With the premiere of Shelby Oaks and V/H/S Halloween this month, the found footage subgenre of horror is alive and well! For the purpose of this list, I'm including mockumentary style found footage as well as classic found footage. Without further ado, here are five found footage horror movies that are the perfect watch for the Halloween season!
The Blair Witch Project (1999)
- Streaming: Prime Video
We can't talk about found footage without discussing the original Blair Witch Project. While not the first, The Blair Witch Project is one of the earliest and most popular found footage movies.
It follows three university students as they travel into the woods to shoot a documentary about local Maryland myth, the Blair Witch. Since it's debut in 1999, it's spawned a franchise that has enthralled audiences to this day. I remember the creeping dread and anxiety that filled me when I watched it for the first time, which makes it an absolute must-see for spooky season.
GHOSTWATCH (1992)
- Streaming: Shudder
On Halloween night in 1992, BBC did a special presentation called Ghostwatch. A mockumentary-style film, it starred real BBC anchors, including host, Michael Parkinson, and enthralled an entire nation for an evening. It follows the paranormal investigation of a supposedly haunted family in Northolt, England. The special was done so well that a majority of the audience believed what they were watching was real. Even Parkinson's mother called in to make sure her son was okay. Ghostwatch truly blends the lines between fiction and reality and I highly recommend watching it on its anniversary, Halloween night!
The Tunnel (2011)
- Streaming: Prime Video
The Tunnel is an Australian found footage movie that follows a reporter and her crew as they investigate why the government has shut down a project that would utilize the water trapped in the underground tunnel system. Also shot in a mockumentary-style, it's spliced with interviews from the survivors that give it a more authentic feeling. The Tunnel is a creepy, claustrophobic must-see if you love the genre. Throughout there are corner-of-the-eye scares and a feeling of I think there's something down here with us.
As Above, So Below (2014)
- Streaming: Prime Video
If The Tunnel is claustrophobic, As Above, So Below is even worse. Following a group of explorers who go deep into the Paris Catacombs to look for the Philosopher's Stone. The further they go, the creepier and more cramped the atmosphere gets. There's an element of mysticism and folk horror throughout As Above, So Below that I personally enjoy and find to be one of the scarier subgenres of horror. I think the only rule it breaks as a found footage movie is that it has well-known actors in it, but I can forgive that because it's just that good.
Grave Encounters (2011)
Streaming: Tubi
I would be remiss if I didn't include Grave Encounters. One of the original found footage horror movies, it follows a group of paranormal investigators as they explore a supposedly haunted asylum. While this movie was made on a shoe-string budget at the time, there's something about the indie quality that adds to the authenticity. It feels like an episode of any ghost-hunting show from the 2010s. It also uses some corner-of-the-eye scares as well as disorienting time mechanics. Not only is it really well done, Grave Encounters is officially getting a reboot next year!
Found Footage as a subgenre has really found its footing in horror. As someone who is a more recent convert, I've really fallen in love with the way a lot of found footage movies will test your perception and when it's done really well, leave you questioning if the monsters are real or not. These are just some of my favorite found footage horror films that I think would be perfect for getting into the Halloween season!