Blu-ray Review: THE BLAIR WITCH PROJECT (1999)

It’s a story that’s become part of the horror movie zeitgeist. In 1994 three film students venture into the woods near Burkittsville, Maryland while shooting a documentary only to disappear without a trace. A year later their footage is found. The Blair Witch Project was not the first in the sub-genre it helped pioneer, but it’s easily the most influential, and once again the film has resurfaced, this time for a Limited-Edition Blu-ray release from boutique UK label, Second Sight Films – Available from November 11

We were all led to believe The Blair Witch Project was genuine, due to its genius online marketing campaign. However, I bought into the notion more than most. Whenever I questioned the morality of showing what potentially could turn out to be a snuff film, I pushed common sense aside because there were no room for lies on the Internet. Even seeing actor Joshua Leonard on Letterman some weeks after the release was not able to break the illusion, or my delusion so it would seem.

Needless to say, watching The Blair Witch Project at my local theatre was a terrifying experience. It was The Exorcist for my generation, but unlike those who had no stomach for pea soup back in the day, I made it through the full 81 minutes. I remember trying to distract myself from some of the scarier scenes by thinking about my favourite Hale and Pace comedy sketches.

My fond memories from that time have carried over into subsequent viewings. I personally still enjoy the movie a lot and it’s become an almost annual tradition. I still find it very effective to this day. The low-budget quality helps with the disguise of being an authentic nightmare through the woods, along with the analogue technology used by the students, which has since served as a nice escape from this digital age.

We never see the titular witch nor are we given any hint that one actually exists, yet our trio appear impossibly lost and the chilling climax heavily suggests something supernatural, speaking to our subconscious fears of the unknown. Without showing you anything The Blair Witch Project still manages to be an assault on the senses, tricking the viewer with sight and sound.

Heather, Mike, and Josh are convincing despite their inexperience. There’s a dynamic that allows for tension and distrust to quicky escalate, often aimed at Heather, and her convenient insistence on filming every waking moment. She’s the Queen, who embodies not only the film’s ominous spirit but the mythology that was built around it.

SPECIAL FEATURES

A new Second Sight Films restoration from the Hi8 videotapes and 16mm film elements, supervised and approved by the Producers and Directors
2-disc edition includes restored and remastered Original Theatrical Cut and Festival Cut plus original-release version
The Blair Witch Documentary: a new feature-length Second Sight Films production
New audio commentary by Alexandra Heller-Nicholas and Josh Nelson
Directors’ and Producers’ audio commentary
Deleted scenes including previously unseen video and 16mm footage
The Blair Witch Project: Analogue Horror in a Digital World by Mike Muncer
Curse of the Blair Witch
Alternate Endings
Cannes 1999: archive
Directors interview
Trailers

Perhaps the most enticing new featurette included in this set is an all-new 2.5-hour documentary starring five major players who worked on Blair Witch’s production crew including directors Daniel Myrick and Eduardo Sanchez. It seems that the filmmakers were just as keen to “shoot everything” as their heroine, Heather, and the supplement is filled with behind-the-scenes footage depicting everything from the film’s audition process, arguments over how to edit the movie, and a trip to the Sundance Film Festival. Most of the documentary is comprised of interviews with our five subjects who never cease being interesting, even if they do repeat themselves other quite often.

Deleted scenes amount to an impressive 90 minutes, but only really demonstrate the abundance of footage that directors Daniel Myrick & Eduardo Sánchez had at their disposal. Other than that, there’s a lot of arguing among the trio when they’re not seeing who can cry the hardest. However, major points to Josh for his improvisational skills, who at one point claims to have spotted members of the notorious Ku Klux Klan running off into the distance. Bedsheets and all.

Mockumentary Curse of the Blair Witch is naturally included as it has been with most previous editions. It hasn’t aged as well as the main feature but must be given credit for maintaining the facade of the “Project” being non-fiction ahead of its run in theatres and as gullible 15-year-old, I bought it hook, line, and sinker.

Limited Edition Contents

Rigid slipcase with new artwork by Timothy Pittides
184-page hardback book with archive production materials and new essays by Stacey Abbott, Becky Darke, Adam Hart, Craig Ian Mann, Mary Beth McAndrews, Dr. Cecilia Sayad, Pete Turner and Heather Wixson
Heather’s Journal
3 collectors’ art cards

Timothy Pittides new artwork gives this ‘DigiPack’ some folk horror charm and the 184-page book adds more to the hearty witches’ brew of extras so to speak, while Heather’s journal provides some intimate detail into the ensuing mystery, building up the myth. Fans who have read The Blair Witch Project: A Dossier which was released ahead of the film will no doubt appreciate it.

VIDEO AND AUDIO

Second Sight’s restoration of The Blair Witch Project has been the biggest lure for fans, offering a presentation the filmmakers have long intended for physical media after previous dissatisfaction with the standard 1080p transfer distributed to numerous regions by Lionsgate. There’s a striking contrast between the Hi8 videotapes and 16mm film elements as opposed to the more blanket presentation seen with the 35mm transfer. The video is significantly brighter while the film footage offers a much more detailed image. I enjoyed the new pristine look. Granted, it’s technically a more aesthetic experience, but for a film that built its premise around found footage, it doesn’t suit the rougher image we’re all familiar with. I think nostalgia will dictate my next viewing.

35mm film transfer, original theatrical release

Unlike my old DVD copy which has a strange left-centric stereo track, this edition is far more balanced and clearer in English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 – to the point where I picked up a couple of extra disorienting calls for help from Josh. Subtitles are included.

Twenty-five years later, The Blair Witch Project still has its fair share of detractors but it’s also being celebrated more than ever, hence this pinnacle release from Second Sight Films. They’ve answered the call from both fans and filmmakers alike with such a definite presentation of the found-footage sensation.

Second Sight Films also has a Standard 2-Disc Edition available for roughly half the price of its larger counterpart, which contains all the same bonus material, just minus the tangible extras.

THE BLAIR WITCH PROJCET
(1999, director: Daniel Myrick & Eduardo Sánchez)