These ominous words set the tone for of one of the scariest and most original horror films to emerge in quite some time. The film is supposedly constructed from the footage taken by the disappeared. This is a unique and very clever premise for making a feature film on a camcorder budget. It could have never worked, however, if the actors hadn't been so convincing and the story so disturbing.
Heather, Josh and Michael look and behave like people we actually know. This makes it all the more unsettling as we watch their emotional state gradually deteriorate from jovial nonchalance to frantic desperation. At the beginning, things are banal and routine as we see them preparing for the trip, shooting footage in town and setting out into the woods. Then suddenly they can't find their way back to the car. Suddenly, they realize that they are being stalked by someone or something. As they get more lost, tired and hungry, and as their predator grows increasingly menacing, their attempts to keep their composure and maintain optimism become increasingly futile.
In one quiet but unforgettable scene, Heather turns the camera on herself in the middle of the night and whispers a tearful apology to her parents and Josh and Michael's parents. By this point, she understands that the three of them are doomed. Through the video footage, she still has a potential (one-way posthumous) link to her family, back home. All she can do is vent her overwhelming feelings of regret and fear. Very powerful stuff.
People's reaction to this movie seems to be very polarized. Either they love it, or they hate it. (And it's true: some audience members have been known to get physically ill in response to the abundance of shaky handheld camera footage.) If you can't tolerate the lack of standard feature film amenities (steady camera work, crisp cinematography, sophisticated editing, incidental music, slick dialogue) then the film's redeeming features might very well be of no use to you.
As far as I'm concerned, The Blair Witch Project has everything you could possibly want from a great movie. It conjures strong emotions and stimulates the imagination like no horror film I've ever seen, before. It gets great results without any of the standard cliche frightening devices, like "BOO!!" scares or contrived chase sequences. To me, top-notch production values, or the lack thereof, are a trivial concern in light of what has been achieved.
Note: for maximum spook effect, be sure to click on this link and read up on the history of the Blair Witch. (Those of you not prepared to endure 90 minutes of handheld camera work will get a decent chill up your spine, just reading this...)