Closure can be cathartic. Especially when it comes to the death of a loved one, it helps us move on. It helps us keep their memory alive when we’re fully satisfied with the avenues in which we said goodbye or the circumstances in which they left this earth. Closure is generally seen as a good thing. What happens when we don’t get that closure though? When the idea or refusal of acceptance of a loved one’s death becomes an unhealthy obsession? What path does that lead us down? What unhealthy actions or habits do we take on? This is the question posed by 2016’s BLAIR WITCH directed by Adam Wingard.
In BLAIR WITCH, we follow James Donahue (James Allen McCune) on a self-imposed quest for answers regarding the disappearance of his sister Heather, who disappeared in 1994 while attempting to document the titular witch. For James, the sudden disappearance of his sister has become an adult obsession. To him, she’s out there somewhere, still alive and ready to be brought back home. He refused to accept any idea other than his sister being alive, culminating to the point of him and his friends documenting their search for her in a documentary entitled in itself THE ABSENCE OF CLOSURE.
In 2018, my Uncle died in what officials called a “freak mishap”. A few months later, one of my best friends from high school took his own life. Both of these instances were so unexpected to the point that I myself refused to believe them to a certain point. I had no closure with either one of them. In a single flash they were gone from my life never to return, always leaving that lingering question in my mind of why they had to leave. We’re not guaranteed closure in life with anything, and sometimes that can lead to unexpected outcomes.
James and his friends head into the woods joined by two locals who had uploaded a video onto YouTube containing footage of what James believes to be Heather. At first things seem par for the course and uneventful. Like any hike through the woods, it’s idyllic and peaceful for the most part. The crew not only discuss the disappearance of Heather, but the dark history of the area whom they all link back to the Blair Witch, a catalyst for all of the evil that has transpired. James’ friends are here to support him, this isn’t the journey they asked for nor is it their burdens to carry. Eventually they realize the woods aren’t what they seem, and they get lost in its labyrinth design and space and time flow differently.
When my friend took his own life, I spiraled. The 1-2-punch of my uncle passing and that event felt like the worst pain I have ever felt in my life. I found solace in a bottle and a bowl. It transformed from a casual act to a full-blown addiction. I remember packing a backpack to go to work and at the bottom of it hidden beneath a change of clothes was always a tequila bottle. I would pressure my friends and coworkers after work to partake in my killing of my internal pain. I used to spend the night at a friend’s house frequently and we would finish a full bottle ourselves. It was a sickness. Why did I feel the need to do this? Because I couldn’t cope with the loss. In the process I was dragging others into my own downfall, and I was witnessing it in real-time.
When James and his friends find the house from the video with Heather, it’s too late. The Blair Witch already has them in a time and space stand still with no escape. James’ journey for closure leads him and his friends into a dire situation with no escape. With nowhere to run, he decides to run inside the house where he thinks he hears Heather’s voice. Desperate for those answers that he feels he’s so close to, he decides to barricade himself inside when it’s revealed to be a facade caused by the Blair Witch herself.
My vices began to consume me. I blamed myself in many ways for my friend’s death. “Why didn’t I reach out?” “Why did we grow distant?” “I wish he knew he was loved.” In a way, I felt partially responsible, and those guilt-ridden thoughts came back to me every time I drank. It was all-consuming. I knew that if I kept down this path, it would be the end of me. So, I made the decision to end it and clean up my act. I started therapy, focused on transition, and slowed down on my drinking. In therapy I learned that I was never going to get proper closure for either one of their deaths, and that in itself would be closure. They would want me to move on. To live my life and prosper. I stopped blaming myself and did exactly that.
When James is finally confronted by the Blair Witch, he resists. He knows the situation he’s in is a matter of life and death and his final decisions will have consequences. Resisting the urge to look at her, he fights back by staring in the corner to protect himself. Eventually he hears Heather’s voice. Desperate for it to be her, he turns around. Never to be seen again.
James’ obsession for closure is what eventually leads to his downfall. When we lose a loved one, especially to unexpected or unpredictable circumstances, we can become obsessed with finding answers. Whether it be addiction or unhealthy habits, we can spiral if we focus on those unanswered questions. Sometimes we can bring others around us down in ways we can’t expect and those can lead to unforeseen consequences. Sometimes the best closure is not at all, realizing that sometimes fate is outside of our control. I firmly believe BLAIR WITCH and James’ obsession with his missing sister reinforces this idea.
Sometimes the best closure is none at all. You may spend the rest of your life searching the forest for it, only to find yourself staring into a corner at the end.
Tags: Adam Wingard, Blair Witch, Heather Donahue, James Allen McCune, James Donahue, Joshua Leonard, Michael Williams, Simon Barrett, The Blair Witch Project, We Are Horror
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