Independent horror remains one of the most viable kinds of movies out there in today’s marketplace, with films like Obsession and Backrooms becoming critical and box office juggernauts. The grandaddy of independent horror, of course, has to be The Blair Witch Project (1999), which also holds the distinction of popularizing the found footage sub-genre of horror. Directed by Daniel Myrick & Eduardo Sánchez, The Blair Witch Project has endured through the rich legacy that it’s left behind. It remains one of the most authentically scary movies ever made.
We here at But Why Tho? were lucky enough to have received a copy of Lionsgate Limited’s brand new “Ultimate Collector’s Edition” of The Blair Witch Project. This collection is an absolute treat for fans, including a gorgeous poster, a 104-page booklet that contains goodies such as a prop list and production log, new special features and legacy special features, and three different versions of the film. The three different versions of the film are where the Ultimate Collector’s Edition really outshines all other The Blair Witch Project releases.
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The Blair Witch Project was filmed on Hi-8 video tapes and 16mm film stock. When the film was first released, the footage had to be filmed off of a specialized CRT monitor with a 35mm camera to produce a negative so that it could be screened in theaters. This resulted in heavy image degradation, so this version- marked on disc as the “original 35mm exhibition version”- was what audiences were familiar with for a long time.
The “Ultimate Collector’s Edition” offers a variety of treats for fans.
Now, the original intended look of The Blair Witch Project has been restored by directly transferring from the original Hi-8 tapes and 16mm film stock used in production. This gives us two fully restored versions of the film- the Theatrical Cut and the oft-sought-after Festival Cut, which removes some scenes, elongates others, and removes various sound effects for a more immediate found footage experience. For my money, the newly restored Theatrical Cut is the essential Blair Witch experience.
While I have seen The Blair Witch Project, I had never seen it quite like this. The lo-fi sheen of digital Hi-8 video and the haunting black-and-white of the 16mm film come through with such a striking clarity that it feels as if we, as the audience, have stumbled onto the remnants of an incomplete documentary. While this was always the intention, as the film is about three film students trying to document the myth of Burkitsville, Maryland “Blair Witch” having the original film elements presented as close to possible as to how they’re supposed to look makes a world of difference.
From moment one, you are there with amateur filmmakers Heather Donahue, Joshua Leonard, and Michael C. Williams, who all notably use their real names. What separates The Blair Witch Project from its imitators is the aforementioned cinematography, the performances of the central trio, and its unique structure.
The Blair Witch Project finds its thrills in subtle bouts of horror.
There’s never a moment where The Blair Witch Project seems like it’s trying to set the audience up for a scare. Under the tutelage of cinematographer Neal Fredericks, all of the actors operate the cameras themselves. There’s no artificial lighting, no obvious build-up to big horror moments; everything feels like it’s something they just stumbled upon.
Some of the most affecting parts of the film come from what we can’t see, such as the pure black of the woods or the wobbling of the camera obscuring the dilapidated lair Mike and Heather end up in at the end, or the purposefully shoddy framing like Heather’s tearful apology where all we can see are her eyes and snotty nose.
For their part, Heather, Josh, and Mike are all fantastic because their performers are essentially one with their characters. Given limited instruction to hit certain beats, the core trio of The Blair Witch Project uses heavy improvisation that requires them to basically be themselves, reacting authentically to what’s in front of them. This is not a film with overwrought backstories or long, revealing monologues to lean on. It’s all on them to get the audience invested by showing us how they feel about the situation. Safe to say, they knock it out of the park.
Unthinkable terror awaits as Heather, Josh, and Mike stumble into a nightmare.
To this day, The Blair Witch Project is unmatched in its structure in the found-footage genre. While other imitators try to hit standard Hollywood beats, The Blair Witch Project simply lets us meander about with these characters. Slowly, surely, a nightmare envelopes our protagonists. We get breadcrumbs, but we’re left mostly in the dark as to what outside forces are tormenting Heather, Josh, and Mike until it’s too late, and the film’s over.
What at first might seem unsatisfying lingers as a sick feeling that what we just saw was the only remnant of an unthinkable terror. As much as one wants to do something to help them, it’s already happened, and all we can do is watch the playback in terror.
After revisiting the film, my appreciation was only deepened by the extensive bonus materials in Lionsgate Limited’s release. There are a myriad of new featurettes on the making of the film, its fandom, and the building out of its wider lore that accompany a litany of legacy bonus features from previous home video releases.
The Blair Witch Project remains an unmatched masterclass in the found footage genre.
To learn how the film was made, where Daniel Myrick and Eduardo Sánchez essentially left the three actors on their own and guided them from afar by constructing scenarios and leaving them notes that vaguely described what they’d go through, made the film’s magic trick seem all the more miraculous.
The Blair Witch Project isn’t the first found footage horror film. Nevertheless, it put the subgenre on the map and, for my money, it has yet to be topped in that regard. That has never been more apparent than in the Lionsgate Limited Ultimate Collector’s Edition that presents the film in the way it’s always meant to be seen and throws in a treasure trove of extras to boot. Whether it’s a first viewing or a hundredth, The Blair Witch Project has never been better.
The Blair Witch Project is now available on home video in an Ultimate Collector’s Edition Blu Ray from Lionsgate Limited.
