In recent years, found footage films have been re-evaluated as a subgenre that has its fair share of scary offerings but it wasn’t always the case. Being that all you need to make such a film is a camcorder and a little creativity, found footage not only demonstrated a unique approach to storytelling for horror as a whole but also that just about anyone can make a horror film with little if any effort. To a certain subset of horror nerds, this makes found footage one of the worst kinds of horror film imaginable and an endless amount of straight-to-DVD schlock only further justifies their case. That being said, found footage has also offered some of the most unique and visceral experiences the horror genre has had to offer in years. If there’s anywhere to start with the genre, I can think of a few solid recommendations.
If any film helped to popularize found footage, it’s unquestionably Paranormal Activity. It was simple in its setup and its clever marketing campaign requesting cinemagoers demand the film be shown in theatres made sure that the film would be a hit. Obviously with its success, a sequel was inevitable and a new franchise was born which added bit by bit to the original’s premise with more mythos, more scares, and some really stupid ghost dust. The rule of diminishing returns can often be applied to sequels but it’s Paranormal Activity 3 which stands out as not only one of the best entries to the series but also to found footage as a whole. Adding to the nerve racking static shots of the first film, the simple addition of a panning shot makes the anticipation of scares even worse. While the first utilized absence of scares to ramp up an overwhelming sense of dread, Paranormal Activity 3 is an assaultive film with its setpieces. It’s relentless in its pacing and its execution. While it might lack some of the freshness that the original offered, it is with absolute certainty the scariest.
A film where the less said about it the better, Noroi: The Curse is a spine-chilling mockumentary that works best in its attempt to feel as realistic as possible. Highly recommend watching with headphones on in the dark because you will never forget it.
[Rec] begins in a very unassuming fashion, as a reporter interviews a firefighting team during one of their shifts. Thrilling stuff, but in its brisk 78 minute runtime it spirals into being one of the best and most intense found footage films you will ever see. Like some of the other best horror films, the less you know the better. Known in the US by its remake, Quarantine, the film finds a collection of apartment residents confused and frightened as they’re locked inside a building without any chance of escape. The reasons why they’re locked inside quickly become clear and the film keeps escalating the tension right up until the final scare. Its sequels and how vastly subpar they are compared to this first release only illustrate further the lightning-in-a-bottle uniqueness that [Rec] so perfectly captured.
Released during the early stages of a found footage backlash, The Last Exorcism is an often overlooked film that either works or doesn’t depending on what you like out of the genre. Personally speaking, it is one of the best. Presented as a documentary about a charlatan exorcist, the film always leaves you guessing about what is real and what is not. You are presented with some chilling sequences but there is always doubt that what you are seeing is the full picture. Reactions to the ending will vary depending on how you’ve perceived everything that came before it, but The Last Exorcism has some of the most interesting characters in found footage as well as a interesting twist on the well trodden grounds of exorcism films.
One of the earliest examples of found footage told through screen capturing, The Den (or Hacked in the UK) is probably one of the best attempts of on-screen storytelling. Why it works so well is because of how believable the situation feels. There are no ghosts, there are no demons, there is only the many creeps who lurk on the internet. The voyeuristic qualities of watching the protagonist on her laptop as she goes about her day or even sleeps makes you feel uneasy about the possibilities of being spied upon like the protagonist. While this does have the possibility of being the film to age the worst on this list, I think the way it captures technological dependence and disturbing content on the internet will still make this a palpable and relatable watch in the years to come.
Chronicler of the Dark 