Blair Witch (2016)

[Pieter V]

Blair Witch Blu-ray

Release date: January 3rd, 2017

BLU-RAY/ DIGITAL HD SPECIAL FEATURES
• Audio Commentary with Director Adam Wingard and Writer Simon Barrett
• “House of Horrors: Exploring the Set” Featurette
• Never Ending Night: The Making of Blair Witch (6-Part Documentary)

1. “Primal Fear: Story Origins”
2. “Ambiguous Loss: The Cast”
3. “P.O.V.: On Location”
4. “Trapped in the Time Loop: Editing”
5. “Distorted Reality: Music and Sound Design”
6. “The Reveal”

DVD SPECIAL FEATURES
• Audio Commentary with Director Adam Wingard and Writer Simon Barrett
• “House of Horrors: Exploring the Set” Featurette

Subtitles: Spanish and English SDH
BD Audio: English Dolby Atmos, Spanish 5.1 Dolby Digital Audio, English 2.0 Dolby Digital Audio Optimized for Late Night Listening, English Descriptive Audio
DVD Audio: English 5.1 Dolby Digital Audio, Spanish 5.1 Dolby Digital Audio, English Descriptive Audio

[TripleHBK]

I read on Horror-movies.ca that this was going to carry a $39.99 MSRP. If that turns out to be true it's going to be the equivalent of retail suicide for this film. I watched it in an empty theater on opening day and thought it was enjoyable and worth owning, but Vestron Collectors edition price worthy this is not. Hopefully what I read was wrong as $27.99+ on release is a tough sell for this film.

Here was me at a 12:30pm showing that opening Friday. This was taken about 5 minute before show time but it remained this way for the entire viewing. Had the theater all to myself. (My popcorn bucket is in the center)



and here was my movie swag I got and plan to store with the blu ray...

[darkness2918]

Originally Posted by TripleHBK

I read on Horror-movies.ca that this was going to carry a $39.99 MSRP. If that turns out to be true it's going to be the equivalent of retail suicide for this film. I watched it in an empty theater on opening day and thought it was enjoyable and worth owning, but Vestron Collectors edition price worthy this is not. Hopefully what I read was wrong as $27.99+ on release is a tough sell for this film.

Here was me at a 12:30pm showing that opening Friday. This was taken about 5 minute before show time but it remained this way for the entire viewing. Had the theater all to myself. (My popcorn bucket is in the center)



and here was my movie swag I got and plan to store with the blu ray...

Wow when I went it was somewhat packed. Nice pin though, now I want it. Day 1 buy though unless the price is outrageous.

[splintersan]

Wife and I were the only ones at my screening as well, it was Sunday matinee opening weekend. I went to the hospital an hour after the screening for a kidney stone! Fun times.

[darkness2918]

Originally Posted by splintersan

Wife and I were the only ones at my screening as well, it was Sunday matinee opening weekend. I went to the hospital an hour after the screening for a kidney stone! Fun times.

Could it have been caused by the movie (j/K, glad you came out of it ok).

[The Debts]

Huh. Surprised this is getting a Dolby Atmos release.

[therealjondoe]

Originally Posted by splintersan

Wife and I were the only ones at my screening as well, it was Sunday matinee opening weekend. I went to the hospital an hour after the screening for a kidney stone! Fun times.

Just had one a few months ago.
Worst pain I ever had.

[Keegsta]

Just wanted to throw out there that I really liked this film. When it ended it never crossed my mind that people wouldn't like it. So it was crazy seeing how most didn't enjoy it. Anyway, I'm picking this up for sure!

[Evan Meadow]

Day 1

[master gandhi]

Yes, please. Those extras look awesome.

[Chaotic]

Originally Posted by The Debts

Huh. Surprised this is getting a Dolby Atmos release.

The sound is incredible in this so its a good thing it is.

[UFAlien]

Atmos huh? I'm sure it'll sound good but so much for verisimilitude.

[Mr.Twinks]

I am sure the price will drop on Amazon before the release date. I just preordered this one and even though I don't have atmos (yet) the core track is going to rock on my system!

[hYPE]

I wasn't the biggest fan of this film but after hearing speculation & theories I'm more intrigued now.

[format916]

i saw this in an XD cinema and i really was blown away by the sound. Im picking this up for sure.

[wonderer99]

So whats the deal with this film then? The first film is my favorite horror and when The Woods was declared a Blair Witch sequel (a proper one) I was pretty excited. I still have not seen the film as I wanted to see this at home with no annoying distractions (humans) and the reviews I read were glowing and I heard great chatter. I did not watch any trailers or anything. Went to check the Blu release date and saw that it was at only 35% on RT. Not that I care much about that score but it does seem a real contrast to the limited amount of buzz I heard.

So was this pretty bad in the end then? Please no spoilers.

[iamnoone]

Originally Posted by wonderer99

So whats the deal with this film then? The first film is my favorite horror and when The Woods was declared a Blair Witch sequel (a proper one) I was pretty excited. I still have not seen the film as I wanted to see this at home with no annoying distractions (humans) and the reviews I read were glowing and I heard great chatter. I did not watch any trailers or anything. Went to check the Blu release date and saw that it was at only 35% on RT. Not that I care much about that score but it does seem a real contrast to the limited amount of buzz I heard.

So was this pretty bad in the end then? Please no spoilers.

You could have seen it in the theater with no humans. I think there were only two other people at my theater on opening day (and that was the Chinese Theater 5-plex on Hollywood Blvd). Bomb.

I thought the film was terrible, just an overblown retread going through the motions of the original. But instead of the subtlety of the original, it's full on bombardment to the senses. And annoying, artificial characters. There were a couple of interesting ideas, but they are never really developed. Great sound, though.

That said, I may give it another look some day. It probably will play better at home where you can multi-task while it's on.

[TripleHBK]

Originally Posted by wonderer99

So whats the deal with this film then? The first film is my favorite horror and when The Woods was declared a Blair Witch sequel (a proper one) I was pretty excited. I still have not seen the film as I wanted to see this at home with no annoying distractions (humans) and the reviews I read were glowing and I heard great chatter. I did not watch any trailers or anything. Went to check the Blu release date and saw that it was at only 35% on RT. Not that I care much about that score but it does seem a real contrast to the limited amount of buzz I heard.

So was this pretty bad in the end then? Please no spoilers.

Depending on how invested you are in the first film your opinion of this sequel will vary. Personally, I thought this film was superior in every way and a lot of fun. With that said, none of what worked in this film would have worked without having first watched the original. This isn't the most original of sequels, but the story was still interesting enough and took the franchise in plenty of fun new directions. For me the payoff was well worth it, and while I don't love the film, I still consider it far more enjoyable than the original, of which I have respect for, but never liked much at all and have always considered way over hyped.

I definitely plan on purchasing the film and feel like you will get some enjoyment out of it for sure. I think given that you hold the original in such high regard you will likely be disappointed somewhat by what this film offers since it does take several chances and goes in new directions, but I do think it's a very worthy sequel to the original film and one that no horror fan should be without if they took the time to purchase the original.

[cemetaryrider89]

I saw this and Snowden blu rays out early yesterday at FYE. Each had a $30 price tag

[The Great Owl]

It's funny reading about all of the empty theaters when people here saw the movie. In my below review, which I shared with friends on Facebook, I noticed the same...


This afternoon, on my flex day off from work, I went to see Blair Witch at a theater that was mostly empty, save for two or three other people. As it turns out, this was the most favorable possible circumstance in which to see the movie, because I was able to immerse myself in the story without being disturbed by crowd noises. In Blair Witch, a sequel to the 1999 horror masterpiece, The Blair Witch Project, the younger brother of one of the unfortunate characters in the first film travels into the woods of Burkittsville, Maryland with a few friends and several cameras to search for clues regarding his sister's disappearance. Director Adam Wingard follows the formula of the original film quite predictably, but also uses multiple recording devices (GPS earpiece cameras, cell phones, handhelds, and even a drone) for more of a shock and awe approach that diminishes the atmospheric eeriness that reeled me into the original so well 17 years ago. Fortunately, this new movie still has its share of unsettling moments, and I can not help but be impressed by the sheer number of jump scares that it pulls out of its sleeve.

Blair Witch has been knocked around by the critical reviews this weekend, but, then again, the original film, which I still consider to be one of the best horror movies of the past couple of decades, was extremely divisive as well. If, like me, you venture into the woods often and you enjoy putting your imagination to work, then this sequel delivers the goods when viewed in a quieter setting, where its sound effects and disorientating aspects can really come to life. This movie will definitely be on my mind the next time that I go running on trails at night with a headlamp.