You so have to get an interview with Second Sight. Loved your Vinegar Syndrome interview and I don't think I've ever seen anyone interview Chris Holden.
I never felt taken out of Late Night with the Devil, because there's found footage of the broadcast and found footage of behind the scenes. It's all found footage once the show gets going. Either way, I enjoyed it. Kudos to Second Sight on the Blair Witch set. Hopefully someone will get a region A of it at some point.
I saw the Blair Witch Project at the cinema knowing nothing about it except that it was real found footage. I was terrified, as was my friend. It was an unforgettable experience. Elliot, I do wish that we could get bare bones and special edition versions. I'd buy the bare bones of Blair Witch. I also really liked Late Night With The Devil, but don't need all the stuff. Thanks as always.
The Blair Witch Project limited edition is bloody BRILLIANT! The only thing keeping it from getting a perfect score from me is the ongoing exclusion of Heather, Josh and Mike. They were such a HUGE part of the film's believability and success, and the way they've been treated (and continue to be treated) as a mere side note at best whenever the film is discussed by the production team and studio is absolutely shameful. They should have been included in the new documentary along with Myrick, Sanchez and the others...
We don't speak about the actors current situation because it isn't our story to tell, it is theirs. They are currently in discussions with Lionsgate and as our public statement of support says, we hope that they come to a positive outcome. The production team is not the studio, be careful about accusations you make when you don't have all the info.
@@mikemonello I appreciate the reply, Mike. My apologies if I misspoke. My main point was to express my disappointment over what I view as the glaring absence of the three actors/co-filmmakers from what is otherwise a stunning document of a truly one-of-a-kind film. Were they invited to participate in the documentary, to be a part of this special package? I don't know how the business works or anything about the legalities involved, let alone the specifics surrounding your project and the players/personalities involved. It just seems a shame for fans of the film not to hear from three integral members of the creative team that brought this film into being and made it such a phenomenal success. What IS there is great... it just seems like an incomplete celebration without their involvement.
@@Polymorphia1965 They were given the opportunity to participate and declined. Look, had the film come out properly the first time,, there's a better than 95% chance we would not have participated in this reissue at all because none of us make any money from this film. At all. None of us will see a penny from this release, and we took no payment for helping them get the transfer done and supplying materials for this release. Now that the film is finally released the way we wanted it to be done all along, at least in one market, I can't see any of us participating in further releases without showing us some decent money. I'm certain the same goes for the actors, but as far as we are all concerned the studio has made enough money off our labor and I'm not interested in giving them any more. But I'm sure it's hard for people to understand how awful it is to have something you worked on for YEARS be released so badly in the most widely available formats for people to watch, home video and streaming. That's why we participated, because Second Sight was willing to do the release the way we always wanted, and the issues with Lionsgate have nothing to do with them.
Nothing beats Umbrella's Caligula - The Ultimate Cut box set in my opinion. The amount of extras is probably the most intensive on any physical release ever.
Second Sight is the gold standard in boutique Blu ray and 4K collecting. I only wish they could be commissioned to do all of my favourite horror and thriller films. Back in 2015 and the years that followed I thought Arrow Video was the leading collector’s label and it was excellent but Second Sight is such a more serious upgrade and their catalogue is right up my street: horrors and thrillers exclusively. Looking forward to their future releases and let’s hope we get films like Near Dark. Imagine if they could do films like The Shining.
My problem with Second Sight is twofold. Firstly, I’m not interested in most of the films they release, they are often modern horror, most of which I dislike. Secondly they do these releases which come in big boxes full of items to promote the film, but is basically tat that I’d never look at once the set is opened. I’m not going to spend a lot of money on tat and the alternative is a disc with no booklet. It’s really all or nothing. I saw Blair Witch at the cinema on release, and was stunningly underwhelmed by the whole film and most particularly the end. If the actors were also short-changed I won’t touch it with a barge pole. For me, Radiance are doing much better with their releases and have yet to trip up. Likewise Deaf Crocodile and Second Run. Both offer excellent releases of much underappreciated films.
Have yet to purchase Blair Witch, but Late Night with the Devil looked pretty damn good. The artists behind Late Night with the Devil came out and said that they used AI to help create the title cards and that the title cards you see are not 100% AI generated but are based on images they created with AI.
The thing with the Blair Witch release is that the video footage doesn't look completly unedited. I think they upscaled it or used some other smoothening effect on it, which really takes away from the experience. It could be that it's just because now there is no added (fake) grain like in the previous release, but it still feels like the footage is not the original.
They restored it from Hi8 and 16mm. I watched it on a scuzzy pirate VHS on original release late 90's; under the influence of sketchy internet marketing and cheap pot and it was way better. I didn't get a free poster though.
It's standard definition video, so they did have to upscale it. It does have smoother motion because SD video is 30fps as opposed to the 16mm footage, which is shot at 24fps. They may have done some additional clean up as well. To me, it looks more like real video footage than the original release, which by necessity, had to be at 24fps. Plus the interlaced video to 35mm blow-up looks a lot jankier than the new upscale, quality wise. Technically, they could have done a home video release that looked more like this back in the day on VHS or DVD. They always took it from the 35mm transfer, however, so it has baked in issues.
There was no filter or AI used to upscale, what you are seeing is the actual footage from the Hi8 tapes, without film grain from the improper transfer that Artisan and LG have continued to release. The only reason we made a 35mm print was so it could be seen in theaters. If this movie were coming out today, it never would have been put on 35mm at all. The master is video, not the 35mm telecine negative. You are seeing true hi-8 video as it looks off the camera itself. The home video versions shoudl always have been mastered from the video negative, not the theatrical telecine transfer. This is the only version that has been mastered the proper way, with Hi-8 video transferred at 30fps/60 fields and the 16mm transferred directly from the negative to video and then reconstructed on the edit timeline to match the original.
@@mikemonello I bet it looks great; I used to shoot Surf/Skate vids on hi-8 before switching to mini DV and always preferred the softer, high contrast Analog.
Disc replacements are a pain to deal with. I've lost count of how many times it's happened with various labels over the years. To be fair, however, this is the only Second Sight disc I personally own that's had this problem. I agree with with Late Night with the Devil, particularly with respect to the third act. As with most films dealing with the supernatural, the writers typically paint themselves into a corner. They just can't come up with an ending that does justice to all the build up.
Second Sight are one the best out there i havent watched Blair Witch yet as waiting for the disc to be replaced first, ive been collecting them for a couple of years since Dawn of the Dead box set.
I second that (pun slightly intended!). Second Sight's limited addition box sets are the true "gold standard" for this type of release. I bought an all-region player specifically for the LE sets of The Babadook and The VVitch, and have picked up several more since (Paranormal Activity, Picnic at Hanging Rock, The Changeling). The books they include are a *huge* selling point for me. I have a whole wish list of films I'm hoping they'll get a hold of and give similar treatment (Guadagnino's 2018 Suspiria being at the top) .
Elliot, excellent review, but I'm the exact opposite. I'm not a fan of "The Blair Witch Project." On the other hand, I thoroughly enjoyed "Late Night With The Devil" and proudly own the 4K Set from Second Sight. I saw "The Blair Witch Project" 25 years ago during its theatrical run and did not think it was scary then, and I still feel the same way about it today. It's one of the most overhyped movies ever, but to it's credit, they marketed the shit out of that movie. I have to give credit where it's due. "Late Night With The Devil" in my humble opinion is a very good film with wonderful acting, especially from David Dastmalchian. One of the best horror films of 2024.
Nice video as always, Elliot. See, to me, off the top of my noggin', it would be Eureka's awesome Feuillade box, Radiance's gorgeous Häxan Limited Edition, quite a few Indicator, Severin, Vinegar Syndrome releases, Umbrella's Caligula Ultimate Cut... Hammer's Captain Kronos Vampire Hunter on 4K also looks like a big contender to close the year, as also is true for Warner's North by Northwest 4K... And Severin's Russ Meyer forthcoming 4K restoration is -in my opinion- nothing short of a historic event. But then, I am not a fan at all of The Blair Witch Project, and I suppose all the stunning hard work put into that gorgeous edition would be wasted on me. I saw the film (well, tape :D) back in the day, I found it just OK, I suppose my expectations were too high, what with all the hype - or maybe I just wasn't the audience target - too old (I suppose when one has filled a few Spanish tax forms, something just breaks inside of one eventually and one becomes a tough, insensitive flippin' melonfarmer... :^D). Cheers!
I can't wait for April on criterion. I've heard fanny craddock's greatest turkey shots with Johnny are coming out. That will knock stuffing out of you, Elliot.
Unfortunately missed rhe Second Sight Blair Witch box and now seemingly OOP and going for ridiculous money on ebay....200 USD plus. Ridiculous. Would have liked to have grabbed it as I have all rhe Second Sight limted editions so far and they are all amazing but can't justify that price and I'm not the biggest fan of the film. That thick book would have been nice though lol. Ended up getting rhe local Imprint box that just came out in latest JB sale and paid 45 AUD or so. Something like that. Not quite as nice as rhe Second Sight box but still very good and although no thick book it does have rhe sequal included so ... Not too shabby! Will hopefully pick up Late Night With the Devil and Creep soon! I wish we would get a Day of the Dead set mega set like they did with Dawn. That would be epic!
The Blair Witch Project had an incredible marketing campaign but the movie was a crushing disappointment when I saw it in theaters upon its initial release. The 3rd film in the series is pretty good tho.
My thoughts on 10 years of collecting movies... ---> ua-cam.com/video/uVjnF1F5Kvc/v-deo.html
😂. You sir have one of the calmest and soothing voices I have heard. Is it just me?
You so have to get an interview with Second Sight. Loved your Vinegar Syndrome interview and I don't think I've ever seen anyone interview Chris Holden.
I never felt taken out of Late Night with the Devil, because there's found footage of the broadcast and found footage of behind the scenes. It's all found footage once the show gets going. Either way, I enjoyed it. Kudos to Second Sight on the Blair Witch set. Hopefully someone will get a region A of it at some point.
Killed me that Blair witch was a region locked release. I could never afford a region free player. It’s so expensive being a physical media fan now.
I saw the Blair Witch Project at the cinema knowing nothing about it except that it was real found footage. I was terrified, as was my friend. It was an unforgettable experience. Elliot, I do wish that we could get bare bones and special edition versions. I'd buy the bare bones of Blair Witch. I also really liked Late Night With The Devil, but don't need all the stuff. Thanks as always.
The Blair Witch Project limited edition is bloody BRILLIANT! The only thing keeping it from getting a perfect score from me is the ongoing exclusion of Heather, Josh and Mike. They were such a HUGE part of the film's believability and success, and the way they've been treated (and continue to be treated) as a mere side note at best whenever the film is discussed by the production team and studio is absolutely shameful. They should have been included in the new documentary along with Myrick, Sanchez and the others...
Why is it Brilliant, thought movies are Garbage
@@Music.Movies.67 Why would you think that?
We don't speak about the actors current situation because it isn't our story to tell, it is theirs. They are currently in discussions with Lionsgate and as our public statement of support says, we hope that they come to a positive outcome. The production team is not the studio, be careful about accusations you make when you don't have all the info.
@@mikemonello I appreciate the reply, Mike. My apologies if I misspoke. My main point was to express my disappointment over what I view as the glaring absence of the three actors/co-filmmakers from what is otherwise a stunning document of a truly one-of-a-kind film. Were they invited to participate in the documentary, to be a part of this special package? I don't know how the business works or anything about the legalities involved, let alone the specifics surrounding your project and the players/personalities involved. It just seems a shame for fans of the film not to hear from three integral members of the creative team that brought this film into being and made it such a phenomenal success. What IS there is great... it just seems like an incomplete celebration without their involvement.
@@Polymorphia1965 They were given the opportunity to participate and declined. Look, had the film come out properly the first time,, there's a better than 95% chance we would not have participated in this reissue at all because none of us make any money from this film. At all. None of us will see a penny from this release, and we took no payment for helping them get the transfer done and supplying materials for this release. Now that the film is finally released the way we wanted it to be done all along, at least in one market, I can't see any of us participating in further releases without showing us some decent money. I'm certain the same goes for the actors, but as far as we are all concerned the studio has made enough money off our labor and I'm not interested in giving them any more.
But I'm sure it's hard for people to understand how awful it is to have something you worked on for YEARS be released so badly in the most widely available formats for people to watch, home video and streaming. That's why we participated, because Second Sight was willing to do the release the way we always wanted, and the issues with Lionsgate have nothing to do with them.
Nothing beats Umbrella's Caligula - The Ultimate Cut box set in my opinion. The amount of extras is probably the most intensive on any physical release ever.
Hey Elliot, Second Sight will send you a replacement outer box for free if it arrived damage. They did that for my copy of The Hitcher.
Second Sight is the gold standard in boutique Blu ray and 4K collecting. I only wish they could be commissioned to do all of my favourite horror and thriller films. Back in 2015 and the years that followed I thought Arrow Video was the leading collector’s label and it was excellent but Second Sight is such a more serious upgrade and their catalogue is right up my street: horrors and thrillers exclusively. Looking forward to their future releases and let’s hope we get films like Near Dark. Imagine if they could do films like The Shining.
My problem with Second Sight is twofold. Firstly, I’m not interested in most of the films they release, they are often modern horror, most of which I dislike. Secondly they do these releases which come in big boxes full of items to promote the film, but is basically tat that I’d never look at once the set is opened. I’m not going to spend a lot of money on tat and the alternative is a disc with no booklet. It’s really all or nothing.
I saw Blair Witch at the cinema on release, and was stunningly underwhelmed by the whole film and most particularly the end. If the actors were also short-changed I won’t touch it with a barge pole.
For me, Radiance are doing much better with their releases and have yet to trip up. Likewise Deaf Crocodile and Second Run. Both offer excellent releases of much underappreciated films.
Have yet to purchase Blair Witch, but Late Night with the Devil looked pretty damn good. The artists behind Late Night with the Devil came out and said that they used AI to help create the title cards and that the title cards you see are not 100% AI generated but are based on images they created with AI.
I ordered the Blair witch (standard edition) from HMV but they cancelled it in light of the disc issue 😢
The thing with the Blair Witch release is that the video footage doesn't look completly unedited. I think they upscaled it or used some other smoothening effect on it, which really takes away from the experience. It could be that it's just because now there is no added (fake) grain like in the previous release, but it still feels like the footage is not the original.
They restored it from Hi8 and 16mm. I watched it on a scuzzy pirate VHS on original release late 90's; under the influence of sketchy internet marketing and cheap pot and it was way better. I didn't get a free poster though.
It's standard definition video, so they did have to upscale it. It does have smoother motion because SD video is 30fps as opposed to the 16mm footage, which is shot at 24fps. They may have done some additional clean up as well. To me, it looks more like real video footage than the original release, which by necessity, had to be at 24fps. Plus the interlaced video to 35mm blow-up looks a lot jankier than the new upscale, quality wise. Technically, they could have done a home video release that looked more like this back in the day on VHS or DVD. They always took it from the 35mm transfer, however, so it has baked in issues.
There was no filter or AI used to upscale, what you are seeing is the actual footage from the Hi8 tapes, without film grain from the improper transfer that Artisan and LG have continued to release. The only reason we made a 35mm print was so it could be seen in theaters. If this movie were coming out today, it never would have been put on 35mm at all. The master is video, not the 35mm telecine negative. You are seeing true hi-8 video as it looks off the camera itself. The home video versions shoudl always have been mastered from the video negative, not the theatrical telecine transfer.
This is the only version that has been mastered the proper way, with Hi-8 video transferred at 30fps/60 fields and the 16mm transferred directly from the negative to video and then reconstructed on the edit timeline to match the original.
@@mikemonello I bet it looks great; I used to shoot Surf/Skate vids on hi-8 before switching to mini DV and always preferred the softer, high contrast Analog.
Disc replacements are a pain to deal with. I've lost count of how many times it's happened with various labels over the years. To be fair, however, this is the only Second Sight disc I personally own that's had this problem. I agree with with Late Night with the Devil, particularly with respect to the third act. As with most films dealing with the supernatural, the writers typically paint themselves into a corner. They just can't come up with an ending that does justice to all the build up.
Second Sight are one the best out there i havent watched Blair Witch yet as waiting for the disc to be replaced first, ive been collecting them for a couple of years since Dawn of the Dead box set.
I second that (pun slightly intended!). Second Sight's limited addition box sets are the true "gold standard" for this type of release. I bought an all-region player specifically for the LE sets of The Babadook and The VVitch, and have picked up several more since (Paranormal Activity, Picnic at Hanging Rock, The Changeling). The books they include are a *huge* selling point for me. I have a whole wish list of films I'm hoping they'll get a hold of and give similar treatment (Guadagnino's 2018 Suspiria being at the top) .
Elliot, excellent review, but I'm the exact opposite. I'm not a fan of "The Blair Witch Project." On the other hand, I thoroughly enjoyed "Late Night With The Devil" and proudly own the 4K Set from Second Sight.
I saw "The Blair Witch Project" 25 years ago during its theatrical run and did not think it was scary then, and I still feel the same way about it today.
It's one of the most overhyped movies ever, but to it's credit, they marketed the shit out of that movie. I have to give credit where it's due.
"Late Night With The Devil" in my humble opinion is a very good film with wonderful acting, especially from David Dastmalchian. One of the best horror films of 2024.
Agree on all points.
@Avelinovski Thank You. 😄
Nice video as always, Elliot. See, to me, off the top of my noggin', it would be Eureka's awesome Feuillade box, Radiance's gorgeous Häxan Limited Edition, quite a few Indicator, Severin, Vinegar Syndrome releases, Umbrella's Caligula Ultimate Cut... Hammer's Captain Kronos Vampire Hunter on 4K also looks like a big contender to close the year, as also is true for Warner's North by Northwest 4K... And Severin's Russ Meyer forthcoming 4K restoration is -in my opinion- nothing short of a historic event. But then, I am not a fan at all of The Blair Witch Project, and I suppose all the stunning hard work put into that gorgeous edition would be wasted on me. I saw the film (well, tape :D) back in the day, I found it just OK, I suppose my expectations were too high, what with all the hype - or maybe I just wasn't the audience target - too old (I suppose when one has filled a few Spanish tax forms, something just breaks inside of one eventually and one becomes a tough, insensitive flippin' melonfarmer... :^D). Cheers!
What shelves do you have in the background? Where can I get those? 😊
He's made a video about that. They were sold out last time I checked...
I'd say Second Sight won when The Hitcher came out respectfully.
Best release was Ninja Terminator from Neon Eagle hands down! 😂
I can't wait for April on criterion. I've heard fanny craddock's greatest turkey shots with Johnny are coming out. That will knock stuffing out of you, Elliot.
Unfortunately Blair Witch release is region B locked. Otherwise would have jumped on it.
Region free players have never been more accessible.
@@Publiksquare Americans are too spoiled and entitled to get them.
Unfortunately missed rhe Second Sight Blair Witch box and now seemingly OOP and going for ridiculous money on ebay....200 USD plus. Ridiculous. Would have liked to have grabbed it as I have all rhe Second Sight limted editions so far and they are all amazing but can't justify that price and I'm not the biggest fan of the film. That thick book would have been nice though lol. Ended up getting rhe local Imprint box that just came out in latest JB sale and paid 45 AUD or so. Something like that. Not quite as nice as rhe Second Sight box but still very good and although no thick book it does have rhe sequal included so ... Not too shabby! Will hopefully pick up Late Night With the Devil and Creep soon! I wish we would get a Day of the Dead set mega set like they did with Dawn. That would be epic!
Second Sight are absolute gems. however, Late Night With the Devil was utter trash lol
Thanks Man : )
I wouldn't whatch the Blair witch project if you paid me lo budget garbage
The Blair Witch Project had an incredible marketing campaign but the movie was a crushing disappointment when I saw it in theaters upon its initial release. The 3rd film in the series is pretty good tho.
Showing the witch in thst film was by far the dumbest thing in all three films.