The Blair Witch Project ending explained- What happens to Heather and Mike?

In the world of found footage horrors, The Blair Witch Project (1999) has created a benchmark of its own. Actors Heather Donahue, Michael C. Williams, and Joshua Leonard starred in the movie.

Helmed by Daniel Myrick and Eduardo Sánchez, The Blair Witch Project is a fictionalized story and was shot in a 'fake documentary' style.

The Blair Witch Project follows the plot of Heather, Josh, and Mike—three filmmakers who are set to uncover the truth behind the narrative of the 'Blair Witch.' This mythical figure has spread waves of fear amongst the locals as they say this witch kills people.

Hence, this trio is set to travel to Black Hills, which is nearby Burkittsville, Maryland, and document evidence behind the existence of the supposed 'witch.' However, little do they know what fate has in store for them.

But viewers must be wondering what happens at the end of The Blair Witch Project. Well, the ending of the film is rather more open-ended.

In the end, as Heather and Mike reach the abandoned house in search of Josh, some unexplained force makes Heather and Mike fall down. As soon as Heather falls, her camera falls on the floor too, and the movie gets concluded suddenly.

Let us dissect the ending of The Blair Witch Project.

Disclaimer: This article contains major spoilers of The Blair Witch Project. It also explains plots of the film containing violent details. Reader discretion is advised.

The Blair Witch Project ending explained- What happens to Heather and Mike?

As Heather, Josh, and Mike are out on the expedition in the forest, they experience eerie things. They come across several cairns, and they also hear sticks breaking and voices too. They lost their way out as well, and they found mysterious effigies made of sticks hung from the trees.

Suddenly, Josh disappears. And Heather and Mike later hear Josh's cries for help. They try to locate him but are unable to. Sooner, Heather makes a gruesome discovery.

She finds a package that has a bunch of sticks and the remaining part of Josh's shirt. She uncovers to find mutilated body parts such as a tongue, teeth, a finger, and hair. These are assumed to be of Josh; it may be so that Josh is killed.

However, Mike and Heather go to find out about Josh. They are led to a creepy, abandoned house. The interior of the house is filled with blood-soaked handprints of children. As soon as Mike enters the basement, an unknown entity makes him fall on the ground.

Quickly, we now witness the film from Heather's camera. A terrified Heather enters the basement too, and she finds Mike in an odd fashion. She finds Mike to be turned towards the wall, without any movement.

As soon as she utters his name, that unexplained force hits her too, and she falls on the floor. Her camera too falls, and the movie ends there.

Possible theories about the ending of The Blair Witch Project

There are several speculative theories about the ending of The Blair Witch Project. One of the commonly believed theories is that Mike and Heather have been killed by the Blair Witch. Some also believe them to be killed by Rustin Parr.

There have also been theories about time distortions, since Rustin Parr's house has been already dismantled when he was put to death in 1941. So what was that house?

Some people also believe Josh to be the killer too, as they believe the Blair Witch might have possessed him and is now making him do her dirty work.

Well there are multiple possible endings that can be interpreted in The Blair Witch Project.

Blair Witch and Rustin Parr: Their history, explored

During the course of the film, the trio come across various anecdotes about the Blair Witch from the locals.

Back in the year 1785, legends say that a woman named Elly Kedward was charged with performing witchcraft on children and hence, faced a brutal death. However, the children who accused her of witchcraft died one by one, and hence, the fearful legend of the Blair Witch expanded.

Several instances of children's disappearance took place post that, which includes back in 1888, when a child named Robin Weaver claimed to have come across an elderly woman whose feet did not land on the ground ever.

Many years later, another incident took place in the forest. It is of a man named Rustin Parr, who used to murder children.

He had a certain way of killing them. Since he would not allow his victims to see him, he would take them in pairs and compel one of them to face the wall, standing in the corner (remember how Mike was in the ending scene?). Rustin Parr asserted that an elderly woman in black clothes would ask him to commit these crimes, in his mind.

He killed over seven young boys, but the eighth person survived his attack. That is when, in 1941, Parr turned himself in for all the murders. He was soon given a death penalty.

There seems to be a direct correlation between the Blair Witch and Rustin Parr. Either the witch's spirit made Parr carry out these activities, or the witch could just be a manifestation of Parr's mind.

Released in 1999, this movie is iconic for several reasons. The reasons include its unique marketing strategies, its filmmaking technique, and its being considered to be one of the most spine-chilling movies ever.

This film has also been an inspiration behind the creation of more iconic films of its kind, including Paranormal Activity (2007), REC (2007), and Cloverfield (2008).

The legacy of The Blair Witch Project has been continued in its sequels, namely Book of Shadows: Blair Witch (2000) and Blair Witch (2016).