Earlier today, EW dropped the debut of the new poster for the much anticipated new film by director Adam Wingard and writer Simon Barrett. I’ll admit, the poster alone didn’t strike me as newsworthy. Perhaps the black trees against the blood red background felt too similar to marketing used in other horror films (2013’s Evil Dead, anyone?).  For such an intriguing teaser, the poster just felt flat.

That is, until the rumor mill started getting too loud to ignore. Speculation on the interwebs has lead to some interesting theories about The Woods, which is all the more fascinating considering how scarce details have been on the film so far. Bear with me as I lay out all of the potential puzzle pieces.

It’s been no secret that writer/directors Eduardo Sanchez and Daniel Myrick have long expressed interest in continuing The Blair Witch Project series.  Dating as far back as the maligned sequel, Book of Shadows: Blair Witch 2, the duo has been talking about the franchise as a trilogy.  As the rights passed from Artisan Entertainment to Lionsgate, the decision to move forward with a third film seemed to be entirely up to Lionsgate.

Very early last year, in an interview with Dread Central, Sanchez indicated that perhaps Lionsgate was moving forward with the idea and that a new sequel was actually “inevitable.”  Then, just a couple months later, Bloody Disgusting reported on an exclusive that a new entry was already in production!  They even connected the dots to The Woods, barely announced a month prior to this.

thewoodsposter

What if the message lies in the trees instead of the negative space? I know, but let’s have some fun!

The exclusive also states that the connection of The Woods to The Blair Witch Project was an unconfirmed theory at the time.  It’s a theory that seems to hold a lot of weight, though. Both films have a cast of unknowns, scarce plot details, and both are set in the woods.  But, I suppose you could say that about a lot of horror films, right?  Except, why is it that all speculation on The Woods went absolutely silent when previously mentioned horror outlets were able to catch a sneak peak? Curious, right?

But, what does this have to do with the poster? Well, it seems as though the poster has served as a visual reminder of the rumors for some, and others, like Dread Central and Bloody Disgusting writer John Squires, indicate that the poster has hidden imagery in the negative space.  As for me, I’m unable to discern anything from the poster. Check out the poster below, and let us know what you think.

We’ll be able to put the rumor to rest one way or another when The Woods makes its way to theaters on September 16,2016.

Plot Synopsis
Not much is known except that the film involves a group of college students on a camping trip who discover they are not alone.
The Woods Poster