The Blair Witch Project Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		4.5
Audio		3.5
Extras		5.0
Overall		3.5

The Blair Witch Project Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman October 28, 2026

What's worse, having an unpopular opinion, or refusing to change it if given the chance years later? Well, ladies and germs, we're about to find out, for as those who may have read my now very long ago The Blair Witch Project Blu-ray review of Lionsgate's 1080 release of the film in 2010 might recall, I wasn't a gushing fan of the film at the time, and I remain less than enthusiastic about it to this day. Now, that said, there is absolutely no denying the "importance" of The Blair Witch Project in terms of putting the whole "found footage" genre on the cinematic map, though that said, snooty cinephiles (and you know how they can be) will waste no time in pointing out that there had been several precursors in that particular idiom, including films like Cannibal Holocaust. Lionsgate Limited is revisiting The Blair Witch Project now with three cuts of the film and a bonus disc with quite a bit of supplementary content which should be a treasure trove for fans. Lionsgate Limited has also packaged this fairly extravagantly (see the Supplements section below for more information).

My aforementioned The Blair Witch Project Blu-ray review offers my unabashedly curmudgeonly take on the film, along with a list of supplements and my reaction to the technical presentation.

The Blair Witch Project Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The Blair Witch Project is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Lionsgate Films' etailer Lionsgate Limited with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 1.38:1. Packaging and menu verbiage state this is "restored and remastered (newly restored from the original Hi-8 Videotapes and 16mm Film Elements)", and this is a markedly improved looking presentation when compared to the old Lionsgate release. Just compare screenshot 1 of this review with screenshot 1 of my old review for just one area of improvement, color space (look at how markedly different the colors of the knit cap are). More importantly, though, both the videotape and especially the 16mm footage are considerably less dirty and/or noisy looking, with rather appealing clarity when lighting conditions allow. The 16mm footage in particular looks decidedly more organic and filmlike than in the first presentation from years ago. The video footage is still obviously kind of intentionally lo fi, and there are still anomalies associated with that side of things, including some haloing that can crop up (especially in the early, more brightly lit, going).

The Blair Witch Project Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

While there isn't really any appreciable difference that I could hear between the track on this disc and the one on the older disc, perhaps my curmudgeonly ways are becoming less acute, as I'm giving the score a boost here, as it's obviously a faithful reproduction of the original sound design. That design is intentionally lo fi, without a lot of wide imaging, but the layering of dialogue, which is always clear, and sound effects is quite effective and arguably more spooky than anything that's actually seen. Optional English subtitles are available.

The Blair Witch Project Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Disc One

• Restored Version (HD; 1:21:21)


• Festival Version (HD; 1:25:19)


• Original 35mm Theatrical Version (HD; 1:21:21)


• Legacy Audio Commentary with Directors Eduardo Sanchez & Daniel Myrick, Producer Rob Cowie and Co-Producer Michael Monello - Original 35mm Theatrical Version Only

Disc Two

• Exclusive Lionsgate Limited Content

Season of the Witch (HD; 29:21) is a fun retrospective with contemporary interviews interspersed with snippets from the film.




Expanded Lore (HD; 12:53) offers some information on some of the adornments that became part of Curse of the Blair Witch (included in the Legacy Special Features).




The Matt Blazi Project (HD; 11:33) profiles a superfan.




Mythos (HD; 11:51) looks at some of the merchandising tie ins.




Eternal Impact (HD; 9:26) covers an archive held at the University of Pittsburgh (my Dad's Alma Mater, at least the Wharton part).




Iconic Artifacts: The Blair Witch Project at MOPOP (HD; 9:20) looks at even more archival objects housed at the Seattle museum.




Film is Life: A Tribute to Cinematographer Neal Fredericks (HD; 9:54) is an homage to Fredericks, who perished in a Florida plane crash in 2004.

• Legacy Special Features

Curse of the Blair Witch Mockumentary (HD; 44:01)




Sticks and Stones: An Exploration of the Blair Witch Legend (HD; 29:16) has more ostensible talking head snippets.




The Blair Witch Legacy (HD; 3:41) is a kind of slide show documenting the supposed history of the area.




Analogue Horror in a Digital World (HD; 11:31) is a Second Sight overview.




Deleted Scenes (HD; 1:31:44)




Cannes 1999 - Archive Directors Interviews (HD; 10:51)




Directors Interviews (HD; 9:18)




Fear Sections (HD; 5:43)




Alternate Endings (HD; 8:03)




B Roll (HD; 16:09)




Theatrical Trailers (HD; 2:41)

Lionsgate Limited has packaged this release attractively, with a handsomely designed slipbox holding a DigiPack and a perfect bound collectors' book that reproduces the film's production journal (with a complete screenplay, such as it was). The DigiPack encloses a digital copy and a folded mini poster.

The Blair Witch Project Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

If The Blair Witch Project may not be quite as sui generis as its most ardent fans believe, it's still an inventively realized concept that obviously took the world by storm. Lionsgate Limited has done the film's fans a service by markedly improving video quality, as well as offering different cuts and a wealth of bonus items, all in some nice packaging with fun extras. At least for that diehard fanbase, this release comes Recommended.