After the uber-hype machine and subsequent fortunes that were made with the original ‘Blair Witch Project’, it was a given that the media moguls would try to replicate that success. Unfortunately, it’s almost impossible to catch lightning in a bottle a second time. So the folks at Artisan Entertainment have hopes of finding some new life for their upcoming DVD release of Blair Witch 2: Book Of Shadows.

The plot has some potential: drawn to the site of the horrific, unsolved events of the original Blair Witch disappearances, a group of young thrill-seekers camp out in the now infamous Black Hills of Maryland. But when they awake the next day, five hours are missing from their lives and an eerie sense of foreboding grips them. Back in town, struggling to understand what happened, they begin to hear disturbing cries, find cryptic symbols on their bodies and experience startling hallucinations. Descending ever deeper into paranoia and panic, they now sense that when they left the woods, they didn’t leave alone…

Directed by Joe Berlinger (director of the incredible documentary ‘Brothers Keeper’), the movie stars a lot of pretty newcomers: Jeffrey Donovan, Erica Leerhsen, Tristen Skylar, Stephen Turner, Heather Donahue, Michael Williams, and Joshua Leonard.

Artisan is giving us an anamorphic widescreen transfer with Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround audio. Extras include an audio commentary by the director, and DVD-ROM features. There is also something called ‘The Secret of esrever’ (get it?) which allows users to discover secrets while playing portions of the movie backwards. This feature is included on the VHS, but it’s not entirely clear if it’s included on the DVD (though I can’t imagine why it wouldn’t be).

Also available will be the Blair Witch Experience Collector’s Set, which contains the original ‘Blair Witch Project’, the sequel ‘Blair Witch 2: Book Of Shadows’ as well as a 3 disc set of PC games based on the Blair Witch mythology. Apewter ‘Stickman’ necklace suspended from natural twine rope is included in this collection.

‘Blair Witch 2: Book Of Shadows’ is due in stores on March 13th, with a suggested retail price of $24.98.
‘Blair Witch Experience Collector’s Set’ is due the same date with a suggested retail of $39.98.