Video: When I first popped this disc in I was disappointed because the movie isn't in widescreen, then I remembered that the movie never was in widescreen. The entire thing was shot in video and 16mm, so widescreen would only stretch things out. Honestly, what more are you going to see? More trees? Curious woodland creatures? The claustrophobic quality of full-format works with this movie. The more you see, the less scary it becomes.

This is one of those movies that actually looks better on DVD than on the big screen. The disc's color and texture are much more apparent on a small screen. When I saw this movie in theatres I felt like I was watching a film school project on a circa 1983 rear-projection television. Now that I can watch it in the comfort of my living room on a decent screen, I get a much better impression of the film.

Audio: What's the worst thing about home movies? Is it the jerky camera work? Is it seeing your relatives attempt to be funny? Or is it the crappy sound? For me, it's the sound (with the unfunny relatives coming in a close second). Good movies have good sound and that's a lesson the "Blair Witch" production team obviously learned. This disc is formatted in Dolby Surround sound, which means that proper placement of your speakers will generate creepy sound effects. You'll swear twigs are breaking behind you and someone is breathing in the corner. I honestly thought someone was outside my window, huffing and shuffling. The police wanted to know why I shot five bullets through my window, but I think I weasled my way out of that incident.

If you live near someone named Josh, it is your responsbility as a smart ass to jack up your stereo or television and play the final few scenes at full volume. Your neighbors will be delighted to hear Heather and Mike searching for their lost partner. "Josh! Josh! I'm comin' for you Josh!" Within minutes your door will be attacked by a bloodythirsty gang and that guy named Josh will be crumpled in his room, quivering in a fetal position. Ah, cinema.

The sound news isn't all good I'm afraid. Those of you with new equipment may feel slighted because the disc is in Dolby Surround 2.0 format, not the newer 5.1 version. Don't get too worked up -- the production team pushed the sound to its limits, so it still creates the desired effect.

Goodies: Let this serve as notice to all DVD production crews. Theatrical trailers and audio commentary aren't enough. I don't want to hear what the caterer thought about a particular scene and I don't want to see the same trailer I was bombarded with during the initial marketing push. I want more dammit!

Apparently, the "Blair Witch" team wanted more too, so they loaded this disc with good stuff. You'll find audio commentary, cast biographies, and a series of production notes titled "Blair Witch Legacy" that traces the fictional mythology from 1785 to the present. These features are nice, but two extra goodies are the main attractions.

The "Newly Discovered Footage" is a previously-unseen segment where Heather, Mike and Josh are crouched in their tent, engaged in a frightened discussion about who or what is hunting them. It's meaningless to the storyline, but it's still fun to watch.

Finally, the pseudo-documentary "Curse of the Blair Witch" can stand on its own as a great piece of filmmaking. This 45-minute, fictional special looks like something you'd see on A&E (it actually ran on the Sci-Fi channel in the summer of '99). "Curse" features "interviews" with Burkittsville, Md. residents and an extensive history of the Blair Witch. The funniest and most creative aspects are segments taken from a 1971 documentary titled "Mystic Occurrences." A funkadelic male witch adorned with medallions and a well-fertilized chest talks about witchcraft and his own Blair Witch theories. It's stuff like this that makes me want to make movies.

Filmfodder Grade: A

Geek Stuff:
Title: "The Blair Witch Project"
Running Time: 87 minutes
Sound: Dolby 2.0
Screen Version: Fullscreen

Note: This review originally appeared at Ontap.com. It's reprinted here for archival purposes.