My favorite ending will always be the good ending where Bullet & Peter live but Ellis dies. Yes it's bittersweet but given everything that Ellis has gone through it just felt like a way to give him peace while also breaking the cycle of the witch
I also hope there is an ending where Sheriff Lanning lives (I’m idealistic lol). But his death is unavoidable in the plot I guess… I feel extremely bad that he died because he was just trying to help Ellis, and he always stood by his side.
@@qaqbqc1005 Yeah. I worked through getting all the endings but sadly he always dies. I agree I wish we could save him because he always tried to help Ellis & it sucks that he has to die for the story
I love how technically speaking. Due to the bad ending the game is a continuous loop. Like when you start a new game it’s like a new loop. The only way to break it is to do things differently than what you did before
Correct timeline (assuming the conflict is the First Gulf War): *Pre-1991: Ellis has a traumatic childhood experience in the woods where he and his friend go missing and his friend loses his life. It is hinted that an unknown someone or something was involved in the disappearance of Ellis and his friend as well as the death of his friend. *Pre-1991: Ellis has severe mental trauma and repressed memories from his experience in the woods as well as survivor's guilt. *Pre-1991 to 1991: Ellis joins the military, fights in a conflict (assumed to be the First Gulf War 1990-1991) and inadvertently leads his squad into an ambush where six of his squad-mates are killed and many others injured. During this incident, he avoids enemy combatants by hiding in a civilian woman's home where he kills her with a knife out of fear that she may alert the enemy of his presence. These two events only add to his psychological trauma and survivor's guilt. *Sometime between 1991-1996: Ellis returns home and joins the local Sheriff's department. He is involved in an incident where he shoots an unarmed teen, Adam, who survives. The shooting appears to be due to a PTSD episode that Ellis suffers. He is then discharged from the force. *Sometime between 1991-1996: During this timeframe (probably just after he is discharged), the Sheriff gifts him a dog (Bullet). *1996: After his discharge from Sheriff's department, his mind starts to split (the beginning of 'Carver'). Ellis ('Carver') kidnaps Peter and brings him to the woods and recreates an event similar to his own childhood experience but with Ellis now as the perpetrator. Around the same time-frame, Ellis joins the search for Peter unaware that his own other-personality is the one who kidnapped Peter. The reason for kidnapping Peter (and not some other kid) is significant and appears to be due to the fact that Peter is the younger brother of Adam, the teen Ellis shot and wounded. This suggests that 'Carver' kidnapped Peter knowing Ellis would join the search out of the feeling of guilt for shooting his old brother, if nothing else which is hinted during the early part of the game. The search gives Ellis a reason to stay in the woods until Peter is found, allowing 'Carver' time to take over Ellis within the isolated environment of the forest (part of 'Carvers' plan all along). *1996: During the search for Peter (and while Peter is being kept by Ellis/Carver) Ellis remains in the woods as he continues to transforms into Carver. Like Peter, he is then assumed to have gone missing by the authorities and his loved ones (he never speaks to Jess again). *2000: Todd Crawford goes missing as he is killed by 'Carver' in the sawmill. The year is confirmed by the missing person's report. *2000: The sheriff goes looking for Todd and encounters Ellis ('Carver') alive, living in the woods after four years since their last encounter (the search for Peter). Ellis ('Carver') mentions he "likes the quiet" referring to his years of living in the woods. He eventually kills the Sheriff (perhaps to remove Ellis' last remaining friend, further preventing Ellis a chance to ever return to his original self). Todd's murder may have been committed simply lure the Sheriff back into to the woods for this purpose. Now the ending itself also has two different timelines: In regards to Peter, this part of the ending (text) takes place in 1996. If Peter survives, it can be assumed he is released by Ellis in 1996 as Ellis does not fully give into his demons at this time. Much like Ellis' own experience, Peter also does not speak about his experience under Ellis/Carver's captivity thus Ellis is never suspected of being the kidnapper (at least not until 2000). If Peter is killed, then his body is found the same year, implying Ellis has already given in to his demons and Carver has taken over by this point. Regardless, by the year 2000 (Todd's disappearance), Ellis has almost fully become 'Carver' by this point. As mentioned, all phone conversations between Ellis and Jess happen in 1996 during the search for Peter (as Ellis himself goes 'missing' after this). The final struggle at the end of the game between Ellis and 'Carver' takes place in the year 2000. If Ellis dies (kills himself / killed by 'Carver'), it can be assumed he reports to the authorities of the location of the Sheriff and Todd's bodies before he takes his own life as both bodies are found within a relatively short time-frame after their deaths (as suggested in the 'Good' ending). Now how does the Blair Witch come in? The Blair Witch arguably has no direct influence on Ellis or Carver in the sense that it is only the stories of her existence and how she is said to haunt the forest (stories Ellis likely grew up hearing) which is what actually influences Ellis' already fractured mind. With this he imagines being recalled to the woods by the witches' voice, the same woods where he once went missing years ago and the same woods which she is said to haunt. Ellis (who's psyche evaluation suggests an interest in hiking and hunting some time before leaving to join the military) likely returns to these woods at some point after his discharge as a deputy and before he kidnaps Peter. It is here that Ellis imagines being further manipulated by these external forces of 'the witch' forming him into becoming 'Carver' (a replica of the individual / 'monster' who kidnapped Ellis and his friend all those years ago). This then leads him to kidnap Peter as 'Carver' suggesting a cycle is being repeated, which puts everything we see at the start of the game in motion.
Man I usully like convuluted lore/timelines but this is too much for me Like idk all of this mistery and different timeframes just for a « I’m traumatized and I’ve got DID » makes me roll my eyes a bit, espiacially since the story could have been made the same without having the Blair Witch IP involved
Thanks for the explanation, Harry. The game was a bit confusing. I didn't realize that the main character WAS Carver. I thought it was a separate person that he replaces at the end, becoming a new minion of the witch. This game was a tad tedious to play but had quite a bit of potential that I'd like to see executed better somewhere else.
If you see Ellis’s hands they start to get all worn out and ugly like as if the forest was changing him, I had a feeling something was going to happen to him but all these unfound clues were interesting as well.
I've done multiple playthroughs of this game for the platinum & it still didn't quite make sense so thank you for this video. The story finally makes sense
One thing I loved about the 2016 sequel was that it actually focused on what the witch could do, rather than the mystery of the witch. And HD footage definitely helps to clue you into the dread that the kids are feeling. I like how it went deeper into the lore, explaining that all it takes is a single night's stay in the woods for the witch to permanently imprison you within her domain. I also loved the two different times the drone is sent into the air. The first time, we can see openings in the woods, clearings, a mountain pass, and rivers. But the second time, all that is gone; it's literally just a sea of trees with no end in sight.
I played the game and honestly had no idea there was a time loop, I genuinely thought he had lost his mind and retreated fully into his trauma but this makes so much more sense. It's a cool concept but there was no way near enough clues in the game to help you figure this out.
Well if you watched it in a cinema at 9 then an adult took you to see it so blame the adult that forgot to tell you there's no such thing as a "real" horror film.
@Turner Well, I remember it quite clearly. I was with my dad and stepmom, the theatre had tables, served drinks and full course meals. I also watched House on Haunted Hill there that same year, but that one was too scary for me then. I don't know what reason I'd have to lie about that. 😂
The multiple timelines is actually a Reddit theory as well. In the movie, when Josh destroys the pile of rocks, they wake up the next day beginning the sign they are lost. No roads. No planes. No trails. Heather even makes a comment saying it’s hard to get lost in America these days. Setting the 3 back in time during the time Rustin Parr was luring children to his house in the woods. Explaining the one who killed them was Parr. The witch had some spell over the woods that sent people into different timelines which explains people getting lost so easily there.
i keep thinking about that 2016 movie attic scene with the blinding lights, i remember at 1st i thought it was ufo/e.t's related then i thought it being the change from day to night and like with the loud sounds in the woods as if it's changing restructuring, i remember having a headache for day's trying to it figure out lol
The only problem I have with the analysis is that it can’t be a four year loop. If Ellis had the traumatic experience, had counseling, then left for the Gulf War, then left to live in the woods it would be closer to a 10-12 year cycle. The Gulf War was from January to February 1991. Which means is more plausible for the amnesia since it would have been over a decade before he enters the forest with bullet.
It makes me very sad that the dog dies, no matter what :( poor Bullet, he was such a good boy Edit: I have now been informed that sometimes Bullet does survive and that makes me very happy :) It has been a while since I saw this video and I don't remember what convinced me that Bullet always dies, but I am happy about this confirmation that he doesn't.
I havent watched this video yet but I believe there is an optional ending where bullet will show up at the very end and guard your body until the search team shows up.
@@laprincessa3772 The dog could've easily been a macguffin, being found at the forest in the beginning, only to run off at the end when he turns evil, only to be found again
Everytime Ellis got bad ending, the loop cycle continue. And when the new Ellis get the good ending by reconnect with his wife, be good with Bullet, don`t touch or messing with the witch stuffs in the forest or the house. Bullet stay with Ellis after death, the wife wants you back, Peter get finally free from the woods after 3 days missing in his original timeline ?. Lenning and the woodcutter bodies are found.
Let me understand this, the timeline of young Ellis in 1996 has been erased from all people's minds, since no one remebers him, and replaces him with a new Ellis old enough to participate in the Gulf War? A little bit sketchy, but as you said, it's the only plausible solution
Ok, I'm very confused here. So, young Ellis enters the woods with Peter Shannon in 1996, leaves, grows up, fights in the Gulf War, and returns home then searching for Peter Shannon YET it is still 1996? Wouldn't it make more sense if Young Ellis and Peter Shannon entered the woods at different time periods then converged into one time period, and only Ellis made it out back way before 1996, THEN went through all the Gulf War stuff and came back home in time of Peter's disappearance BY 1996? I must be missing something here, because otherwise that's a massive plot hole that makes zero sense whatsoever.
I think the logic the video tried to explain is that because the older version of Ellis entered 1996, the younger version of him disappeared, meaning all the things related to the younger him disappeared as well (the news of two missing boys became only one missing boy, and the memory of other people who met young Ellis was altered).
This is sort of similar to the "tall grass" movie I watched once. An endless cycle of everyone, getting lost in the grass while looking for other versions of people, who in turn were looking for other versions of them.
The only thing I find weird about this is the way you explained the endings I got the good ending by just petting and comforting bullet and taking care of him aka destroying the cross things
Honestly playing through this game was like going through every single horror cliché ever created Doggo companion that dies? Check Main character with PTSD? Check Divorced from wife? Check Spooky man doing spooky things because they're spooky? Check "Is it PTSD or is it real" hallucinations? Check Random ass plot twist thrown in as a "Ha gotcha"? Check
@@syra1541 until dawn had no fucking clue if it wanted to be a slasher, scifi, saw knock off or supernatural horror and it really shows considering the devs chose to make it all four at the same time.
Not divorced though. Only separated. If Ellis had survived, there was a chance of everything going back to normal. But he's stuck in a loop so that won't be happening. And sadly, the only way out of it is to die a hero. Otherwise, he lives long enough to see himself become the villain. Literally.
Let me just say this… I love horror/thriller games but I just don’t have time these days to play them. I stumbled across your channel and it’s quickly become my favorite new channel. You do an absolutely fantastic job and I feel like I get to appreciate/experience the game in a way I wouldn’t be able to otherwise. I LOVE that you go through the storyline first then go deep on it after. Just great stuff man.
When you enter the old house and it begins to repair it's self to being new is one of the coolest visuals in gaming to me, I actually replayed the game to get back to this moment, it was great
I just completed the game yesterday, it’s genuinely the best horror game I’ve played since outlast. The final sequence in the abandoned house was absolutely terrifying, trippy and surreal.
Tell me about it I couldn't play the game for a while after I died a few times and when I finally gathered the courage to finish it off I just kept getting pissed off rather than being scared and got the bad ending where bullet ran off
i keep thinking there should of been a chapter select option in the new game and an indicator like 5/6 dog tag's collected for example. each play through i'm finding more items lol it's confusing and i've probably missed loads of photos. i think the game remembers your previous collected items like the progress carries over. this game can be really annoying at times lol i'm hoping to get the last goodbye trophy this playthrough, i've been petting bullet alot and regular treats and mustn't send him in tree hole later and to carry him for ages until pass out, it should trigger the achievement 🤞
So the Blair Witch is able to manipulate reality, influence people to do her biddings, can create time loops, and can create monsters out of shadows to intimidate those who wander into her forest? Wow she sounds mildly powerful
I supper with Dissociative Disorder and while time does go crazy and I can say that years go by like days... This is insane and I hope it doesn't scare anyone from understanding this disorder.
Maybe the time loop is a purgatory scenario created in response of the influence from the witch and bad decisions from Ellis. A way of doing things right.
Its interesting how loops often play out in games and movies (mostly ive seen them in thrillers or horror). There always seems to be a moment or way the loop could be broken but a very specific scenario has to occur or be avoided. This often takes years or never happens due to the loop being doomed to repeat until the end of time. I love all the different ways these time loops can occur and play out. If characters find a way out or never do. Some do it better than others but even the ones who miss what makes them so interesting or special.. still spark my interest to a degree.
So... What are the Totems with Pictures in them and what are those Night Creatures? And why the Witch wants you to destroy them? Probably the most important aspect of the story and it wasn't even address. The "Time-Loop" can be explained as a Pocket Dimension that enshrouds the Blair Forest. Once you enter, space and time stops making any sense and it's bound to the Witch's will. It can go forwards and backwards, basically time travelling to different times in the real world, and you can only leave the forest if the Witch allows it.
Love your Lore & Order Series. Anyway could you make Lore video on Nier:Automata Its my favorite game. I want to see your explaination on Nier automata cause i still confuse about something in the game story
Wow. That must have taken some serious amount of work to a) understand and then b) actually explain it. Holy fricken moly who would have thought a licenced game would have such a complex story?
The disappearance of Peter has to be at least 15 years before the game starts Gulf war was years before 1996 The games loop is extended by the cameras and videos
im with everybody else this channel is amazing ive seen so many people play these games and still didnt know what was going on even at the end thank you harry you the man !
Ellis would've had to have been at least 18 yrs old in 2000 when he supposedly entered the force, which would've made him 14 at the oldest in 1996 when Peter, who was 9, went missing. Just seems weird for a 14 yr old and a 9 yr old to go into the woods together but Idk
I don’t know if you’ve managed it yet or not but to get the good ending you need to use the video camera to see your way around, don’t turn on any generators in the lumber camp and keep the headlights off when riding the rail car
Love the explanation, played this game for hours and hours, yet still didn’t pick up on all clues! Really hope we will at some time get a nondirect sequel!
Good resume, i am not sure the story is the best one, but this game definitely brings me back to 1996: this car at the beginning, all the cutscenes, the phones, torches, clothes and many other details.
I think the timeline might be a little off. That has to be the iraq war in ~2003, not the gulf war. Then he enters the woods in 1996. Does he know that it’s 1996? I forgot.
The weirdest part for me in this story is that his recollection of what happened actually says that Ellis gets out and is picked up by a truck driver. This is what happens later in the game to Peter. So how do these two essentially switch places later on during the loop making Peter become the one who escapes and Ellis part of the loop and killing these people? Is this why young Ellis disappears from the timeline?
Thanks for those videos - I usually play peauceful point'n click games so You presented a whole new world to me :) However - what do You think about some old horror game with dark humour - Ghost in the Sheet from 2007?
I played this game for my old youtube channel (channel got deleted a couple of years back). I really enjoyed it until the last chapter. The house itself was okay, but the hammering of the PTSD flashback over and over again made it so I started heavy sighing. When I got to the room of the soldiers keeping their backs towards me I almost just turned off my xbox. They tried to hammer in the war too much. When it was quick flashes I liked it, but once they were forcing it down my throat I was nearly done. Got to the loop part, but by the end of it I was too happy to be done with the soldiers part to really pay attention to the ending.
Okay, so, how does adult Ellis end up in 1996 if that's when child Ellis went into the woods? He hadn't been near the witch since his childhood and as a kid he left the forest still in the same time period.
I know this was 6 mos ago...but I liked the ? Sooooo...here's my attempt at an answer. I imagine Ellis didn't need to go back into the woods. He had a total recall of the event. Like with a traumatic event in most of our real lives...we can usually recall them in great detail...because we've relived that moment in our minds a million times. Often trying to play out diff outcomes if we could change just one tiny lil thing maybe things woulda been different.... idk lol maybe
Thanks for the video, great explanation! The video didn't feature the monsters/creatures living in the woods though, what are those things (the creatures afraid of light, glowing red in the camcorder)?
Your video made my Platinum journey much better. Thank you for taking the time and digg through the content (notes, etc.). I wish, the story was told more straight forward in the game. I got the themes (PTSD, the loop, therapy, mental illness), but while I was playing, I was confused most of the time and I didn’t care too much. The game itself has great ideas, locations, relationships to create/bond, etc. Bullet is my biggest highlight.
Theory:If Ellis can manipulate the world with the camera that means that everything is like he himself controling time but the problem is that certain events have an effect on the world too.
Bit of an ambitious plot, having a timeloop but have two different versions of Ellis present at the same time AND have 4 years in between both versions? Wild. Ellis being kidnapped with Peter as children made sense after I heard the Rustin Parr section, but the rest of loop? Mental 😂 I knew there was some sort of loop after Ellis answered himself on the radio (“Turn on the headlights”) but I never imagined how insane the whole picture is. Thanks, Harry! Such a shame, it’s an interesting concept playing on local horror myths, I hope they make another game like this but with better execution and a more solid plot and more dog interactions 😂
man, the original PC trilogy is nostalgic to me, got it for cheap at an outlet store and was obsessed with them lol, thats why the time loop thing made sense to me haha
I was never a fan of this series, but I love these kind of videos. When it comes to Blair Witch, I've only seen a scene of the 2016 film, where a tent goes flying in the air and someone gets killed, I never sprinted out of the room so fast in my life. 🤣🤣🤣
I understood like 45% of this video through no fault of your own, my brain goes blank when confused. However, I was about to rant about the psychiatrist and how incompetent they are but actually just realised why the bad ending was inevitable. So I have complex PTSD from multiple traumas and have experienced dissociative amnesia and it's more like you're hiding a pile of traumas and just throwing more trauma onto the pile until something triggers your memory and it all comes back to the forefront of your mind and each trauma is its own thing. The psychiatrist believed that because he couldn't remember it, having other trauma would override it, which appeared to be the case as his later crimes were due to the PTSD from war. However, once he re-entered the forest, the trauma pile came crashing down causing all of the events in the game as he was completely without support and very mentally ill at that point. In my case, I've had a lot of support from mental health professionals and am still struggling with my PTSD even though it's been like 2-3 years since the amnesia was broken. I'm a lot better than I was but looking at the story of this game from that angle really explains a lot. Sorry for ranting though!
My Theroy is The Witch Feeds of The Energy created my The Loops and is trying to spread her power beyond the confines of The Woods of Burkitsville/Blair. So she creates The Loops thanks to The Sacrifices then has them keep repeating so just like a Wave System dose The Loop Waves can crash on each other and increase there power there by increasing hers too. Respect and keep up the epic work.
I'm sure people know but they followed the camera crew and scared them for real life effect. The director of this was a madman and if true almost drove 2 people insane.
This honestly seems like a game inspired by the works of David Lynch, wearing a funky Blair Witch get-up for funding. The character's last name is literally Lynch, there's a heavy thread of time travel, time loops, and trauma. It plays heavily with unreliable narrator tropes. I didn't think I'd come out of this video thinking, "what a weird thing to come across whilst binge-watching all of Twin Peaks!"
I know it’s been a year but something you did not talk about is that the missing child was actually found and the only way to know this was to receive a battery from the house and when replaying the game you have to go back to the bunker and go to a radio without batteries it then talks about a report that the missing child was found
i don't think people will care but i've noticed that at the ending of the game depending on which ending you get you're either the one getting stabbed or the one doing the stabbing
there's a much simpler theory as to what happened: bunch of stickmen isolated the forest making Ellis being trapped in a 4th dimensional time loop. Ellis control the time with his mind but he doesn't realize it or his mind is too weak, thus he can only do it with the help of camera footages. After being stuck for eternity in that forest you become a psychopath because you go insane of having nothing better to do with your life
i remember being disappointed with this game as the devs decided to make it a "psychological horror"/PTSD game full of tropes instead of an actual survival horror with a real witch/ghoul in the woods
Wait wait, what happened to the Witch itself? You didn't explain the thing that kills you at the end. Was it like a giant creature? I don't remember. I know the Witch doesn't really appear but can you explain about the weird silhouettes at the finale?
you should play the other 3 Blair Witch games, Blair Witch Volume I: Rustin Parr, Blair Witch Volume II: The Legend of Coffin Rock and Blair Witch Volume III: The Elly Kedward Tale and do videos about them.
You know, in a way, the story isn't complicated at all. I kind of appreciate it. I'm not saying it's all that profound, but I kinda get what they were going for and it works. The only thing that sticks with me a little in a negative way is "why is everyone looking for Peter now" and all of the weird time manipulation *outside* of the forest. I guess there's no reason to think the witch's power doesn't extend outside of the forest itself, but at the same time, idk. Doesn't fit as well as it should. Almost like there's a better answer that's been overlooked. Regardless, I like it. Exploring time loops (and not making it entirely hopeless) in narratives is fun. It's hard to write them, especially without plot holes and definitely difficult to write without confusing people, but that's part of the fun of it all. I like a good mystery.
Despite not playing most of the games you feature on this channel, I do enjoy hearing your story explained on the games very much
This channel is the foundflix of games
im too scared to play the games, yet im very curious about the stories. This channel is very for me lol
Same
So true!
@@gloxe1282 agreed seeing me play outlast would be hilarious
My favorite ending will always be the good ending where Bullet & Peter live but Ellis dies. Yes it's bittersweet but given everything that Ellis has gone through it just felt like a way to give him peace while also breaking the cycle of the witch
I also hope there is an ending where Sheriff Lanning lives (I’m idealistic lol). But his death is unavoidable in the plot I guess… I feel extremely bad that he died because he was just trying to help Ellis, and he always stood by his side.
@@qaqbqc1005 Yeah. I worked through getting all the endings but sadly he always dies. I agree I wish we could save him because he always tried to help Ellis & it sucks that he has to die for the story
As long as the dog lives, I'm happy.
At least he didn't die for nothing he died proud :)
I love how technically speaking. Due to the bad ending the game is a continuous loop. Like when you start a new game it’s like a new loop. The only way to break it is to do things differently than what you did before
no@Kony20202
Correct timeline (assuming the conflict is the First Gulf War):
*Pre-1991: Ellis has a traumatic childhood experience in the woods where he and his friend go missing and his friend loses his life. It is hinted that an unknown someone or something was involved in the disappearance of Ellis and his friend as well as the death of his friend.
*Pre-1991: Ellis has severe mental trauma and repressed memories from his experience in the woods as well as survivor's guilt.
*Pre-1991 to 1991: Ellis joins the military, fights in a conflict (assumed to be the First Gulf War 1990-1991) and inadvertently leads his squad into an ambush where six of his squad-mates are killed and many others injured. During this incident, he avoids enemy combatants by hiding in a civilian woman's home where he kills her with a knife out of fear that she may alert the enemy of his presence. These two events only add to his psychological trauma and survivor's guilt.
*Sometime between 1991-1996: Ellis returns home and joins the local Sheriff's department. He is involved in an incident where he shoots an unarmed teen, Adam, who survives. The shooting appears to be due to a PTSD episode that Ellis suffers. He is then discharged from the force.
*Sometime between 1991-1996: During this timeframe (probably just after he is discharged), the Sheriff gifts him a dog (Bullet).
*1996: After his discharge from Sheriff's department, his mind starts to split (the beginning of 'Carver'). Ellis ('Carver') kidnaps Peter and brings him to the woods and recreates an event similar to his own childhood experience but with Ellis now as the perpetrator. Around the same time-frame, Ellis joins the search for Peter unaware that his own other-personality is the one who kidnapped Peter. The reason for kidnapping Peter (and not some other kid) is significant and appears to be due to the fact that Peter is the younger brother of Adam, the teen Ellis shot and wounded. This suggests that 'Carver' kidnapped Peter knowing Ellis would join the search out of the feeling of guilt for shooting his old brother, if nothing else which is hinted during the early part of the game. The search gives Ellis a reason to stay in the woods until Peter is found, allowing 'Carver' time to take over Ellis within the isolated environment of the forest (part of 'Carvers' plan all along).
*1996: During the search for Peter (and while Peter is being kept by Ellis/Carver) Ellis remains in the woods as he continues to transforms into Carver. Like Peter, he is then assumed to have gone missing by the authorities and his loved ones (he never speaks to Jess again).
*2000: Todd Crawford goes missing as he is killed by 'Carver' in the sawmill. The year is confirmed by the missing person's report.
*2000: The sheriff goes looking for Todd and encounters Ellis ('Carver') alive, living in the woods after four years since their last encounter (the search for Peter). Ellis ('Carver') mentions he "likes the quiet" referring to his years of living in the woods. He eventually kills the Sheriff (perhaps to remove Ellis' last remaining friend, further preventing Ellis a chance to ever return to his original self). Todd's murder may have been committed simply lure the Sheriff back into to the woods for this purpose.
Now the ending itself also has two different timelines:
In regards to Peter, this part of the ending (text) takes place in 1996. If Peter survives, it can be assumed he is released by Ellis in 1996 as Ellis does not fully give into his demons at this time. Much like Ellis' own experience, Peter also does not speak about his experience under Ellis/Carver's captivity thus Ellis is never suspected of being the kidnapper (at least not until 2000). If Peter is killed, then his body is found the same year, implying Ellis has already given in to his demons and Carver has taken over by this point. Regardless, by the year 2000 (Todd's disappearance), Ellis has almost fully become 'Carver' by this point.
As mentioned, all phone conversations between Ellis and Jess happen in 1996 during the search for Peter (as Ellis himself goes 'missing' after this).
The final struggle at the end of the game between Ellis and 'Carver' takes place in the year 2000. If Ellis dies (kills himself / killed by 'Carver'), it can be assumed he reports to the authorities of the location of the Sheriff and Todd's bodies before he takes his own life as both bodies are found within a relatively short time-frame after their deaths (as suggested in the 'Good' ending).
Now how does the Blair Witch come in? The Blair Witch arguably has no direct influence on Ellis or Carver in the sense that it is only the stories of her existence and how she is said to haunt the forest (stories Ellis likely grew up hearing) which is what actually influences Ellis' already fractured mind. With this he imagines being recalled to the woods by the witches' voice, the same woods where he once went missing years ago and the same woods which she is said to haunt. Ellis (who's psyche evaluation suggests an interest in hiking and hunting some time before leaving to join the military) likely returns to these woods at some point after his discharge as a deputy and before he kidnaps Peter. It is here that Ellis imagines being further manipulated by these external forces of 'the witch' forming him into becoming 'Carver' (a replica of the individual / 'monster' who kidnapped Ellis and his friend all those years ago). This then leads him to kidnap Peter as 'Carver' suggesting a cycle is being repeated, which puts everything we see at the start of the game in motion.
Honestly, This makes so much more sense than the time loop theory. Thank you for taking the effort to write this up
Do you have any suggestions for other video games that are similar in the psychological and looping aspect? Thanks!
Man I usully like convuluted lore/timelines but this is too much for me
Like idk all of this mistery and different timeframes just for a « I’m traumatized and I’ve got DID » makes me roll my eyes a bit, espiacially since the story could have been made the same without having the Blair Witch IP involved
@@sabya9314 it literally is a time loop
Thanks for the explanation, Harry. The game was a bit confusing. I didn't realize that the main character WAS Carver. I thought it was a separate person that he replaces at the end, becoming a new minion of the witch. This game was a tad tedious to play but had quite a bit of potential that I'd like to see executed better somewhere else.
same haha, I thought carver is someone else and the main character just magicaly turned into him
If you see Ellis’s hands they start to get all worn out and ugly like as if the forest was changing him, I had a feeling something was going to happen to him but all these unfound clues were interesting as well.
I've done multiple playthroughs of this game for the platinum & it still didn't quite make sense so thank you for this video. The story finally makes sense
One thing I loved about the 2016 sequel was that it actually focused on what the witch could do, rather than the mystery of the witch. And HD footage definitely helps to clue you into the dread that the kids are feeling. I like how it went deeper into the lore, explaining that all it takes is a single night's stay in the woods for the witch to permanently imprison you within her domain. I also loved the two different times the drone is sent into the air. The first time, we can see openings in the woods, clearings, a mountain pass, and rivers. But the second time, all that is gone; it's literally just a sea of trees with no end in sight.
True 👍
Agreed!!!
The game finally makes sense to me.
I played the game and honestly had no idea there was a time loop, I genuinely thought he had lost his mind and retreated fully into his trauma but this makes so much more sense. It's a cool concept but there was no way near enough clues in the game to help you figure this out.
I watched this in theatres at nine years old and it freaked me out so much, I legit thought it was real for YEARS.
this movie*
Well if you watched it in a cinema at 9 then an adult took you to see it so blame the adult that forgot to tell you there's no such thing as a "real" horror film.
@Turner Well, I remember it quite clearly. I was with my dad and stepmom, the theatre had tables, served drinks and full course meals. I also watched House on Haunted Hill there that same year, but that one was too scary for me then. I don't know what reason I'd have to lie about that. 😂
@@symbiote1982pk It's not that big of a deal man. 🤣
The multiple timelines is actually a Reddit theory as well. In the movie, when Josh destroys the pile of rocks, they wake up the next day beginning the sign they are lost. No roads. No planes. No trails. Heather even makes a comment saying it’s hard to get lost in America these days. Setting the 3 back in time during the time Rustin Parr was luring children to his house in the woods. Explaining the one who killed them was Parr. The witch had some spell over the woods that sent people into different timelines which explains people getting lost so easily there.
Yea i believe the same time manipulation is a thing in the Blair witch universe
i keep thinking about that 2016 movie attic scene with the blinding lights, i remember at 1st i thought it was ufo/e.t's related then i thought it being the change from day to night and like with the loud sounds in the woods as if it's changing restructuring, i remember having a headache for day's trying to it figure out lol
The only problem I have with the analysis is that it can’t be a four year loop. If Ellis had the traumatic experience, had counseling, then left for the Gulf War, then left to live in the woods it would be closer to a 10-12 year cycle. The Gulf War was from January to February 1991. Which means is more plausible for the amnesia since it would have been over a decade before he enters the forest with bullet.
thought similar, besides the part of 1996 younger ellis is the most sketchy one
@@ratecyanbro don’t be hating my guy
It makes me very sad that the dog dies, no matter what :( poor Bullet, he was such a good boy
Edit: I have now been informed that sometimes Bullet does survive and that makes me very happy :)
It has been a while since I saw this video and I don't remember what convinced me that Bullet always dies, but I am happy about this confirmation that he doesn't.
Yeah. I just don't think it was necessary. They could have allowed him to run off to safety and get picked up. 😟😡
I havent watched this video yet but I believe there is an optional ending where bullet will show up at the very end and guard your body until the search team shows up.
@@yayo4099 oh🙏I certainly hope that's true. Thank you for the glimmer of hope. You're a sweet and good person.😊😙
@@laprincessa3772 No worries, thank you!
@@laprincessa3772 The dog could've easily been a macguffin, being found at the forest in the beginning, only to run off at the end when he turns evil, only to be found again
Everytime Ellis got bad ending, the loop cycle continue. And when the new Ellis get the good ending by reconnect with his wife, be good with Bullet, don`t touch or messing with the witch stuffs in the forest or the house.
Bullet stay with Ellis after death, the wife wants you back, Peter get finally free from the woods after 3 days missing in his original timeline ?. Lenning and the woodcutter bodies are found.
Literally incredible harry! I love the explanations you have for everything! You do your homework very well! I love what you do
Thanks man!
I didn’t know you listen to him as well!
Best thing about this game is the sound and visuals. You feel like you are in the woods and being watched.
Let me understand this, the timeline of young Ellis in 1996 has been erased from all people's minds, since no one remebers him, and replaces him with a new Ellis old enough to participate in the Gulf War? A little bit sketchy, but as you said, it's the only plausible solution
Yeah, bit of a mind scrambler this one
parallel dimensions?
Its wrong, we are only playing the story of ellis through his mind. There is no time traveling
Ok, I'm very confused here. So, young Ellis enters the woods with Peter Shannon in 1996, leaves, grows up, fights in the Gulf War, and returns home then searching for Peter Shannon YET it is still 1996? Wouldn't it make more sense if Young Ellis and Peter Shannon entered the woods at different time periods then converged into one time period, and only Ellis made it out back way before 1996, THEN went through all the Gulf War stuff and came back home in time of Peter's disappearance BY 1996? I must be missing something here, because otherwise that's a massive plot hole that makes zero sense whatsoever.
I think the logic the video tried to explain is that because the older version of Ellis entered 1996, the younger version of him disappeared, meaning all the things related to the younger him disappeared as well (the news of two missing boys became only one missing boy, and the memory of other people who met young Ellis was altered).
That's most time-travel stories in a nutshell to be honest...just a great big mess of plot holes, plot contrivances, plot convenience.
It's called bad writing
@@Indy_Bendy agreed it’s stupid
@@freshshrimpproductions6047 sucks cause concept of Blair witch manipulating people is interesting.
This is sort of similar to the "tall grass" movie I watched once. An endless cycle of everyone, getting lost in the grass while looking for other versions of people, who in turn were looking for other versions of them.
The only thing I find weird about this is the way you explained the endings I got the good ending by just petting and comforting bullet and taking care of him aka destroying the cross things
Honestly playing through this game was like going through every single horror cliché ever created
Doggo companion that dies? Check
Main character with PTSD? Check
Divorced from wife? Check
Spooky man doing spooky things because they're spooky? Check
"Is it PTSD or is it real" hallucinations? Check
Random ass plot twist thrown in as a "Ha gotcha"? Check
That describes literally all of Bloober Team's games.
90% can be found in until dawn
@@syra1541 until dawn had no fucking clue if it wanted to be a slasher, scifi, saw knock off or supernatural horror and it really shows considering the devs chose to make it all four at the same time.
Not divorced though. Only separated. If Ellis had survived, there was a chance of everything going back to normal. But he's stuck in a loop so that won't be happening. And sadly, the only way out of it is to die a hero. Otherwise, he lives long enough to see himself become the villain. Literally.
@@sodagirl1092 I thought that was the point of until dawn, like they're trying to make it like a parody in a way but actually horror.
Let me just say this… I love horror/thriller games but I just don’t have time these days to play them. I stumbled across your channel and it’s quickly become my favorite new channel. You do an absolutely fantastic job and I feel like I get to appreciate/experience the game in a way I wouldn’t be able to otherwise. I LOVE that you go through the storyline first then go deep on it after. Just great stuff man.
I love how so many of my recently streamed games have been explained by you. It makes for good follow up streams. Keep it up!
When you enter the old house and it begins to repair it's self to being new is one of the coolest visuals in gaming to me, I actually replayed the game to get back to this moment, it was great
I haven't played the game nor did i ever plan to, but this video kept me hooked onto the story. Thank you!!
Ahh you know that feeling when you stumble across a channel that you just know is still in early doors of blowing up?
Here to stay Harry old chap.
This was so well done! It really clear thing up and has left me satisfied. Thankyou Harry!
I just completed the game yesterday, it’s genuinely the best horror game I’ve played since outlast. The final sequence in the abandoned house was absolutely terrifying, trippy and surreal.
Tell me about it I couldn't play the game for a while after I died a few times and when I finally gathered the courage to finish it off I just kept getting pissed off rather than being scared and got the bad ending where bullet ran off
i keep thinking there should of been a chapter select option in the new game and an indicator like 5/6 dog tag's collected for example. each play through i'm finding more items lol it's confusing and i've probably missed loads of photos. i think the game remembers your previous collected items like the progress carries over. this game can be really annoying at times lol i'm hoping to get the last goodbye trophy this playthrough, i've been petting bullet alot and regular treats and mustn't send him in tree hole later and to carry him for ages until pass out, it should trigger the achievement 🤞
Play Visage if you haven't already. Way scarier than that last section. The only game Ive had to take time off from 🤣🤣🤣
I love watching your videos. The way you describe the back stories of every detail is incredibly satisfying. Thank you for the great content!
So the Blair Witch is able to manipulate reality, influence people to do her biddings, can create time loops, and can create monsters out of shadows to intimidate those who wander into her forest? Wow she sounds mildly powerful
I supper with Dissociative Disorder and while time does go crazy and I can say that years go by like days... This is insane and I hope it doesn't scare anyone from understanding this disorder.
honestly this is one of the scariest things to me, being stuck in a time loop
Why wouldn’t the witch travel back in time to save her younger self?
Maybe the time loop is a purgatory scenario created in response of the influence from the witch and bad decisions from Ellis. A way of doing things right.
Love these series! Keep it up man
Its interesting how loops often play out in games and movies (mostly ive seen them in thrillers or horror). There always seems to be a moment or way the loop could be broken but a very specific scenario has to occur or be avoided. This often takes years or never happens due to the loop being doomed to repeat until the end of time.
I love all the different ways these time loops can occur and play out. If characters find a way out or never do. Some do it better than others but even the ones who miss what makes them so interesting or special.. still spark my interest to a degree.
So... What are the Totems with Pictures in them and what are those Night Creatures? And why the Witch wants you to destroy them? Probably the most important aspect of the story and it wasn't even address.
The "Time-Loop" can be explained as a Pocket Dimension that enshrouds the Blair Forest. Once you enter, space and time stops making any sense and it's bound to the Witch's will. It can go forwards and backwards, basically time travelling to different times in the real world, and you can only leave the forest if the Witch allows it.
Love your Lore & Order Series. Anyway could you make Lore video on Nier:Automata Its my favorite game. I want to see your explaination on Nier automata cause i still confuse about something in the game story
Thanks so much! I'll have a look, but that isn't generally the kind of game that I cover on the channel. Mostly horror!
Wow. That must have taken some serious amount of work to a) understand and then b) actually explain it. Holy fricken moly who would have thought a licenced game would have such a complex story?
One MAJOR mistake you made here is that the other kid in the intro clip is NOT Peter, he's just Ellis friend.
The disappearance of Peter has to be at least 15 years before the game starts
Gulf war was years before 1996
The games loop is extended by the cameras and videos
im with everybody else this channel is amazing
ive seen so many people play these games and still didnt know what was going on even at the end thank you harry you the man !
Ellis would've had to have been at least 18 yrs old in 2000 when he supposedly entered the force, which would've made him 14 at the oldest in 1996 when Peter, who was 9, went missing. Just seems weird for a 14 yr old and a 9 yr old to go into the woods together but Idk
One of my favourite games. I didn't experience any bugs though. I still cant ge tthe good ending because of the not using flashlight thing
I don’t know if you’ve managed it yet or not but to get the good ending you need to use the video camera to see your way around, don’t turn on any generators in the lumber camp and keep the headlights off when riding the rail car
It's amazing how you can unpack veeerryyy complicated stories 👏
Such a well presented video will binge watch all lore and order videos good job mate
Love the explanation, played this game for hours and hours, yet still didn’t pick up on all clues! Really hope we will at some time get a nondirect sequel!
Your voice is perfect for this, I legit listened to the Outlast vid while driving from home real good stuff
Good resume, i am not sure the story is the best one, but this game definitely brings me back to 1996: this car at the beginning, all the cutscenes, the phones, torches, clothes and many other details.
I'm just here because your soothing voice helps me sleep.
I think the timeline might be a little off. That has to be the iraq war in ~2003, not the gulf war. Then he enters the woods in 1996. Does he know that it’s 1996? I forgot.
Man I stumbled across your page and I am so happy that I did. Keep up the good work man!
Awesome! Thank you!
The weirdest part for me in this story is that his recollection of what happened actually says that Ellis gets out and is picked up by a truck driver. This is what happens later in the game to Peter. So how do these two essentially switch places later on during the loop making Peter become the one who escapes and Ellis part of the loop and killing these people? Is this why young Ellis disappears from the timeline?
Thanks for those videos - I usually play peauceful point'n click games so You presented a whole new world to me :) However - what do You think about some old horror game with dark humour - Ghost in the Sheet from 2007?
Yeah I'll be exploring older horror soon like Forbidden Siren and Silent Hill
@@GamingHarryYT Maybe You find Black Mirror - horror poin'n click game - also interesting
I played this game for my old youtube channel (channel got deleted a couple of years back). I really enjoyed it until the last chapter. The house itself was okay, but the hammering of the PTSD flashback over and over again made it so I started heavy sighing. When I got to the room of the soldiers keeping their backs towards me I almost just turned off my xbox. They tried to hammer in the war too much. When it was quick flashes I liked it, but once they were forcing it down my throat I was nearly done. Got to the loop part, but by the end of it I was too happy to be done with the soldiers part to really pay attention to the ending.
Okay, so, how does adult Ellis end up in 1996 if that's when child Ellis went into the woods? He hadn't been near the witch since his childhood and as a kid he left the forest still in the same time period.
I know this was 6 mos ago...but I liked the ? Sooooo...here's my attempt at an answer. I imagine Ellis didn't need to go back into the woods. He had a total recall of the event. Like with a traumatic event in most of our real lives...we can usually recall them in great detail...because we've relived that moment in our minds a million times. Often trying to play out diff outcomes if we could change just one tiny lil thing maybe things woulda been different.... idk lol maybe
Awesome love it, wow that story was like watching the tv show lost lol
I didn't know that this channel also dabbled into explanation of quantum mechanics 😂😂
Mate, my head is still fried
19:!5 If he was travelling through time, he should find young Peter next to the ball...
This was a wonderful and in depth video! Thank you🎉❤
Thanks for the video, great explanation! The video didn't feature the monsters/creatures living in the woods though, what are those things (the creatures afraid of light, glowing red in the camcorder)?
Your video made my Platinum journey much better. Thank you for taking the time and digg through the content (notes, etc.). I wish, the story was told more straight forward in the game. I got the themes (PTSD, the loop, therapy, mental illness), but while I was playing, I was confused most of the time and I didn’t care too much. The game itself has great ideas, locations, relationships to create/bond, etc. Bullet is my biggest highlight.
Theory:If Ellis can manipulate the world with the camera that means that everything is like he himself controling time but the problem is that certain events have an effect on the world too.
When i got near the end the only thing i was playing for was to find out whether Bullet is alive or not
Beautiful work!
Hecaitomix is the real evil in the woods, but everyone thinks it’s Ellie Kedword the Witch
Even though I never play these games I watch these videos to have a understanding cuz the game looks fun and I always enjoy W video
Bit of an ambitious plot, having a timeloop but have two different versions of Ellis present at the same time AND have 4 years in between both versions? Wild. Ellis being kidnapped with Peter as children made sense after I heard the Rustin Parr section, but the rest of loop? Mental 😂 I knew there was some sort of loop after Ellis answered himself on the radio (“Turn on the headlights”) but I never imagined how insane the whole picture is. Thanks, Harry! Such a shame, it’s an interesting concept playing on local horror myths, I hope they make another game like this but with better execution and a more solid plot and more dog interactions 😂
When the game is so confusing that it breaks our favourite gaming investigator😂
This could be an effective plot for a Silent Hill game exploring the woods.
Sheesh. I must have really not been paying attention playing this game because I don't remember a lot of those story elements.
man, the original PC trilogy is nostalgic to me, got it for cheap at an outlet store and was obsessed with them lol, thats why the time loop thing made sense to me haha
I was never a fan of this series, but I love these kind of videos. When it comes to Blair Witch, I've only seen a scene of the 2016 film, where a tent goes flying in the air and someone gets killed, I never sprinted out of the room so fast in my life. 🤣🤣🤣
I loved the part where the music stopped and We could hear the witch scream: Dirty Deeds… Done, Dirt, Cheap 18:42
I understood like 45% of this video through no fault of your own, my brain goes blank when confused. However, I was about to rant about the psychiatrist and how incompetent they are but actually just realised why the bad ending was inevitable. So I have complex PTSD from multiple traumas and have experienced dissociative amnesia and it's more like you're hiding a pile of traumas and just throwing more trauma onto the pile until something triggers your memory and it all comes back to the forefront of your mind and each trauma is its own thing. The psychiatrist believed that because he couldn't remember it, having other trauma would override it, which appeared to be the case as his later crimes were due to the PTSD from war. However, once he re-entered the forest, the trauma pile came crashing down causing all of the events in the game as he was completely without support and very mentally ill at that point. In my case, I've had a lot of support from mental health professionals and am still struggling with my PTSD even though it's been like 2-3 years since the amnesia was broken. I'm a lot better than I was but looking at the story of this game from that angle really explains a lot. Sorry for ranting though!
Nah don’t apologise. Thanks for sharing! Best of luck on your continued recovery 😊
🙏🏾
Radios need frequency to communicate, so honestly weird time frequency shenanigans. So somehow weird fantasy stuff, communicate.
🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥love this series my man
the game/story itself is intriguing , u shed some light on the mystery .. thanks
My Theroy is The Witch Feeds of The Energy created my The Loops and is trying to spread her power beyond the confines of The Woods of Burkitsville/Blair.
So she creates The Loops thanks to The Sacrifices then has them keep repeating so just like a Wave System dose The Loop Waves can crash on each other and increase there power there by increasing hers too.
Respect and keep up the epic work.
I couldnt see a thing this entire video. Thank god your voice is made for narration.
Really enjoyed the video! Thank you for your hard work!
I'm sure people know but they followed the camera crew and scared them for real life effect. The director of this was a madman and if true almost drove 2 people insane.
I would imagine Dr. Strange enter this forest and said "Witch, I came to bargain" a thousand times
Would love a Death Stranding Story Explained... Great content
This honestly seems like a game inspired by the works of David Lynch, wearing a funky Blair Witch get-up for funding. The character's last name is literally Lynch, there's a heavy thread of time travel, time loops, and trauma. It plays heavily with unreliable narrator tropes. I didn't think I'd come out of this video thinking, "what a weird thing to come across whilst binge-watching all of Twin Peaks!"
I know it’s been a year but something you did not talk about is that the missing child was actually found and the only way to know this was to receive a battery from the house and when replaying the game you have to go back to the bunker and go to a radio without batteries it then talks about a report that the missing child was found
Thanks for the amazing explanation!
i don't think people will care but i've noticed that at the ending of the game depending on which ending you get you're either the one getting stabbed or the one doing the stabbing
Thnx for this! Get it now!
OMG I see how may subs you have! Congrats! You deserve it!
Thank you! 😀
there's a much simpler theory as to what happened:
bunch of stickmen isolated the forest making Ellis being trapped in a 4th dimensional time loop. Ellis control the time with his mind but he doesn't realize it or his mind is too weak, thus he can only do it with the help of camera footages. After being stuck for eternity in that forest you become a psychopath because you go insane of having nothing better to do with your life
In the original movie, they mention one of the kids escaped. I wonder if Ellis was actually that kid, and that's why he had a traumatic experience
i remember being disappointed with this game as the devs decided to make it a "psychological horror"/PTSD game full of tropes instead of an actual survival horror with a real witch/ghoul in the woods
wow.... pretty nice explanation... Please make one for "What's Remains Of Edith Finch"....
the whole time loop is a total mindfuck and incredibly hard to grasp ngl
Wait wait, what happened to the Witch itself? You didn't explain the thing that kills you at the end. Was it like a giant creature? I don't remember. I know the Witch doesn't really appear but can you explain about the weird silhouettes at the finale?
you should play the other 3 Blair Witch games, Blair Witch Volume I: Rustin Parr, Blair Witch Volume II: The Legend of Coffin Rock and Blair Witch Volume III: The Elly Kedward Tale
and do videos about them.
You know, in a way, the story isn't complicated at all. I kind of appreciate it. I'm not saying it's all that profound, but I kinda get what they were going for and it works.
The only thing that sticks with me a little in a negative way is "why is everyone looking for Peter now" and all of the weird time manipulation *outside* of the forest. I guess there's no reason to think the witch's power doesn't extend outside of the forest itself, but at the same time, idk. Doesn't fit as well as it should. Almost like there's a better answer that's been overlooked.
Regardless, I like it. Exploring time loops (and not making it entirely hopeless) in narratives is fun. It's hard to write them, especially without plot holes and definitely difficult to write without confusing people, but that's part of the fun of it all. I like a good mystery.
hello gamingharry Superb narration
So the the scene where Ellis was in the house and the witch wanted him to kill the cop was basically the action where carver killed lanning
I actually love playing this on VR