In 1999, filmmakers Daniel Myrick and Eduardo Sánchez released their independent movie, The Blair Witch Project. It would quickly become one of the most successful indie films of all time and popularize the found footage genre. Recently, Lionsgate and Blumhouse confirmed a modern remake of the cult classic was in development. Viewers who wish to get acquainted with the original movies before the remake can use our guide to find out how to watch all the Blair Witch movies in order using services like Max, Prime Video and Netflix.
The Blair Witch Project follows three student filmmakers who have gone missing: Heather Donahue, Michael C. Williams, and Joshua Leonard. The students disappeared while filming a documentary on the myth of the Blair Witch, leaving behind their cameras. Hence, the movie presents itself as if it is the actual footage left behind by the students. While The Blair Witch Project wasn’t the first found footage movie, it did revolutionize the genre. The film was great exposure for the genre, as it was a sleeper hit and garnered over $250 million at the box office on a budget of just $200,000.
Part of the reason The Blair Witch Project was so successful was its unique marketing strategy. It created a website, fake police reports, missing persons posters for the characters, and newsreels that circulated online. In addition, it aired a companion mockumentary, Curse of the Blair Witch, before the film’s release, which includes interviews with friends and families of the missing characters. The marketing campaign was so convincing that some audiences at the time believed The Blair Witch Project was a real documentary rather than fiction.
Eager to capitalize on The Blair Witch Project’s success, a sequel, Book of Shadows: Blair Witch 2, was quickly greenlit and helmed by Joe Berlinger. It followed the same meta/found footage premise of the original, as it follows a group of The Blair Witch Project fans who go to the site of the shoot only to begin to experience paranormal phenomena. The sequel also received a pre-release mockumentary, Shadow of the Blair Witch. Unfortunately, the sequel was panned by critics who found it too formulaic and reliant on the original’s ideas.
Hence, in 2016, Blair Witch premiered and served as a direct sequel to the original while ignoring the events of Book of Shadows: Blair Witch 2. Directed by Adam Wingard, the film follows Donahue’s brother, James Donahue (James Allen McCune), who ventures to the woods where his sister went missing 17 years earlier, only to realize the legend of the Blair Witch may be true. While considered an improvement over the second movie, Blair Witch still received criticism for being too similar to the original but not nearly as frightening.
How to watch the Blair Witch movies in order
The best way to watch the Blair Witch franchise is in chronological order, which is the same as the release date order. In addition to the three Blair Witch movies, there are four mockumentaries. The Curse of the Blair Witch is the preface to The Blair Witch Project, and Shadow of the Blair Witch is the preface to Book of Shadows: Blair Witch 2. The other two mockumentaries, Sticks and Stones: An Exploration of the Blair Witch Legend and The Massacre of the Burkittsville 7: The Blair Witch Legacy, added further lore to the franchise before the first sequel. The chronological order of the movies is:
- Curse of the Blair Witch
- The Blair Witch Project
- Sticks and Stones: An Exploration of the Blair Witch Legend
- The Massacre of the Burkittsville 7: The Blair Witch Legacy
- Shadow of the Blair Witch
- Book of Shadows: Blair Witch 2
- Blair Witch
Where to watch the Blair Witch movies streaming online
Check out our list below to find out where to stream the Blair Witch movies and mockumentaries online in the U.S.!
