The Blair Witch Project Collection - Imprint Films Limited Edition

The Blair Witch Project is one of those films that seems to fall in the love-it-or-hate-it camp with horror film fans. Those who hate it, can’t stand the shakey camera work or seem to be illogically bored to tears by it. Personally, I think those people are fronting and don’t actually want to admit they were terrified to the point of soiling themselves less they have to admit the origin of said stains in their various garments. The people who love it are transfixed by the intricately woven found-footage documentary plot seamlessly blending reality and fiction. I for one loved this movie. I was late to the hype because I actually had to work the theater and clean up after the people who saw it. I didn't pay attention to the marketing, simply because I didn't have the time. By the time I got to sit down with it, I was all alone in the theater and it freaked the hell out of me, partly because I have been lost in the woods miles from home and had felt that primal panic portrayed on screen. So yes, a 5/5 horror experience for this guy. 

Given the first film was a low-budget big-profit phenomenon, a sequel was guaranteed. Artisan, in their infinite wisdom, didn’t bring back original directors Daniel Myrick and Eduardo Sanchez to craft a follow-up to the intricate world they created. That task fell upon writer/director Joe Berlinger. After a lot of hype and some well-publicized reshoots, Book of Shadows: Blair Witch 2 stormed onto theater screens and left almost as quickly as we assembled the reels on our projector pallets. A flop that floundered the franchise, it has moments of genuine creepiness, but the direct standard narrative felt too pedestrian and the reshoots forcing more gory payoffs and on-the-nose interstitials deflated the creepy whodunit mystery aspect. It's painfully obvious long before the mystery gets going. Entertaining, but not great. It’s probably best viewed as one of the best episodes of Scooby-Doo you’ll ever see. Think about the character dynamics and their Blair Witchmobile and you’ll get it. 3/5

Missing from this collection, and frankly probably for the best, is the third film, The Blair Witch, which was a less-than-effective attempt to take the franchise back to its roots but didn’t have the same sense of homegrown authenticity. But going back to the first two, I do really enjoy these films. They harken back to my earliest days working the theater and retail jobs to sustain my crippling DVD habit. When I think back on how much I’ve spent on disc-based media, not counting the necessary A/V equipment, I will never give a nicotine addict or someone who spends $6 a day on Starbucks the stink eye. How can I when I’ve spent so much money picking up DVDs and Blu-rays of just these two films?

Vital Disc Stats: The Blu-ray 
The Blair Witch Collection joins ViaVision’s Imprint Collection with a new two-disc two-film set. Each film gets its own Region Free BD50 disc and is housed in its own individual clear case. The set is bound in one of Imprint's stylish hardstock boxes with the cool removable lid. Each disc loads to a basic main menu with standard navigation options.

For this release of The Blair Witch we have what looks to be the standard 1.33:1 1080p presentation that Lionsgate has recycled for a while now. Doing a quick glance at Second Sight’s recent remaster, the difference in quality is night and day, and sadly this edition is on the losing end. (Note: We aim to review that one as soon as the replacement disc has come in.). That isn’t to say this isn’t an unwatchable experience, but it’s not a pretty-looking presentation either. 2.5/5

Fairing far better is Book of Shadows: Blair Witch 2. This film has previously been available on Blu-ray in Germany and other parts of Europe (never in the States, to my knowledge) and it looks pretty damn good. Since it was a more professional studio production, details for the 35mm scenes are crisp and clean without issue, or any serious signs of speckling or damage. The film grain is apparent and nicely rendered. Colors, black levels, and contrast are all on point for that fall-like wooded moody atmosphere. It’s a well-shot film and this Blu-ray works well for it. 4/5

The Blair Witch Project creeps us out with an effective LPCM 2.0 audio track. By and large this plays similar to previous editions we’ve heard on disc. Dialog is clear because voices are usually talking right into the mics on their video cameras and there isn’t any kind of real score to speak of. It’s a lot of shuffling leaves and creepy branches scraping on trees. It’s not an altogether dynamic experience, kind of covers the bases, but does well enough for this film. 3/5

Book of Shadows takes the stage with an impressively creepy DTS-HD MA 5.1 track and a very respectable LPCM 2.0 stereo track. Of the two I spent the most time with the 5.1 offering feeling it was the more lively and effective of the two. Given the Carter Burwell score, the Zombie and Manson tunes, and the more professional production values, the film has a much stronger sonic presence than its predecessor. The 5.1 track keeps dialog focused well while letting the surrounds add the right amount of creepy ambiance to the soundscape. I only played back a few key moments with the LPCM 2.0 and found it nicely effective, but also a little more restrained. It’s certainly more front-loaded, but it also loses some of the finer spacing touches present in the 5.1 track. 4/5

Keeping with Imprint’s usual operational standards, even for films that have been released many times already, this set offers a bunch of brand-new and tons of archival extras. The commentaries are the most informative of the pack while the new interviews with Joe Berlinger and Nancy Schreiber are particularly illuminative. That movie certainly went through the machine, especially when you look at all of the marketing for the soundtrack. Artisan certainly strangled the golden goose before it could lay another egg. 

The Blair Witch Project:

• Audio Commentary featuring Matt Blazi
• Audio Commentary featuring Daniel Myrick & Eduardo Sanchez with Robin Cowie, Gregg Hale, and Mike Monello
• Curse of the Blair Witch Documentary (SD 44:01)
• The Blair Witch Legacy (SD 3:39)
• Archival Writer/Director Interviews (SD 9:12)
• Fear - Interviews with Psychological and Supernatural Experts:
• Darkness (SD 00:34)
• Guilt (SD 00:32)
• Effects of Fear (SD 00:25)
• Absolute Terror (SD 00:29)
• Sleep Deprivation (SD 00:29)
• Survival (SD 00:45)
• Witches (SD 00:42)
• Superstition (SD 00:38)
• Psychopathology (SD 00:48)
• Alternate Endings:
• Standing in the Corner Backwards (SD 2:05)
• Standing in the Corner Forwards (SD 1:41)
• Hanging (SD 2:01)
• Levitating (SD 2:00) 
• Discovered Footage (SD 5:12)
• Theatrical Trailer
• Teaser 1
• Teaser 2

Book of Shadows: Blair Witch 2

• Audio Commentary featuring Joe Berlinger 
• Select Scenes Commentary featuring composer Carter Burwell
• Created by Hysteria: Directing Book of Shadows - Interview with Joe Berlinger (HD 19:14)
• We Brought Something Back: Filming Book of Shadows - Interview with Nancy Schreiber (HD 18:18) 
• The Secret of Esrever - Archival Featurette (SD 2:02)
• Shadow of the Blair Witch Documentary (SD 44:55)
• Burkittsville 7 Documentary (SD 40:01)
• Soundtrack Trailer and Live Performance by Godhead (SD 4:56)
• Archival Cast & Crew Interviews (SD 16:27)
• Theatrical Trailer 
• Teaser Trailer

The Blair Witch Project is a case study of some highly successful films just aren’t meant to be franchised, nothing has worked well after the original and there's apparently a reboot currently in the works. This is especially true if you’re going to cut out original writers/directors Daniel Myrick & Eduardo Sanchez from the process. And on that note, The Blair Witch Project is also a cautionary tale of sudden success and fame. The creators and cast got nothing on the back end of that box office juggernaut, so be careful if you’re a sudden phenomenon making your first big deal, read the fine print! Book of Shadows: Blair Witch 2 is another cautionary tale of how a film can be taken away from the director, forced reshoots and edits, and churned out into a run-of-the-mill horror flick - albeit with some genuinely creepy moments - that is a true box office bust. I’ve long wanted to get Book of Shadows on Blu-ray, because I do have a weird nostalgic love for it, and Imprint’s two-film The Blair Witch Project Collection offered that up. It's odd the third film isn't included and I do wish they’d been able to source the newer remaster of the first film. The dated transfer is a bummer, but the second film looks great and there are plenty of bonus features to enjoy after the double feature is over. Not a perfect set, but there's enough here to call this one Recommended
Click to Order: