
She starred in iconic horror movie...and now she's enraged Maine neighbors by spraying orange crosses on TREES
Blair Witch Project star Heather Donahue has once again found herself in trouble in the woods, this time embroiled in a spat with her Maine neighbors.
The retired actress, 50, bought property in the tiny 700-resident town of Freedom in 2020 and was elected to the town's governing body, its Select Board in 2024.
However, she was ousted just over a year into her tenure over a property dispute, reported Midcoast Villager.
A recall effort was launched after Donahue used orange spray paint to mark trees on what neighbors claim is private property along Beaver Ridge Road.
Donahue painted the orange cross using historical maps to show what she claims is public property.
Abutting property owners of the road said the overgrown stretch is private and to use it for public access is trespassing.
The dispute led to the first successful recall petition drive in the town's 212-year history and Donahue was removed in April.
Tyler Hadyniak, one of the abutting property owners, told the Associated Press the recall wasn't just about the trail, it addressed a pattern of behavior by Donahue that chafed longer-established residents in the year since she took office.
'I was relieved that the recall was successful. I thought Heather's demeanor and behavior toward others was just unbecoming of a town official,' Hadyniak said.
Donahue has defenders in town, including Bob Kanzler, who served on a local roads committee and agrees the disputed path is public.
'Heather has done a wonderful job in researching these discontinued roads in town,' Kanzler said. 'I know the road is public.'
The domain of the road remains unresolved, with the town and abutting landowners fighting it out in court.
Despite the ongoing battle over the road, Donahue said she has found peace in Maine and plans to stay put.
'I mean, this is where humans flourish,' she said of the Freedom woods. 'I've figured out a way to do a lot with very little. That was all kind of centered around being able to walk in the woods.'
Following The Blair Witch Project, Donahue struggled with alcoholism, left acting, became a medical marijuana farmer and wrote a memoir.
She moved to Maine eight years ago, overcame her addiction and bought land in Freedom in 2020.
Recently, she has worked as a life coach and shared her passions for gardening and medicinal plants with anyone who will listen.
She said she is not interested in reliving the glory of starring in the film that was released in 1999 and is one of the most successful independent movies of all time.
The film sparked a resurgence of interest in 'found footage' style horror movies, wowed critics and polarized audiences with its homespun take on terror.
It also led Donahue to years of legal wrangling over compensation and the right to her likeness.
The film follows the disappearance of three student filmmakers in the woods near Burkittsville, Maryland, while shooting a documentary on the local legend known as the Blair Witch.
It starred Heather Donahue, Michael Williams and Joshua Leonard playing fictionalized versions of themselves using their real names. The actors shot nearly all of the footage shown in the film themselves.
They only got paid $500-a-week for their work on the film, with filming lasting only eight days and when the film grossed $100million, they only received a fruit basket for their contributions.
Despite the film making millions, the actors profited little of that success and even had to spend several months after the film's release lying low as part of the marketing campaign to make fans believe they were actually missing and presumed dead like the movie alleged.
Donahue even had to issue a statement to the New York Times that she was still alive after someone marked her as deceased on IMDb, negatively impacting her career.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


BBC News
19 minutes ago
- BBC News
World Business Report Disney and Universal sue AI company Midjourney
Disney and Universal are suing AI photo generation company Midjourney alleging its popular image generator had become a "bottomless pit of plagiarism". Rahul Tandon finds out how likely the lawsuit is to be successful. Also, can we expect peace between the US and China in their crucial trade war as both sides say they have agreed on a "framework" for a deal? And we hear how tensions between President Donald Trump and Elon Musk might be affecting investors. You can contact us on WhatsApp or send us a voicenote: +44 330 678 3033.


The Sun
22 minutes ago
- The Sun
JoJo Siwa says she'll NEVER break up with Chris Hughes saying their relationship is ‘earthquake proof'
JOJO Siwa has admitted that she'll NEVER break-up with Chris Hughes - as she described their relationship as "earthquake proof". The new couple have been enjoying a whirlwind romance after meeting in the Celebrity Big Brother house in March. Now, in a new interview, JoJo, 22, has revealed just how far her special connection with Chris, 32, really goes. Joining presenter Jordan North on Capital Breakfast this week, the Dance Moms star said: "You know what's interesting? As hectic as life is, and as much as that noise goes on, I feel like Christopher and I discovered this beautiful house together. "And this house is earthquake proof, and it's fireproof, and bulletproof. "And you know, we discovered this house and found the keys, and we took the keys and locked ourselves in, and now it's like... You know what I mean? I feel like that with myself, I feel like that with him." Jordan then quizzed JoJo on whether she had found her 'happy place' with Chris. The US star gushed: "Oh my god, absolutely! We're having the best time. He's just the best! "I was saying this to my parents the other day. Like, I'm decently nice; he makes me look like I'm mean! "And I'm like known for being nice, that's the thing. People say to me, 'Oh, you're so nice'. "He makes me we want to be nicer, because he's such a nice human. He's the best egg in the batch! I could never get tired of speaking highly of him, he's just the best." During their trip to the countryside to meet Chris's parents last week, the couple couldn't keep their hands off each other as the Love Island hunk was pictured kissing JoJo on the neck. Yesterday JoJo said she is"shocked" at how close the pair have them have become in such a short amount of time. Speaking to Billboard, JoJo said: "It blows my mind that 30 days ago I would never have even imagined that I would be friends with Chris Hughes, that's the weirdest thing, much less be one of the closest people too me now in my life who I would die for. "I think its a combination of the shared experience but also in Big Brother, you have no phone, no outside communication, no distraction, nothing. "You only have each other. I love connecting and I love people and when someone comes into your life and you enjoy it, you can tell." LOVED-UP TRIP JoJo's interview comes fresh from a cosy weekend she spent with Chris and his family in the Cotswolds. The YouTuber shared their time together on social media, which included a series of loved-up snaps with the Love Island hunk. In one of the snaps, Chris could be seen picking his girlfriend up and carrying her, whilst in another they held hands. JoJo described holding her boyfriend's hand as "the one thing that can make everything better". She also shared pictures of the pair enjoying breakfast and cups of tea as she relaxed at Chris' family home. MISSING HER MAN JoJo, who fell for Chris in the Celebrity Big Brother house, said she struggled to go back to normal life without Chris when she returned to the US for a month. But now the American star, who hails from Nebraska, plans to spend more time in the UK. The couple also spent time together when JoJo was in England for her tour. The happy couple drove fans wild with an intimate backstage moment in a post to TikTok when the pair were seen hugging each other, holding hands and putting bracelets on each other. 4 4


Daily Mail
29 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
Simone Biles' husband Jonathan Owens breaks cover amid Riley Gaines trans feud
Simone Biles ' husband Jonathan Owens has thrown his support behind his wife amid her feud with Riley Gaines over transgender athletes in women's sports. Biles and Gaines have been in a bitter feud over the topic since Friday, when the latter remarked about a photo containing a transgender high school softball player. The legendary Olympic gymnast's response was long and harsh, comparing Riley's appearance to that of a male, forcing her to pull back on those comments in a subsequent apology. Owens' first public comments since the feud began was not an additional statement. The Chicago Bears player opted for a subtle route to support his wife. On Tuesday, he posted a screenshot of Biles' apology to his Instagram story with three silver hearts to show his support for her. The defender staying in line with his wife amid controversy is consistent with her actions when roles were reversed. The defender's first public comments since the feud began was not an additional statement Fans attacked Owens after he admitted to not knowing who Biles was before they met on celebrity dating app Raya in 2020. Criticism continued last summer after he was seen wearing his partner's gold medal from the 2024 Summer Olympics. In a post celebrating his wife, the NFL player posed next to her with the gold around his neck and wrote: 'Witnessing history every time you step on the mat - Congrats baby on becoming the most decorated American gymnast in Olympic history!!!! Just wow!!!! 8 of them!!!!! So thankful I was there to see it'. Several users blasted Owens for his 'odd' behavior on the night, while content creator Kiera Breaugh even told him to 'take it off' in a video which racked up 2.5 million views on TikTok. However, Biles took to the comments section to hit out at Breaugh and other users for criticizing her husband, branding them 'so f****ng miserable'. 'Crazy thing is, I put my medal on every single one of my family members and took pictures,' she wrote. 'So don't ever make assumptions. Like y'all are so f****ng miserable. leave us alone'. It is yet to be seen whether Biles feud with Gaines is over, as it has contained a few twists and turns. The OIympian broke her four-day silence after her first attack on Gaines by writing on X: 'I wanted to follow up from my last tweets. I've always believed competitive equity & inclusivity are both essential in sport. 'The current system doesn't adequately balance these important principles, which often leads to frustration and heated exchanges, and it didn't help for me to get personal with Riley, which I apologize for.' Gaines replied: 'I accept Simone's apology for the personal attacks including the ones where she body-shamed me. I know she knows what this feels like. She's still the greatest female gymnast of all time. A couple of things. Sports ARE inclusive by nature. Anyone can and everyone SHOULD play…' In a lengthy apology, Biles also admitted she didn't have the answers on how to include trans athletes in sports in a way that keeps everyone happy - seemingly acknowledging how polarizing her criticism of Gaines had been.