Many films were shot open matte with the intention of matting them for cinema presentation (which could range from 1.66:1 to 1.85:1). When they were shown on old TV broadcasts or on home video they simply removed the mattes top and bottom to make them fit the TV screen better. This obviously worked well for TV but it was never the intended aspect ratio.
Blair Witch was never intended to be matted either in the cinema or on home video so has always been 4:3
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