Second Sight in the UK has released a special limited edition of the cult classic horror film The Blair Witch Project and Steve Wells has done an in-depth review…..
In October of 1994, three student filmmakers disappeared in the woods near Burkittsville, Maryland, while shooting a documentary….
A year later their footage was found.
The opening text of a film that revolutionised moviemaking might make it easy to wonder why The Blair Witch Project was so acclaimed if you weren’t around 25 years ago. It was more than just a film; it became a pop culture phenomenon.
The most profitable independent film of all time, at the time of its release, it was copied in style, spoofed, inspired a Scooby Doo special, and proved you didn’t need visual effects, a professional technical crew or atmospheric music to make something terrifying for audiences worldwide.
Second Sight has released a stunning 2 Blu-Ray set, in two different editions, and it has to be said, it blows all of the various previous releases out of the water. Apart from some terrific Special Features, this release features a brand new restoration from the Hi8 videotapes and 16mm film elements, supervised and approved by the Producers and Directors.
It practically looks like live TV, and the grain and motion blur seen in the video-to-film transfer, which was the only way to see it before, isn’t there anymore. It adds extra details to the image, but at the same time, it takes away the ‘grunginess’ of the previous releases, which were fuzzier, and felt a bit more illicit to watch because of that.
The film is on the first disc of the set in three different versions. The first is the theatrical version restored from the original elements, as previously mentioned, the same elements are also used for the Festival Cut, which uses a few alternative takes and scenes, and eliminates a few from the theatrical cut.
The differences are minimal, but it is a nice alternative version. The original theatrical cut is also included, with the video footage transferred to film as in previous releases. It has a bit of telecine wobble on it, and it likely comes from the older master, but for completists, it’s an essential addition.
There are two commentary tracks, all accessible for whatever version you watch of the theatrical cut. First up is the vintage commentary from the previous release by the producers and directors. It’s pretty good but doesn’t give too much away.
The second track by Alexandra Heller-Nicholas, author of ‘Found Footage Horror Films’ and film critic Josh Nelson, who are two critics who love the film. They discuss a wide range of topics, including along the way, Nelson’s experience of working in a cinema at the time of its release, why some people suffer from motion sickness when watching it, the backlash from audiences who were angered that were fooled into thinking it was real, resulting in Heather Donahue having to legally change her name, gender politics, and comparing the film to other found footage titles. It is crammed with terrific observations, and I’m sure I’ll revisit it somewhere down the line.
Disc Two has the remaining Special Features, and it’s an absolute treasure trove to discover.
First up is The Blair Witch Documentary. Running at two and a half hours, it offers a definitive look at the challenges and triumphs of making the film. The producers and directors recorded an extensive amount of footage before and during the filming, such as meetings where they’d come up with ideas before production began, along with a generous amount of behind-the-scenes footage. The directors, producers and production designer are the only talking heads here. There are a few contradictions, but after 25 years it’s fine for their memories to be a little muddled. Sadly none of the cast are interviewed, but I guess this film is long enough anyway. The time just flies by watching this.
This pretty much serves as an in-depth filmmaking class. From the development to the final scenes being filmed, the feature is only 1 hour 20 minutes in!
The remaining 70 minutes covers the pros and cons of its screening at the Sundance Festival, along with the Blair Witch website (which was primarily created because they couldn’t afford to advertise the film in any other way), abandoned ideas, the unexpected rags to riches they experienced,, the response to people believing it was real, though they never intended to dupe anybody, and their opinions on the sequel, Book Of Shadows, released just a year later, and so much more. It’s a fantastic ‘making-of’ documentary, one of the best I’ve ever seen.
Analogue Horror in a Digital World is a short featurette by Mike Muncer, where he discusses the film’s success due to it being one of the last films to be shot on analogue equipment, filmed by the cast themselves. It also highlights how it was made and released at the most perfect time, when the internet was in its infancy, and online fiction and reality blurred into each other to the gullible.
Next up are the deleted scenes. Running at 107 minutes, longer than the actual film, these are again taken directly from the Hi-8 video masters and silent 16mm footage. Some were deleted for good reason. There’s a lot of padding, such as several minutes of Mike trying to cram equipment into his car, all three arguing about trust issues with each other, getting lost, more arguing, Mike sewing up his ripped trousers and more arguing,
It clearly was a nightmare to shoot. All three, at various times, get reduced to tears on camera, due to the pressure of genuinely getting lost and the VERY heated arguments they have. It’s pretty uncomfortable knowing all of that anger was real.
The footage of Heather and Mike, after Josh disappears, however, is genuinely touching, and the hate and aggression they had for each other disappears into a mix of confusion, concern, and fear. and mutual support. One scene with Mike addressing the camera was the most touching scene, and I personally would have left in it.
Also included are four alternative endings. I’ll just say one thing – they went with the best one!
The Curse of the Blair Witch is an excellent TV mockumentary, originally shown on the Sci-Fi Channel in 1999, telling a complete back story and legacy of the Witch, along with promoting scenes in the film as true. It’s pretty convincing, to those not ‘in on it’, featuring interviews and anecdotes from acquaintances of the allegedly missing trio, along with clips of TV news reports of them missing. It has aged pretty well
Cannes 1999: archive Directors interview. A nice filler, though most of what is discussed can be found in other features in this set.
Second Sight is releasing two versions of this film simultaneously. The no-frills version is just the two discs in a standard case.
The Deluxe Version contains the following physical extras…
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
The Blair Witch Project is a film that still divides audiences. Some people love it, and others hate it. Nevertheless, it is an undisputed classic. A film that was always so grainy, and never seemed to be worth upgrading to Blu-Ray from DVD is reborn, and it’s like watching the film with fresh eyes! The film has never looked better, and the Special Features are thorough, informative and fantastic to watch. This is easily one of my Blu-Ray releases of the year and gets my highest recommendation.
FILM – 8 VIDEO – 9 AUDIO – 8 EXTRAS – 10
REVIEW BY STEVE WELLS
