Moll Dyer

If you've ever seen the Blair Witch Project, you are probably familiar with Moll Dyer. Arguably one of my favorite movies, the Blair Witch Project depicts the story a women who was driven out of her town by local townsfolk in the midst of a winter night. The movie shows how she know haunts those in the woods she died in, and it is said her soul still resides in the cabin in the middle of the woods. 

Moll Dyer was accused of witchcraft in the 17th Century, yet, no evidence has ever been found of her existence. The stories and folktales of her do not all agree, and it is hard to pinpoint exactly who she was. The most popular story believed her to be an Irish noblewomen who attempted to escape a mysterious past by residing in a small cottage outside of Seymortown. Her isolated way of living drew attention to the locals, who later described her as a witch. When any misfortune happened to the town, Moll Dyer was to blame. 

In the winter of 1697, the season wreaked havoc on the town and many people passed away. Not to mention that their food supply was diminishing almost daily. The locals believed Dyer cursed the town, and needed to get rid of her at once. To accomplish this, they set fire to her cottage, forcing Dyer to escape to the woods for the night. She was later found dead and frozen to death. 

This preface sets the stage for the Blair Witch Project, in which three film students try to film a documentary on the local Blair Witch, also known as Moll Dyer. At the end of the movie (spoiler alert), the Blair Witch lured Heather and Mike into the cottage and killed them. This leads the audience to believe that Moll Dyer is still haunting the woods in which she famously froze to death. 

Above is a picture of the rock that Moll Dyer laid her hand on just before freezing to death, where she laid her final curse on the nearby town.