Today’s Feature: Curse of the Blair Witch (1999) – The Blair Witch Project (1999)

“I’m finally finished.”

-Rustin Parr

As you might know if you visited the site yesterday, I’ve been reading and watching quite a bit about The Blair Witch Project. The progenitor of the “Found Footage” craze (though Paranormal Activity is probably responsible for the later half), the film became a pop-culture phenomenon, largely due to its inventive marketing and presentation. Though many films have followed in its wake, none have truly captured the look and mood of the first Blair Witch film. Part of the allure of the film is its verity. Even though you’re watching a film, and likely are aware it is not an actual documentary, performances and presentation begin to seep into your mind. The Blair With Project isn’t the truth, but it is exactly what we’d have seen if it were. An amazing extension of this can be found in Curse of the Blair Witch.

Curse of the Blair Witch was released as a special for the Sci Fi Channel just prior to the film’s wide release. The special gives a ton of background information, including fake television broadcasts, new interviews and tales of the Blair Witch’s presence prior to the events of the film. It presents so much information that it is almost essential to truly understanding the full weight of the film, especially the ending. There is a very special reason for this. Most of the material found in the special was shot during the film’s “Phase Two”, and was considered for inclusion in the theatrical release itself. While I think the team made the right choice by excising most of it (there is a short sequence that tells some of the legend in the film), it was equally adept move to make it into a television special. Heck, had it made the big screen, it would have basically been that anyway. Here, we have a fake, In Search Of… style documentary, replicating every aspect that such a television presentation would have. There was also a very different, but comparable in intent, special that aired on Showtime before the film called The Burkittsville Seven, that unfortunately has not been released on the current discs. If it ever is, you’ll be sure to see it here. These specials added another layer to the mystique of the film, giving television audiences something they probably would have gotten were the tale real. This style was the inspiration for the project from the beginning, and here it gets to fully play out.

The special, now special feature, might be one of the most significant we’ve ever covered here. Sure, I have a taste for vintage stuff, but this is beyond even that. Its a special feature that embodies the genius of the film. Not only is it something directly from the film’s production, but was the catalyst for many people’s interest. A viral campaign before the public even knew what that was. As the delivery of media has changed so much in the near twenty years since the film’s release, it is unlikely we’ll ever see anything like this again; Certainly nothing exactly like it.

Curse of the Blair Witch is available on both DVD and Blu-Ray releases of The Blair Witch Project. Watch it before the film or watch it after, but do watch it.