According to Ben Rock, the man who created the backstory for Haxan, he took inspiration from the real Maryland legend of the woman Moll Dyer. Sometime in the winter of 1697, Dyer was accused of witchcraft, tried, and subsequently banished from Leonardtown, Maryland.

The 1999 horror classic, The Blair Witch Project, was primarily filmed in Maryland. Much of the movie takes place in Seneca Creek State Park and historic Burkittsville in Montgomery County. The park is nestled in a picturesque landscape surrounded by lush forests, mountains, and rustic creeks and streams.