Ten Found Footage Movies that DON’T Suck
Somewhere between the torture porn craze and the rise of the paranormal/ghost movie was the world’s fascination with the “found footage” movie. Found Footage is basically a style that is filmed by a character in the movie, or a point of view aka POV. This genre is also know as “shaky cam” due to the fact the camera tends to shake sometimes out of control ahem Cloverfield! Although very popular for a time, the good majority of the Found Footage movies are rather dull or just plain bad. The following list is my opinion of 10 Found Footage movies that really aren’t that bad, some of them are actually quite enjoyable, borderline good/great.
- The Blair Witch Project (1999)
Not the first but definitely the most known found footage horror movie of all time. Not as effective today as it was in 99 but still a solid horror film made on a super small budget.
- The Bay (2012)
An interesting movie about a swarm of prehistoric bugs that feed on people. If you like creature features you’ll enjoy this one.
- As Above So Below (2014)
This movie really surprised me because its tense, and unnerving. The camera gets shaky in some spots and there are some pretty strange plot holes but it was rather enjoyable and worth a look.
- Cannibal Holocaust (1980)
Somewhat forgotten as a found footage movie, but never forgotten as an unsettling horror film that caused great controversy in the 80s. It revolves around a group of activists in the Amazon rainforest studying a tribe of cannibalistic natives. Only watch it if you are a horror veteran with a strong stomach.
- The Poughkeepsie Tapes (2007)
Very creepy and genuinely disturbing movie that has never had a proper DVD release. I have no clue why this has never been released?! You can watch it on youtube for free.
- Paranormal Activity (2007)
I know there is a lot of hate for this movie, but you can’t deny the impact it had on the industry. It is super low budget, very effective and actually quite creepy. The first time I watched this it actually creeped me out and I had to watch The Office to lighten up the mood before bed
- Rec2 (2009)
Arguably better than the original, the Spanish made “Rec2” is an adrenaline rush right from the first scene. One of the few sequels that leads off right where the original one ended. You learn more of what the contagion does to people that are exposed.
- Rec (2007)
A great Spanish horror film about a virus that effects a group of people and reporters in a apartment. The virus causes the people to be violent almost zombies that viciously attack people. If you can get past subtitles, it is a must see horror film.
- VHS (2012)
I just love the VHS movies, they have a great variety of stories each one is scary and fun. The wrap around story is rather dull but the tapes they play are all great. Currently on Netflix!
1.VHS 2 (2013)
This is one of the very few times where a sequel surpasses the original, another great movie with multiple stories/tapes. Again the wrap around leaves something to the imagination, but the tapes are the main focus.
While there are many crappy or subpar found footage movies out there, this was a list of 10 that you can watch and enjoy. While some of the Paranormal Activity sequels are quite decent, these other films surpass them and only the original stands out to me as a classic. This list only contains movies that I have seen so some other great entries in the subgenre may be missing.
