DATELINE -- Thursday, 2 September 1999
"Blair Witch" -- Super-size it!: Despite previous word from Artisan that their upcoming DVD of The Blair Witch Project would be a movie-only disc with a feature-packed edition to follow in 2000, they have now announced that the release will in fact be the full-fledged item, including "newly discovered'' footage, the "Curse of the Blair Witch" documentary (which originally aired on the Sci-Fi Channel), and at least one commentary track. Additional DVD-ROM content will include a map of the Black Hills Forest inhabited by the Blair Witch, excerpts from the "Blair Witch" comic book and dossier, a chat room, and Web links -- and Artisan points out that these additional features will be accessible on the Internet only via the DVD-ROM interface. Count on the whole package to street for a very reasonable $25, and it's even been kicked up from Oct. 26 to Oct. 22, a rare Friday street date that should give all of you plenty of time to get this one for your Halloween parties.
Meanwhile, the "Introduction to Film" course at the University of Central Florida has had a 500% rise in admission, up from 48 students last year to 250 this fall, but the reason is not as much of a mystery as the elusive Blair Witch -- the creators of BWP took the course last year. And while the university isn't prepared to take credit for the $125 million blockbuster, program director Sterling Van Wagenen told Reuters that it "has, at least, created the impression that our film program is on the map."