Markoff’s Haunted Forest Opens Tonight
Every year, the Markoff brothers have invited daredevils to venture out into their frightful forest during the Halloween season. As Halloween fever descends on Montgomery County, Markoff’s Haunted Forest is opening again with health precautions in place to ensure a safe and thrilling night.
This year, the Haunted Forest has combined their two haunted trails into one hybrid trail, a welcomed change for veterans of the forest. Unfortunately, the Town will not be open this year.
Changes have been made to the haunted trail to create a terrifying experience, while keeping all patrons safe. Markoff’s Haunted Forest is only offering cohort tickets, with a maximum of six people per group. These tickets can be purchased online on their website and must be reserved in advance. Groups will stay together during the trail walk and be separate from other groups.
The trail is completely outside, with strict time slots for arriving groups to maintain distance between all attendees. All participants will be expected to wear a mask during the forest walk and when social distancing is not possible. Staff members will also be wearing masks.
The spooky grand opening is tonight, October 9th. For more information and FAQ, please visit Markoff’s Haunted Forest’s website.
Photo courtesy of the Markoff’s Haunted Forest Website.
By Amy Lusignan
The Blair Witch Project was Filmed in Montgomery County
October is finally here, and it’s the perfect time to watch some scary movies. Did you know that the first installment of the Blair Witch franchise, The Blair Witch Project (1999) was filmed right here in Montgomery County?
In the indie supernatural horror, three film students camp in the fictional Black Hills Forest of Burkittsville, Maryland in October of 1994 to film a documentary on the local legend of the Blair Witch. Mysteriously, the trio vanishes, leaving behind hours of footage to be discovered a year later by University of Maryland anthropology students. What the viewer witnesses is this purportedly real home video style footage.
The movie was filmed on location in only eight days, concluding on Halloween of 1997. Though the story is set in the village of Burkittsville in Frederick County, the majority of the film was shot in the woods of Seneca Creek State Park in Gaithersburg. Some scenes were also filmed in Wheaton.
Behind its MoCo roots is Takoma Park native and Montgomery College graduate Eduardo Sánchez, who co-wrote, directed, and edited the movie with Daniel Myrick. Sánchez credits (https://patch.com/maryland/takomapark/blair-witch-filmed-20-years-ago-maryland) the eeriness and adventure of the Long Branch Creek behind his childhood home as inspiration for the made up Blair Witch legend.
The film is one of the most successful independent movies of all time, drawing in over $250 million worldwide and launching a popular franchise of films, television specials, books, and video games. It is widely credited for reviving the found-footage style of film, later used in hit horrors like Paranormal Activity.
A source of local pride for Gaithersburg residents, “Blair Witch Heritage Hikes” have been held in past years at Seneca Creek State Park to celebrate the history of the film. Now would be a great time to explore the park yourself and observe famous movie landmarks like “Coffin Rock” to get in the spirit of the season.
Featured photo courtesy of Wikipedia.
By Alicia Clanton
