Fans of The Blair Witch Project will have an opportunity to explore locations connected to the iconic horror film during a special Blair Witch Heritage Hike at Seneca Creek State Park in Gaithersburg this Halloween.
The Maryland Department of Natural Resources announced the hike will take place Saturday, October 31, from 3-6 p.m. at the Button Farm Living History Center at Seneca Creek State Park. Registration opens at midnight on October 1, and space is limited.
Participants will hike to locations featured in The Blair Witch Project while learning about the movie’s connection to the area and the landscape that helped create its atmosphere. The event will also feature behind-the-scenes stories and information about the history, folklore and local legends surrounding the film.
Released in 1999, The Blair Witch Project was set in the fictional Black Hills Forest near Burkittsville in Frederick County, but much of the movie was actually filmed in the woods of Seneca Creek State Park in Gaithersburg, with additional scenes filmed in Wheaton.
The movie was co-written, directed and edited by Eduardo Sánchez, a graduate of Wheaton High School and Montgomery College. Sánchez has previously said the legend was partly inspired by the mysterious atmosphere of Long Branch Creek near his childhood home.
The event comes as the Blair Witch franchise prepares to return to theaters. Lionsgate recently announced that a reimagined Blair Witch film will be released September 24, 2027. The upcoming movie is being produced by Blumhouse and Atomic Monster and directed by Dylan Clark, whose horror short Portrait of God gained attention online. Original stars Joshua Leonard and Michael C. Williams are serving as executive producers.
The original Blair Witch Project grossed more than $250 million worldwide and became one of the most successful independent films ever released, while helping popularize the found-footage horror genre.
More than 25 years later, Montgomery County remains closely connected to the franchise, with fans continuing to visit filming locations at Seneca Creek State Park. The Halloween heritage hike will provide a guided opportunity to explore that local history in the same woods that appeared on screen.
