero potuti incappare in una sorta di emulatore dello spietato assassino che si era macchiato di delitti efferati cinquant’anni prima.
In conclusione, sostanzialmente non viene aggiunto granché rispetto al film, questo libro è giusto un continuare a ricamarci sopra sostenendo e smentendo di tutto un po’, di modo tale che ogni soluzione sia possibile senza fornircene una. Carino da leggere se avete visionato la pellicola.

[A. E. S. · Rating 2 out of 5]

Read this a number of years back and forgot to add it. I liked how it takes an in-depth look at the case files, but it really does not provide answers to The Blair Witch Project film if that's what you're looking for.

I had problems pertaining to the historical accuracy of some of the material (medieval woodcuts made in the 19th century? Really?). Outdated, archaic language pertaining to someone speaking Puritan-era (New World = second half of the 1500s until the end of the 1700s) on a legal document signed in the Victorian Era (1837-1901) REALLY bothered me.

For what it's worth, if you don't pay attention to the details and "ride the pig", so to speak, it IS a creepy book. There's a picture of the Blair Witch drawn around the middle. That drawing is actually referenced in my first novel, The Corner Child. Very quick read, and of course it's a must-have for fans.

[TessaMcbessa · Rating 4 out of 5]

A really awesome follow up to one of the most influential films in horror history.

Full of mixed media and insights in to the case, this book follows the investigation into the missing persons after the footage was found.

I read this within one day. You’re going to want to watch the movie after this one because you’re gonna learn a lot!! It did leave me with a bit of questions at the end, but it wouldn’t be The Blair Witch if it didn’t!

[Matty · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book managed to creep me out even after I finished reading. I’m glad I read this, as I love watching the Blair Witch Project every year in October and this was a good book for more information like Heather’s journal entries and the investigation after the movie.

[Andrew · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was so much fun.

Written IN the world of the Blair Witch Project, covering more aspects of the case, and legend.

Great faux true crime book.

[Shelby (readbytwilight) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Oooh, so about 5/6 years ago I had to study The Blair Witch Project movie as part of my A Level Media Studies course, and I became absolutely hooked for a short time. We studied the movie due to its use of handheld cameras, and because it was a very low budget but successful piece of work. That's how I came about owning this book; although confession time, I've only now actually read it. And even then I only read it as part of a Halloween reading list. I'm a terrible person sometimes.

Nevertheless, this dossier was still a pretty interesting and creepy exploration into the 'investigation' of the three missing film students. To note: this book is a work of fiction, just as the film is too. And you really ought to watch the film before reading this book.

Although many people didn't like the film because it was 'boring'; well I say to those people that you need to see the bigger picture, and appreciate it's scare factor in actually how simple a film it is. And I will say much the same for this book. Because even after reading, and with a conclusion still having not been identified; I'm still feeling unsure about what really happened. Is the legend of the Blair Witch true? (In the sense of this book: I know it's not real, real) Was it all a hoax? Were they attacked by a serial killer?

This dossier looks at the Blair Witch legend, police reports and interviews, Heather's journal, and even reports conducted by a psychic. It's an insightful read, supportive of the movie, and will make you view the film in a different way. In a more informed way. Even though, it's all fiction anyway!

[Robert · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was a Blair Witch fan back in the day but this is the first time I ever read this cash-in book. It's actually a fairly imaginative collection that treats the 1999 surprise hit mockumentary as fact, offering up background "evidence," such as pages from Heather Donoghue's journal & correspondence from the authorities investigating the mysterious events, etc., and expanding on the Blair Witch mythos. If you liked the movie this is worth a look (I got a free copy on Paperback Swap); haters–and there are legions of them—don't need to be told to steer clear. 2 1/2 outta 5.

[Dubzor · Rating 4 out of 5]

A part of me knows this book is trash, but I love it anyways. Maybe I'm just a sucker for lore and epistolary stuff.

It's a nice companion to the film, although it does get kind of lazy in places. It's almost like they want to go all in with the theming but halfway through said "fuck it" and started adding half-assed photoshops.

Worth a read if you can find it in the library system. But unless you're a lore whore like me, I wouldn't spend money on it.

[brii | brii (three months behind...) · Rating 3 out of 5]

I’m not sure how it’s possible, but I both loved this, and yet don’t really see a point of it existing at the same time. While I enjoyed digging into some of the files that surrounded this “case”, I also don’t really think it added anything to the movie experience whatsoever.

If you enjoyed the movie and have a couple hours to flip through some pretty basic case files, then you’ll have a pretty good time. Otherwise, there’s no real point to this book at all. If it wasn't for the journal at the end, it really wouldn’t be worth reading at all in my opinion.

[Larkin J · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book definitely wasn't what I was expecting, from the outside it looks like a non-fiction overview of how the original film was made, but it's actually a fiction collection of documents such as journal entries, police interviews, and letters. While the people who made this were skilled and the writing itself was sound, the whole book just felt like fanfiction. Compared to the film, this just fell short for me. Makes me want to watch the movie though, Blair Witch is one of my absolute favorite horror movies.

[Jake · Rating 4 out of 5]

D. A. Stern's The Blair Witch Project: A Dossier is a cool piece of Blair Witch memorabilia that will probably be relevant only to the die-hard fans. The original 1999 film is one of my personal favourites, so I have to say that I feel lucky to have stumbled across a used copy of this book in the bargain bin. It's not well written or neatly organized, but it's a fun collectable designed to bolster the mockumentary aspect of the film.

[Cláudia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nunca me vou cansar disto!

[Ohrre · Rating 5 out of 5]

First book i think i read outside of highschool 😭😭 this one has a special place in my heart

[Rish · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not bad but a lot of the lore was already in the Blair Witch mockumentaries.

[Helena Toscano Santos · Rating 4 out of 5]

Don't read it before sleeping 😁

[mags ✄ · Rating 3 out of 5]

I am generally averse to movie tie-in books. They are cash grabs which never provide anything insightful about the world of the film and if they do, I can't take it seriously. In some ways, this is no exception. It's quite cheesy, but I did find myself getting creeped out reading this. Somehow it felt like so much was explored (interviews with irrelevant film characters, new characters, 'historical' art, 'old' documents and 'history') whilst revealing absolutely nothing. This is to be expected. Movie tie-in books trace steady rings around the original story. This finds creative ways to retell, but never to explain what is left unexplained by the film..... But what I like about the film 'The Blair Witch Project' is the ambiguity and the indecisiveness about whether the titular figure exists within that world, so I am grateful that that is maintained. The only thing that really bothered me was Heather's diary because the entire time I was thinking how she would not write like that or say that, nor do I believe half the extra things they added to the pre-forest portion made any sense.

When I saw this at an antique store I was compelled to take it with me. I suspended my disbelief enough for me to have enjoyed this book... it's a bit of fun.

[Adia]

i had no idea what this was going into it, and tbh, i'm still not really sure. the dossier-style format was convincing and interesting, but i've never seen the movie, so the topic was at times vague.

[260731 · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is extremely slow to me. When I heard of the concept it intrigued me but this book misremembered to take forever to get to any scary scene. Although there are not many scary scenes, the few that were there had details that made them fill the empty spaces of the action this story lacks. My favorite character would have to be Heather because she is so kind and relatable. My least favorite character is probably Josh for reasons that would be spoilers if I said them. Besides action, one thing I would add/change in the story is I would add more paranormal/scary scenes. All things considered, the real reason this is my favorite book is mainly because of the ending. To be completely honest I did not find this book scary, but the ending left me shook and a bit annoyed. I really wish I knew what happens next.

[Zoe Blinko · Rating 4 out of 5]

Incredibly creepy to the point that I was unable to get to sleep properly for hours afterwards. As words of advice, do not read a book like this at night.

If you enjoyed the movie and found it as disturbing as I did, then you will enjoy this book. It's main composition is of letters and transcripts of interviews and tapes which were conducted by a private investigator named Buck Buchanan. He is hired by Angela Donahue, the mother of Heather Donahue who as seen in the films footage, went missing after a trip into the woods to shoot a documentary about the legendary Blair Witch.

What follows is an interesting delve into the background of the legend of the Blair Witch from the 1780's up until 1994 and the disappearance of the three students. The banishment of Elly Kedward, the drowning of Eileen Treacle, the disappearence of Robin Weaver, the discovery of the bodies at Coffin Rock and the murders by Rustin Parr are all included in some depth. What is also interesting is the inclusion of some photographs, historical drawings and mock newspaper articles that give a pretty convincing narrative surrounding the Blair Witch.

It's hard to remember that this is only fictional; to be fair, thank god it isn't real.

[Naki · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nel 1999 è uscito quello che per molti è ancora considerato un capolavoro del suo genere e un film imperdibile per gli amanti dei mockumentary.
The Blair Witch Project è inizialmente stato pubblicizzato come una storia vera, doveva essere infatti il montaggio dei video di tre studenti (Heather Donahue, Joshua Leonard e Michael Williams) alla ricerca di informazioni e notizie riguardanti la strega di Blair. I tre giovani dopo essersi recati all'interno della foresta Black Hills alla ricerca di indizi utili per la loro ricerca erano scomparsi misteriosamente e dopo un anno erano stati ritrovati oltre ad oggetti personali di vario tipo i nastri registrati dai tre escursionisti. Il film non faceva altro che racchiudere i video degli ultimi istanti di vita dei giovani scomparsi nel nulla montando ad arte le pellicole ritrovate un anno dopo la loro scomparsa
Inutile dire che di vero in questa storia c'è ben poco, non è infatti vera una singola parola, semplicemente prima dell'uscita del film sono stati creati volantini, siti internet e testimonianze sulla scomparsa dei 3 ragazzi così da giocare sulla paura, la curiosità morbosa e il mistero legato a quella che sembrava essere una reale e tragica storia di scomparsa misteriosa. Come ogni marketing che si rispetta non poteva mancare un libro ma non un semplice libro bensì un vero e proprio dossier incaricato di incuriosire la gente e spingerla ad interessarsi ancora di più a The Blair Witch Project. Nel 2000 è infatti uscito The Blair Witch Project: Il dossier.
Dave Stern ha ben pensato di creare un finto dossier che potesse includere tutti i particolari possibili per colpire l'opinione pubblica e per raccontare cosa successe dopo la fatale scomparsa. Secondo lo scrittore i genitori di Heather Donahue decisero di reclutare un detective per fare luce sul mistero. Nel volume ritroviamo quindi tutti i documenti, le interviste, le ricostruzioni, le informazioni sulla scomparsa degli studenti, il diario di Heather, le ricostruzioni delle vicende di Rustin Parr e le vicende relative alla strega di Blair e il suo culto.
Il risultato è favoloso, davvero ben fatto e ben strutturato. Un vero must have per tutti i fan della serie. Il libro è talmente ben strutturato da poter spingere persone inconsapevoli della trovata pubblicitaria e del mockumentary a credere davvero in questo fantomatico caso di cronaca! Mi sento quindi di consigliarlo a tutti, sia ai fan che rivivranno l'emozione e l'atmosfera del film sia a quelli che non hanno mai sentito parlare di The Blair Witch Project, purtroppo come molti libri anche questo sarà difficile da trovare, sono ormai passati 14 anni dalla pubblicazione e difficilmente sarà presente nelle biblioteche, il mio consiglio quindi è quello di farvelo prestare oppure di tenere d'occhio le bancarelle o i mercatini dell'usato

[Adrian Santiago · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mi único problema fue el horrible final, rápido, aburrido y sin aporte al mundo de la bruja de Blair y la novela/informe en sí.

Fuera de eso, me encantó. Así es como se debería hacer un novelización de una película, una continuación, una expansión o simplemente un informe del caso (como aquí).
Me gusta que adhiere personajes a otros que ya salieron en la película, en sí lo importante es cómo agrega variantes que puedan desencadenar en una explicación de lo que ocurrió en la historia. Agrega pistas, personajes, elementos y las conclusiones.

Aunque realmente es más un resumen más que nuevo contenido. Con mi experiencia de leer los dossier de Twin Peaks, eso hacen este tipo de informes. Solo agregan pequeña información, resumenes de lo que es canónico y otras pequeñas fuentes de información (nueva).

Otros dos problemas que ahora recuerdo:
Primero, la mayoría de estos datos interesantes se explican y luego se vuelen a dar tal cual pero en textos más tediosos y extensos. Segundo, la parte del diario de Heather, aunque en sí vemos a un personaje "diferente" a lo que se grabó en la cámara, en realidad no le encontré sentido ni a lo que escribe ni a las notas que agrega esa persona a la que se le dio el diario a leer.

Me gustó la incorporación de fotografías, tienen un buen trabajo de edición, aunque no me metí ni lo haré a ver si las fotos son de los creadores o algo divertido o interesante.

En resumen, el informe lo lees en un día. Aporta un contexto de lo que lleva la historia en la película, da posibles respuestas a las preguntas al final de la película. Pero, para nada agrega información a la historia principal ni una respuesta concreta a preguntas que existieran sobre ello.

[Geoff · Rating 3 out of 5]

One of the only issues I have with the book is that the characters hosting this deep-dive aren't particularly interesting. I didn't bother to learn anyone who wasn't in the movie's name other than the mother. You'll be just fine if you do the same. It's more fun if you view it just as compiled research that you could look for yourself online, just in a fictional sense. And the names of the writers of those articles don't particularly mean anything to you, right? Anyway. Contrary to other reviews, this book explains things! Sure, no one explicitly says "and this is the facts on the case" with a neat little bow and no one finds out where the witch is now and banishes her, but come on. They tell you that these things happened so you can believe they happened. They give you as realistic of an explanation of how the witch came to be and about the killer they spoke about in the movie that anyone can have without them finding a magic journal that they themselves have written (Which they do for Heather, which is fine and the best part of this book and gives some fun insight and changes how you see her character.) If you think this book doesn't explain anything that the movie doesn't you're just either incredibly stubborn, didn't actually read it, or you simply do not understand the concept that this is trying to imitate real life, and it would be ridiculously unrealistic if they gave you all of the facts in-depth. Just believe that everything that it says might have happened in the story, happened. It's fiction. Why be skeptical?

[Alan · Rating 4 out of 5]

A companion piece to The Blair Witch Project film, this "dossier" collects further info and speculation on what happened to the three missing students. Played out on the premise that Heather's family hired a private investigation firm to further investigate what happened in the Black Hills after the police have ceased their searches. It's fun and interesting, although I found some of the description of Heather, Josh and Mike's backgrounds as not fitting what was portrayed in the movie or the faux documentary about it. I would like to have seen it delve further into the mystery, but ultimately if looked at as being "real" you either accept that the Blair Witch really exists or something more grounded in reality befell the students and we're likely never to know their true fates.

[Marina Garrido · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fun read if you're a huge fan of The Blair With movie like I am, however, about 50 pages in the book becomes repetitive seeing as most of the "interviews" featured don't add anything to the lore. All of the pictures are of terrible quality and break the illusion that this is supposed to be a non-fiction piece. The one thing that annoyed me was Angela's letters not being transcribed and only "handwritten," because the font was too loopy for me to decipher it. By far the best section is Heather's diary entries, if you liked the movie you have to check those out, you don't even have to read the whole book seeing as the only background info you need to understand the diary is the film.

Overall a fun read but nothing spectacular, I won't ever read it again. Definitely not worth buying, borrow it from a library or a friend.

[Tim W · Rating 4 out of 5]

Love the film and after watching it again at Halloween decided to get this after seeing it on eBay. It’s basically a collection of (fabricated) documents ranging from extracts of old folklore books to police records relating to the Blair Witch missing persons investigation. It does include some interesting details that weren’t used in the film, however most of it did appear in the Curse of the Blair Witch mocumentary which aired at the time of its release as promotion. Along with the original film, The Curse of the Blair Witch and The Burkittsville 7 mocumentaries, this book is considered canon, so it’s worth looking at if you’re a fan. It’s quite short, a bit repetitive and there’s no huge revelations, but if you’re willing to suspend belief then it’s a decently crafted bit of fun.

[Elaine Adams · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm thrilled this book felt purely informative and expanded on the crazy world building that was put into the movie and not on trying to scare us with the witchcraft and supernatural elements. What needs to be understood about the Blair Witch Project is that the reason it's so good is because of its lightning in a bottle nature, not because the story or even the witch herself is that scary. It's so scary because the creators went to insane efforts to make everyone think it was real! Any sequel or attempt to dive more into the malevolence or horror of the witch would simply flop because that's ultimately not what the movie was about and you just can't recreate that moment in time. I wish we could go back to the internet in 1999

[Sepiaafterhours · Rating 3 out of 5]

rating: ⭐⭐⭐
˚₊‧꒰ა ☆ ໒꒱ ‧₊˚
If you've watched the blair witch project movie, this book might give you extra knowledge or you might just end steering clear of it.

But as I found the blurb interesting, this book was creepy and was written in investigatiory style with the witness recordings, proofs and Heather's journal mainly after the movie ends, giving a little more depth to the movie.

What amazed me that this book was an art of fiction written for a fictional film that was based on tape-style of direction.

Overall, this book is kinda interesting and has some lore about Blair witch it's origin and might interest and creep you both.

[Olivia · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is a companion to the film The Blair Witch Project. The book provides newspaper clippings, photos, interview transcripts, and journal entries that are all part of the "investigation" surrounding the events of The Blair Witch Project found footage. It's a cool book to have and a testament to the amazing marketing of the film, but it doesn't really reveal more about the legends or what happened to the three college students- it definitely leaves all of the mysteries still open.

[Rad.Boi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sin duda alguna, uno de los mejores libros que he leído. Realmente me sentí conectada con todos los sucesos, las narraciones de los testigos y con el diario mismo de Heather. Es una perfecta recopilación de material policial.

También es bastante oscura, un poco desesperante el pensar en todo lo sucedido. En como esos chicos desaparecieron sin dejar rastro alguno, sobretodo cuando hay algo paranormal de por medio.