Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		5.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		5.0
Overall		4.5

The Blair Witch Project Blu-ray Movie Review

Pre-millennium tension.

Reviewed by Randy Miller III November 22, 2024

Often imitated but never duplicated, Daniel Myrick and Eduardo Sánchez's The Blair Witch Project was one of a few films that shifted the 1990s pop culture landscape. A unique hybrid of documentary and horror, it told the fateful tale of Heather (Heather Donahue, now Rei Hance), Michael (Michael Williams), and Josh (Josh Leonard), three filmmakers on the hunt for a mythical creature in the wilderness near Burkittsville, MD in 1994. The film's seismic 1999 theatrical run was built on claims that the "found footage" was authentic and its three "stars" were actually killed during production, catapulting this tiny little <$1M production into a quarter-billion dollar success. Rushed to theaters by US distributor Artisan Entertainment, the film's unique blend of consumer-grade Hi8 video and black-and-white 16mm footage was compromised by the studio's decision to create a 35mm filmout, homogenizing the two formats to a surprising degree. 25 years later, the British boutique label Second Sight, in collaboration with its co-directors and other crew members, has gone back to the original elements to rebuild the film in the way it was originally meant to be seen.

For a synopsis of the main feature, please see Jeffrey Kauffman's review of Lionsgate's 2010 Blu-ray. As evidenced by our differing star ratings for the main feature, I'm obviously a bigger fan of The Blair Witch Project than Jeffrey was but I can at least understand some of his criticisms. The most likely difference here is that I did indeed see it theatrically in 1999 and was thus part of what was likely the most effective movie marketing campaign of the decade; simply put, you just had to be there to understand what made it such a unique cinematic experience. The Blair Witch Project arrived at the perfect time and its clever promotion, including a meta website that bolstered its mythology (the first of its kind), worked in tandem with pre-millennium tension to capture the public's interest to a dizzying degree. (The other part is how this new Blu-ray's visual restoration increases the film's visual authenticity, but more on that very soon.) So call it partial nostalgia bias, but I feel obligated to award The Blair Witch Project a more fitting 4/5... and maybe even higher in the right mood, as this production's singular place in horror film history -- not to mention independent filmmaking in general -- should at least place it in the conversation of one of that year's most creative genre offerings.

In addition to the newly rebuilt Theatrical Cut, it's also worth noting that both this Limited Edition and the standard version (housed in keepcase packaging with no printed goodies, as detailed below) include two additional versions of The Blair Witch Project on Disc 1. The similarly rebuilt "Festival Cut" (85:19) runs exactly 3:58 longer overall and was prepared for the festival circuit before Blair Witch earned a theatrical release. Though not substantially different, this version of the film includes several alternate and/or extended moments as well as variances in parts of the audio mix. An "unrestored" Theatrical Cut is our third and final option; sourced from that same hasty 35mm filmout by Artisan Entertainment described above, it's much closer to what was seen in theaters in 1999 as well as on the DVD and 2010 Blu-ray. Once you see Second Sight's new restoration, though, it'll be almost impossible to go back.

The Blair Witch Project Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Not to again branch off from Jeffrey Kauffman's review of Lionsgate's 2010 Blu-ray, but his then-accurate quip about its video quality ("Was there ever a film less likely to benefit from a Blu-ray upgrade than The Blair Witch Project?") has a much different answer now. Simply put, Second Sight's remarkable rebuild of the film from its original source elements gives the end product an authentic amount of texture and character that make it a more convincing experience as seen in these direct-from-disc screen captures. Rather than the homogenized 24fps frame rate seen in theaters and earlier home video editions (which also suffered from other baked-in imperfections), we now get a simulated mix of 59.94fps Hi8 color video and traditional black-and-white 16mm, the latter of which incidentally now has an authentic veneer of thick film grain. Anyone who grew up watching or using either of these formats will instantly appreciate the differences on display here, and original Blair Witch co-producer Mike Monello has even recently remarked that "it finally feels like the movie is finished, after 25 years." Simply put, this welcome new restoration is about as close to a 1:1 presentation of the source material as we'll ever get on home video, and for that alone it earns perfect marks.

Speaking of Mike Monello... as luck would have it, he joined our forums recently to detail the new restoration, different cuts, and other aspects of Second Sight's new Blu-ray release, even answering questions from members on more than a few occasions. Similarly, David Mackenzie, the founder of esteemed disc authoring house Fidelity in Motion (who has worked with Second Sight, Arrow Films, Warner Archive, and other highly-regarded boutique labels) and a long-time member of our forums, has also contributed information about the disc production as well. For those two want to learn more about the new restoration and encoding, follow along in the official thread. (The fun begins on page 13.)

The Blair Witch Project Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The sonics are a trickier situation, as the first pressing of this this release (including the one I received) included a defective audio track for the restored Theatrical Cut which effectively plays in DTS-HD 2.0 Master Audio split mono rather than a true stereo presentation. To their credit, Second Sight have since issued a disc replacement program in which buyers can e-mail blair@secondsightfilms.co.uk with a subject line of "Blair Witch replacement disc" along with a proof of purchase to receive their replacement. With that in mind: based on the presumably similar true stereo heard on the included Festival Cut, viewers should expect a familiar and very straightforward audio experience with modest channel separation and an intentionally limited atmosphere in keeping with the film's "amateur" roots.

Optional English (SDH) are included during all three versions of the film, but not the extras below.

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

This two-disc set ships in deluxe packaging as seen above, a design that meets or exceeds the boutique label's usual output. Its outer shell is a rigid slipcase with new artwork by Timothy Pittides (top center) and both discs are housed in a simple Digipak case with two hubs (top right). The main printed extra tucked inside is a 184-page hardback book (top left) with archive production materials, stills, and brand-new essays by contributors Stacey Abbott, Becky Darke, Adam Hart, Craig Ian Mann, Mary Beth McAndrews, Dr. Cecilia Sayad, Pete Turner and Heather Wixson. Also inside are three bound collector's art cards (bottom left) as well as a very cool replica of Heather's journal as seen in the film (bottom right), which is filled with "handwritten" notes and an unfinished collection of entries. It's a great-looking package overall and surprisingly not all that bulky, taking up about the same width as three Blu-ray keepcases.

The on-disc bonus features are numerous and well worth digging through. Most are new and exclusive to this Limited Edition Blu-ray release and the standard version, while a few are recycled from Lionsgate's 2010 Blu-ray.

DISC ONE

• NEW! Audio Commentary #1 - This all-new commentary pairs up film critic Alexandra Heller-Nicholas and filmmaker Josh Nelson, who offer their secondhand thoughts on The Blair Witch Project from their separate first experiences watching it to dissecting the film's themes, documentary techniques, and of course its unique place in pop culture history. From cleaning up theatrical vomit to comparing and contrasting Blair Witch with its many descendants including Cloverfield and Paranormal Activity, it offers an outsider's perspective whereas the bulk of the extras to come are told from more firsthand accounts. Available during the Theatrical Cut only.

• Audio Commentary #2 - A legacy track with producer Rob Cowie, co-directors Daniel Myrick and Eduardo Sánchez, producer Gregg Hale, and co-producer Michael Monello. Available during the Theatrical Cut only.

DISC TWO

• NEW! The Blair Witch Documentary (150:20) - This feature-length -- and I mean feature-length, as it's almost twice as long as the actual film -- retrospective documentary is undoubtedly the centerpiece of these extras, a detailed look back at the film's uniquely difficult production and lasting legacy. Featured participants include co-directors Daniel Myrick and Eduardo Sánchez, producer Greg Hale, production designer Ben Rock, and co-producer Michael Monello, all of whom recount stories of their shared affinity for classic horror and TV shows like the Leonard Nimoy-hosted In Search Of..., developing the mythology, the creative process, location scouting, casting and production design, editing and post-production, the film's release and immense public reaction, and much more. It's not all just endless talking-head interviews, either: we also get a wealth of never-before-seen footage from the shoot as well as loads of pre-production footage and other candid moments, such as several key contributors literally brainstorming at a kitchen table before filming even began. Written and directed by Jed Shepherd, this exhaustive piece is an absolutely essential watch for die-hard fans of the film.

• NEW! Analogue Horror in a Digital World (11:29) - This comparatively lightweight but still valuable piece about The Blair Witch Project's unique place in film history is written and narrated by Mike Muncer, host of the "Evolution of Horror" podcast. Among other things, it examines the indelible pre-millennial zeitgeist and how this film helped to re-establish the still-popular "found footage" horror subgenre, for better or for worse.

• MOSTLY NEW! Deleted Scenes (91:44) - Yet another extra longer than the film itself, this wealth of deleted scenes was culled from the hours upon hours of footage originally captured during production and thus includes lots of never-before-seen video and 16mm footage. (For contrast, Lionsgate's Blu-ray only had five minutes of cut material.) What's more is that these scenes are also taken from the original elements so they look similar to the new restoration. Collectively it's not an alternate version of the film since it stops short of the fateful house, but these clips are presented sequentially and thus has a similar overall trajectory up to that point.

• Alternate Endings (4 clips, 8:01 total) - The same quartet of alternate endings as seen on previous home video releases, although they look to be in better shape this time around.

• Curse of the Blair Witch (43:53) - The familiar 1999 promotional made-for-TV mockumentary.

• NEW! Cannes 1999: Archive Directors Interview (10:51) - A casual beachside interview with co-directors Daniel Myrick and Eduardo Sánchez, who get a McDonald's lunch delivery halfway through.

• NEW! Trailers (2:35) - Two teasers and a trailer for the film.

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

Daniel Myrick and Eduardo Sánchez's The Blair Witch Project burned brightly in 1999, immediately securing a spot in cinema history for its creative approach and clever marketing tactics that made it one of the top 10 most successful independent films of all time. Unknown to the majority of fans, though, the version seen in theaters and earlier home video releases was not what the filmmakers originally intended... and a quarter-century later, that issue's finally been rectified with this welcome new Blu-ray edition from Second Sight Films that restores the Hi8 video and 16mm source elements to their former glory. Armed with a treasure trove of new and legacy extras as well as deluxe packaging on this Limited Edition release (a swag-free standard version is also available), it's a very, very Highly Recommended purchase, at least pending the disc replacement as detailed in the "Audio" section above.