The original "Blair Witch Project" was a viral-marketing pioneer.

The allure of the original “Blair Witch Project” had much to do with the popular perception that it was “real” — that this camcorder footage was unscripted and documenting something that actually occurred in the woods of Maryland. It didn’t, of course, but the shoestring production’s influence on the horror genre was massive in terms of both content and marketing. 17 years later, it appears as though Adam Wingard’s “Blair Witch” might be trying to recapture that spirit via a potentially fake Kickstarter page. (At least we hope it’s fake.)

READ MORE: ‘Blair Witch’: How Filmmakers Were Able to Keep the Sequel Under Wraps for Three Years

With a funding period of February 1 to March 3 of 2014, the campaign claims to have successfully crowdfunded a film called “The Absence of Closure.” Directed by Lisa Arlington and billing itself as a “feature-length documentary that examines the tragedy of ambiguous loss,” the movie comes with some troubling updates: As of August 11, Arlington is still said to be missing in Northwest Maryland after disappearing during production. Lisa is the name of a character in “Blair Witch,” which like its predecessor is set in Maryland; that update also refers to someone named James, who could likewise be a character in the film. A google search for “Lisa Arlington” yields no obvious connections to a real missing person.

READ MORE: Review: ‘The Woods’ Delivers The ‘Blair Witch’ Sequel We Wanted 15 Years Ago



“Blair Witch” was known by “The Woods” until this year’s San Diego Comic-Con, when its true identity was revealed. Lionsgate is releasing it theatrically on September 16.

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