Found footage is one of the most polarizing sub-genres out there, with fans split on whether or not they are worth watching. I personally adore well-done found footage, and thankfully do not suffer from motion sickness! That seems to be one of the main complaints of those who avoid the genre, since found footage often features shaky camera work.
Butterfly Kisses (2018)
- Streaming: Tubi
Aspiring film maker Gavin finds a box of video tapes in his in-laws’ basement, and finds the tapes are a documentary filmed by students Sophia and Feldman. They were exploring the local urban legend of Popping Tom, which claims that if a person can peer down the Ilchester Tunnel at midnight for one hour without blinking, Peeping Tom will appear. Once you see him, he gets closer every time you blink, and then he kills you.
As we go deeper into the legend, and into Gavin’s disfunctional personality and life, we aren’t certain whether or not to believe what he is saying. Are his claims true, or is he just seeking fame?
Creator Erik Krisopher Myers has crafted a great, intriguing and creepy storyline in his mock-doc, and was actually working on a sequel before his tragic death in 2021.
Dead Stream (2022)
- Streaming: Shudder
This one is for those who love a dose of comedy thrown into their found footage horror, and it succeeds on both counts. Written, directed, produced and edited by Joseph and Vanessa Winter, this was a true passion project.
Joseph Winter stars as disgraced social media influencer Shawn, who lost his sponsors and a lot of subscribers after one of his dumb videos caused controversy. Shawn will do ANYTHING to gain viewers, and his latest stunt is to livestream himself as he explores a haunted house known as Death Manor.
While the comedy in Deadstream is at the forefront, it turns out this house is haunted, and there are plenty of thrills and chills as Shawn tries his best to make it through the night. It’s just a delightful film that will make you laugh and scream out loud.
Gonjiam: Haunted Asylum (2018)
- Streaming: Tubi and Peacock
This Korean found footage horror opens with two boys filming themselves at an abandoned Psychiatric Hospital. Known to be haunted, the Gonjiam Asylum has quite a history involving the rumored murderous director. When the boys’ recording abruptly stops and they disappear, a YouTube channel called Horror Times launches their own investigation.
As the team work their way through the asylum, paranormal activity begins to amp up, and a few of the crew abandon ship. The remaining team members appear to be terrorized and even possessed by demonic entities.
Gonjiam: Haunted Asylum is a well-respected found footage film, with good reason. It’s genuinely scary at times, and the actors are believable.
Hell House LLC (2015)
- Streaming: Shudder
The first of Stephen Cognetti’s Hell House LLC franchise won quite a following, which is impressive for a relatively low-budget independent film with no known stars attached.
It tells the story of a group of friends who operate a yearly Halloween haunted house, choosing for the first time to hold the event at the abandoned Abaddon Hotel in upstate New York.
On opening night, tragedy struck when an unknown snafu caused the deaths of event-goers and the Hell House LLC crew. We as viewers are watching the newly-released footage of the events leading up to the tragedy, and I am not exaggerating when I say the Abaddon is a terrifying place.
I am not afraid of clowns…but every time the clown figures used in the haunted house are shown on screen, it gives me anxiety. Hell House LLC is a found footage movie that is truly scary, and its sequels are very good as well.
Host (2020)
- Streaming: Shudder
Remember the COVID quarantine period? Host was shot during that unprecedented time period, and creator Rob Savage shot it remotely via Zoom. A group of friends bored by quarantining decide to hold a virtual séance, overseen by a medium.
Though they are cautioned to not disrespect the any spirits, Jemma decides to act a fool and fake some haunting activity. This sets off a series of horrifying events for all of the participants.
Host has only a 56 minute run time, but Savage packs a lot of scares into that time, and the uniqueness of the premise is very compelling. Fun fact: The actors, who as we said were being directed and filmed remotely, were responsible for enacting their own practical special effects.
Incantation (2022)
- Streaming: Netflix
Incantation (Netflix) – This was a big hit on Netflix, with good reason. Viewers are implored by a woman named Li Ronan to chant an incantation and commit an insignia to their memories in order to help her young daughter Dodo, who she claims has been cursed.
We are then taken six years in the past, when Ronan, her boyfriend and another friend are documenting a religious ritual for their video channel. Though they have been forbidden from going into a specific tunnel, they do so after seeing a child taken into it, presumably as a sacrifice.
Horrifying things happen inside the tunnel, and the pregnant Ronan has to seek psychiatric help afterwards, leaving Dodo with a foster family.
In the present, she has regained custody, only to find that her daughter is becoming ill and seems to be noticing an evil presence. What follows is again, truly scary (with some great twists and turns), and we follow along with Ronan as she tries desperately to save her daughter.
Late Night with the Devil
- Streaming: Shudder
We start with a documentary proclaiming to examine an event that happened on the late night talk show Night Owls with Jack Delroy. The night in question was Halloween of 1977, during which Delroy welcomes guests including a supposed psychic named Christou, former magician turned skeptic Carmichael, parapsychologist June and her patient Lilly. Lilly is a young girl who June claims is possessed.
Throughout the episode of Night Owls, each of the guests experience unusual effects, and any skepticism towards Lilly’s possession begins to slowly dwindle. We are given insight into Jack’s past, and we as viewers begin to wonder if all of this frightening activity is set up by the film crew, or actually happening.
The Blair Witch Project
- Streaming: Prime Video
This is of course possibly the best-known found footage horror film of all time. A lot of younger horror fans seem to dislike it, but to me, it holds up really well.
The Blair Witch Project began production in late 1997 with a starting budget of $35,000 - $60,000, and was truly a low budget independent feature. Its three main cast members were unknowns, and they were actually sent into the woods with cameras and tasked with filming most of their own scenes.
The premise was simple: Three young aspiring filmmakers visit the Black Hills of Burkittsville, Maryland to shoot a documentary about the legend of the Blair Witch. As they camp in the wilderness, they are menaced by voices, the sounds of people running around, and strange artifacts placed strategically throughout the woods and in front of their tent.
Of course, The Blair Witch Project became a huge sensation, and lives on as an iconic found footage film.