More Faux Fright on ‘Blair Witch’ DVD

Artisan Entertainment has delivered a terrific DVD of its surprising summer blockbuster, “The Blair Witch Project” ($30). Even those who didn’t think this thriller about three filmmakers who disappear while shooting a documentary was really scary should get a few chills watching the digital version.

Before checking out the feature, watch the 45-minute documentary “Curse of the Blair Witch,” which is far spookier than the movie itself. This mock documentary features clips from the film, chronicles the history of the filmmakers’ disappearance and offers the history of the Blair Witch herself from purported experts. Included are interviews with friends and family of the missing college students, Heather Donahue, Michael C. Williams and Joshua Leonard. It’s very clever.

Also included in the DVD are a chronicle of the history of the Blair Witch, talent biographies, theatrical trailers and “recently found footage” featuring Heather, Michael and Joshua discussing the Blair Witch in their tent.

“Blair Witch” was filmed in a unique way. The three principal actors shot every frame of the completed film. Unbeknown to the actors, the townspeople they interviewed were planted by the directors. All the lines were improvised and all the events depicted in the film were generally not known to the actors beforehand.

The audio commentary includes director-writers Daniel Myrick and Eduardo Sanchez, producers Robin Cowie and Gregg Hale and co-producer Michael Monello. The commentary is funny and informative but often it’s next to impossible to figure out who is talking because there are so many participants.

According to the commentary, the actors, just as the student filmmakers in the movie, did get lost in the woods. And the filmmakers acknowledge it was creepy to be out there at 3 a.m. trying to scare the actors out of their tent or setting up props like the rock formations before the next day’s filming.

*

One of Universal’s classic horror films, “The Wolf Man,” goes digital on a special collector’s edition ($30) that is howling good fun. This 1941 thriller, starring Lon Chaney Jr. as the hapless Larry Talbot--who, after being bitten by a wolf man (Bela Lugosi), becomes a wolf every full moon--is still vastly entertaining.

The disc includes a photo archive, original trailer and David J. Skal’s well-researched documentary, “Monster by Moonlight: The Immortal Saga of the Wolf Man.” The featurette examines the genesis of the project, how writer Curt Siodmak’s experiences escaping Nazi Germany in 1933 influenced the story line and the fact that Chaney and co-star Evelyn Ankers were far from friends during production. John Landis, who directed “An American Werewolf in London,” narrates.

The breezy audio commentary is provided by historian Tom Weaver, who is quick to point out the technical gaffes, wonders why Chaney is bitten by a four-legged wolf but only turns into a two-legged wolf and scratches his head as to why diminutive Claude Rains was cast as the hulking Chaney’s father. “They look like Mutt and Jeff,” Weaver proclaims.

*

For Adam Sandler fans, there’s the DVD of his latest blockbuster, “Big Daddy” ($25), which has the most tasteless menu in DVD history. It’s a picture of Sandler and the little boy his character adopts relieving themselves against a wall, complete with sound effects.

The disc includes two music videos, talent files and the mini-documentary, “The Making of Big Daddy,” which first aired on HBO. The print is available in pan-and-scan or wide screen.

And if that’s not a big enough Sandler fix, there’s “Saturday Night Live: Best of Adam Sandler” (Trimark, $25), which features an hour of Sandler’s sketches from “SNL.” Also included is a recent Sandler interview from “Late Night With Conan O’Brien.”