Legendary horror film The Blair Witch Project is getting a limited edition Blu-ray release, and it’ll be a whole new experience for fans.
To call The Blair Witch Project an essential horror film may be an understatement. The movie was a cultural phenomenon that popularized thefound footage genrein the United States. Today, it’s revered as one of thescariest horror flicks ever made.
Now, just after its 25th anniversary, Second Sight Films will release a two-disc limited edition of The Blair Witch Project on Blu-ray.
The set will include a new restoration of the film based on the original Hi8 and 16mm film elements, as overseen by the film’s original producers and directors.
In addition to the restored version of the film, the set will include two other cuts: the original theatrical release and the festival cut. There will also be a brand-new feature-length documentary and multiple audio commentary tracks.
Released in 1999, The Blair Witch Project purported to be footage found in cameras left behind by a trio of student filmmakers who had gone missing. The three had ventured into the Maryland woods to explore the myth of the Blair Witch.
The film was notable for its use of the found footage filmmaking style and its marketing. Posters presenting the film’s leads as missing and a website featuring in-character interviews created one of the first viral marketing phenomenons, with many believing the film was actually a documentary.
The Blair Witch Project wound up being one of the biggest films of 1999 and was the 11th highest-grossing movie at the worldwide box office that year, coming in just behind The Green Mile.
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Though there were attempts at a broader Blair Witch Project franchise, they’ve had diminishing returns. It’s now slated fora reboot from Blumhouse, though no release date has been announced.
Christopher Baggett was a TV & Movies Writer on Dexerto’s US team and a comics expert, across DC Comics and Marvel. He also has bylines at ComicsBeat, Comic Book Resources, and The HomeWorld.
