The 10 Best Found Footage Movies of All Time 2023

Found footage films (often labeled “documentaries”) are some of the scariest and most thrilling films available. Although this subgenre often falls within the horror genre, it is not strictly a horror genre and may incorporate elements of science fiction, drama, comedy, horror, and family (Earth to Echo , is anyone there?).

While we may not be able to cover every type of found footage we can find, we’ve compiled a list of the 10 best found footage movies for you to check out below.

1. The Blair Witch Project (1999)

The classic horror film that started Hollywood on this created a scene-stealing craze right from the start. The Blair Witch Project’s popularity is largely due to its marketing campaign rather than the actual content of the film. The Blair Witch Project was actually billed as “found footage” in a literal sense, with the documentary’s three subjects all labeled “missing” or “dead.”

As it turns out, it was all a marketing ploy to boost ticket sales and establish the indie film’s credibility, but that doesn’t make the adventures of Heather Donahue, Michael C. Williams and Joshua Lenard any less. a little scarier. Their search for the legendary Blair Witch quickly turns dark when the trio is attacked by a mysterious and invisible force, ending with grim consequences.

There’s no reason that The Blair Witch Project is one of the most famous found footage movies and is still considered one of the best to this day.

2. Paranormal Activity & Paranormal Activity 2 (2007, 2010)

If The Blair Witch Project is the most famous found footage film of all time, then the Paranormal Activity series is certainly the greatest found footage series ever developed. The first film, Paranormal Activity, was an instant classic that took the established found footage concept and enhanced it, making it clear that just because you’re sleeping indoors doesn’t mean you’re safe from the evil.

The first two films in the series are both considered the best, starting the occult mythology and introducing audiences to both humans and demons, who would continue to haunt cinemas for years to come. many years to come. The first film is often called “the most profitable movie ever made” due to its insane return on investment, while the second film (technically a prequel) is often praised. praised for its contributions to the mythology (which spawned subsequent sequels, prequels, and spin-offs).

The first two Paranormal Activity movies are must-sees for any found footage addict but be warned, you may not sleep through the night.

3. GHI (2007)

This Spanish film (often stylized [•REC]) is a horror movie about zombies with really intriguing details. Following news reporter Ángela Vidal (Manuela Velasco, Holmes & Watson. Madrid Days), the film takes place in a Barcelona apartment building where a viral outbreak, similar to rabies, begins affects the building’s occupants, turning them into bloodthirsty cannibals. And if that sounds like a lot, it’s not even half.

REC also further explores religious themes related to the origins of the zombie virus, tracing its origins… well, we won’t reveal it all. Like most successful foreign films, this one has an American remake, Quarantine, which removes all the religious elements that gave REC its flavor. It also spawned three more movies that ultimately all tie together.

What makes REC unique is its blend of the zombie genre with classic horror movie tropes, all wrapped up in a stock footage package.

4. Leo & Leo 2 (2014, 2017)

One of the strangest additions to this list, Creep and Creep 2 were both written by Room 104’s Patrick Brice and Mark Duplass, with Brice in the director’s chair and Duplass front and center as a serial killer. specializes in luring unsuspecting cameramen to their deaths. (Brice also starred in the first film). This sounds like a plot that could fit into one movie, but two movies? Believe it or not, it was successful (there’s even a third movie in development).

These psychological comedy-horror(?) films do a great job of making the audience feel “extremely uneasy” but still unable to look away. Creep may be the most disturbing of the two, but Creep 2 also has its moments (including the protagonist’s immediate admission of guilt, which puts us in a difficult position right from the start). head). Creep movies are definitely scary and absolutely worth watching. What could happen?

5. Sacrament (2013)

Horror director Ti West (The House of the Devil) outdid himself with The Sacrament, a film largely based on the true events of the 1978 Jamestown Massacre that claimed the lives of more than 900 people in what they called “revolutionary suicide.” This film takes those events and puts them through an objective lens. The film is also produced by horror legend Eli Roth (Hostel, Cabin Fever).

The film follows a group of VICE journalists as they infiltrate a religious community with one of their colleagues to find his sister. They eventually encounter “The Father” (Gene Jones, No Country for Old Men), based on cult leader Jim Jones, who controls everyone and everything. What the journalists soon learn is that there are members of Eden Parish who don’t want to stay, and so our heroes’ moral dilemma begins.

The Sacrament is about what you would expect from any movie based on the Jonestown Massacre, but still brings a fresh take on cult-related movies. The found footage element certainly helps.

6. V/H/S & V/H/S/2 (2012, 2013)

Anthologies are always popular, from The Twilight Zone to the most recent American Horror Stories, seeing what so many different filmmakers can do in such a short period of time is always a staple. of Hollywood, and its sequel V/H/S and Bloody Disgusting do just that!

Both films use the “frame narrative” technique, linking each story together through found VHS tapes. Featuring various horror directors including Adam Wingard (Blair Witch), Joe Swanberg (The Rental), Radio Silence (Ready or Not), Simon Barrett (You’re Next) and The Sacrament’s Ti West, all V/H/S movies tend to kick it up a notch.

If you don’t want to watch a movie with big scenes, check out V/H/S or V/H/S/2 where you can enjoy more short stories for the same price!

7. Hell House LLC (2015)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kZ40kOmOgEI

Unlike some found footage films, Hell House LLC was shot specifically as a documentary as the crew, a group of people who created the Halloween haunted house, investigate what happened on opening night Hell House LLC, a haunted tour that takes place in a fictional cottage. Abaddon town, New York. What unfolds is a terrifying simulation that’s sure to keep you up all night.

Part of the appeal of Hell House LLC is the haunted house itself, which features all the classic haunted house creatures, masks, and decorations, just for the purpose of making the docs (and viewers) ) more fearful as people and things come and go.

It takes the word spooky to completely different levels. While Hell House LLC eventually garnered two sequels, The Abaddon Hotel and Lake of Fire, the original still reigns supreme.

8. Clover Field (2008)

Director Matt Reeves (War for the Planet of the Apes), screenwriter Drew Goddard (The Cabin in the Woods) and producer JJ Abrams (Super 8) have proven themselves to be one of the best filmmaking teams. when the monster movie Cloverfield came out. rerun in 2008. Presented as footage from what was “formerly known as Central Park,” the Department of Defense examines a camera found from the event.

Sparking new hope for less horror in the established found footage genre, Cloverfield tries its best to present an exciting, world-ending monster movie through a new lens and it really does a great job. Good. While Cloverfield would eventually become a franchise (10 Cloverfield Lane is pretty good too), the first movie will always be the most visually interesting. Cloverfield is a sci-fi thriller that’s truly worth your time if you’ve never seen it.

9. Trollhunter (2010)

A Norwegian dark fantasy found footage “mockumentary,” Trollhunter does what very few movies have ever done…make trolls fun. Written and directed by Norwegian filmmaker André Øvredal (Scary Stories To Tell In The Dark), the film follows a group of film students who set off into the wilderness to capture trolls on camera. photos after learning about the government’s plot to cover up their existence.

If that sounds weird and funny to you then you need to check out Trollhunter. It may sound like a fever dream, but it will keep you focused on the possibility of trolling until the end. That and how you can trick your Land Rover into hunting them down…

Trollhunter is a great movie that has an interesting combination of unknown actors and Norwegian comedians.

10. Cannibal Holocaust (1980)

Certainly the most controversial film on this list, Cannibal Holocaust is an Italian film about exactly that. Director Ruggero Deodato (who also made a similar film called Jungle Holocaust) was actually arrested for obscenity due to the film’s grotesque content and the film was banned in Italy, Australia and several other countries. another family.

The film follows an American film crew after they disappear in the Amazon rainforest. There they encounter a tribe of local cannibals, who kill, maim, rape, and do some other truly horrific things to the crew. If that sounds like a lot, that’s because it is.

Honestly, the only reason Cannibal Holocaust is really on this list is because of its popularity and influence on the found footage genre. The film itself is a bit too disturbing for this writer to recommend.

Categories: Entertainment
Source: Tekmonk Famous Biography