It sucks that Found Footage gets such a Bad rap. IMO ,when done right, it's my favorite and one of the most effective forms of Horror Media.

Submitted by Fuzzman2012 t3_yc280f in movies

The title will sound a bit contradictory because yes I understand why most people hate it. The static shaky camera work, Bad Acting, cheap production, not to mention the unrealistic aspect of a character holding a camera to there face at all times has turned many off from the genre. But honestly when done right, Found Footage provides the kind of grounded authentic atmosphere you don't easily get with other horror movies.

Found footage really makes you feel like your watching a group of average people experiencing a scary situation instead of a group of actors, Instead of well stationed cinematography, you get Hand held type filming, like your watching the last recordings of a missing person. It's why The Blaire witch project was such a phenomenon all those years ago. I've recently discovered the world of analogue Horror and it reminded me of why I like found footage horror so much and I wish more directors actually took the genre more seriously because as I said in the beginning, its also a genre that is the easiest to mess up. The actors need to act as normal as possible without giving away to the audience that there watching a movie, but with the amateurish production of a lot of found footage movies this can be hard to do which can lead to some laughably bad acting. Not to mention the hand held cam filming is a huge turn off to those more used to traditional style filming.

But they are still a ton of gems that I recommend checking. If you want something to start with I recommend the Spanish Film REC (and it's inferior but still okay American remake Quarantine), Paranormal Activity 1, Cloverfield, the V/H/S series, the taking of Deborah Logan.

I also highly recommend analogue Horror such as Local58, The Backrooms, The Walten Files and Five Nights at Freddy's V/H/S (Even if you hate the games, trust me this series is pretty good)

49

Comments

You must log in or register to comment.

[deleted] t1_itjwy4k wrote

As normal as possible may not look good either. I can’t take the amount of yelling out names and general fluff there is in Blair Witch.

Then we have movies like Cloverfield, which are like Blair Witch — a stunt that worked — that I never see anymore on anyone’s favorite’s lists. Haven’t seen it here for years. It was expensively produced fluff unnecessary for the film’s enjoyment.

1

Setzael t1_itjylnh wrote

One of my absolute favourite things about found footage is how limited the audience's vision is. When we see the creature or ghost but the character doesn't it's only because the characters happened to put down the camera or be focused on something else. I love how it was used in the first V/H/S because of how it's literally just bad shit happening to people at the wrong place at the wrong time with no flashbacks or backstory. That element of "spooky shit can happen to you literally at any time" is something I enjoy more than long backstories and forced connections

6

ColdPressedSteak t1_itjypml wrote

It was simply more effective when it wasn't overdone. And with the internet not quite what it is now

40

DoubleTFan t1_itk7mts wrote

Deadstream is one of the best horror comedies I've seen in years. I strongly recommend it to anyone subscribed to Shudder or horror fans in general, even if you find livestreamers contemptible. Hell, particularly if you find livestreamers contemptible.

30

CatalyticDragon t1_itk7slw wrote

It can also be very effective when used sparingly. An example being in the movie "Signs" when the news report shows the home footage of the child's birthday party.

2

everything_is_holy t1_itk83tk wrote

I've recommended "The Borderlands" to friends that like horror. UK found footage from almost a decade ago. I've only seen it once a while back, but the last five minutes are some of the most horrific moments I've ever seen. Also known as "Final Prayer", the American title.

9

cosmernaut420 t1_itkcgvs wrote

Watching a bad pirate download of the original VHS on my laptop before it became popular is one of the most genuinely scary and unsettling movie watching experiences I've ever known. I really do enjoy found footage.

3

blankedboy t1_itke7c4 wrote

The ratio of hit to shit in found footage movies is way too far out of whack for me.

For every [REC] or Cloverfield there seem to be absolutely dozens of low budget, poorly directed, appallingly acted dreck.

The "formula" is one that dates far quicker than other horror movies too. I can enjoy some run of the mill slasher far more than 80 minutes of nausea inducing handy-cam and a super brief, 2-minute, out of focus stinger at the end that really doesn't make the while experience worthwhile.

1

debtopramenschultz t1_itkf9iq wrote

Incantation is a Taiwan found-footage film that came out earlier this year. I thought it was great but might help to have some background on deities and folk religions.

3

lizzpop2003 t1_itklqbi wrote

Yes, it can be great when done right. But it's absolutely terrible when it's not done right. The vast majority of them are not done right. They are mostly done on the cheap with no attention to detail or craftsmanship, it is just an easy way to throw in lazy jump scares.

Look at the Paranormal Activity films. The first one is a masterclass of slow burn, effective horror. The rest are increasingly forgettable trash.

0

sgmctabnxjs t1_itkm2ci wrote

> It's why The Blaire witch project was such a phenomenon all those years ago

I feel so old.

7

Kazarath t1_itkmjap wrote

I always liked found footage. I liked Cloverfield despite the extreme shaky cam and I really like As Above So Below. Really cool horror movie twisted into the lore of Alchemy.

1

similarhaircuts t1_itkrddp wrote

Check out Hell House, LLC. Really effective use of found footage and creepy as hell.

6

Zimmy68 t1_itksgg5 wrote

The problem, found footage was used as a crutch to make a no budget movie.

2

GipsyDangerV1 t1_itkt8sy wrote

The real problem with the found footage genre is that the barrier to entry financially to make one is so low that anyone with a fucking phone could potentially make one. When the market is that potentially saturated, like, 99% of the content within it is dog shit but that 1% that stands out is really good.

Also not enough found footage media follow what I believe are the rules you must follow when making a movie within that genre. And that is a commitment to Long rehearsed one takes, as little editing as humanly possible, and for the love of God no obvious audio editing or audio cues edited into the track that clearly did not come from either the camera mic or a previously established microphone. Nothing annoys me more than when a jump scare or something happens in a found footage movie and there's an audio noise put in and I'm just sitting there thinking "wait I'm being presented with found footage... who edited that in?" lol

1

not-so-radical t1_itkzyrt wrote

There were rumours a while ago of a found footage Friday the 13th movie being in development and I don't care what anyone says that's a fantastic idea. That works really well with the usual story of those movies while being a solid update to fit with the times.

It likely won't get made especially with all the rights mumbo jumbo going on right now but what a loss.

Another franchise with a found footage rumour was Final Destination and holy jesus no thank you. That sounds horrifying.

1

Wiffernubbin t1_itl3pty wrote

Replying to ColdPressedSteak (#198,073)

When people say overdone...outside of experiments like Cloverfield, most of the style is relegated to cheap horror films. Seems an unfair way to condemn the style for it's oversaturation in one specific cheap genre.

2

dennythedinosaur t1_itl44uq wrote

The Last Exorcism gets a bad rap due to its ending but it was a mostly enjoyable film with a charismatic lead performance.

I also liked Cloverfield, As Above So Below, and Noroi: The Curse.

2

Misdirected_Colors t1_itl5yep wrote

Replying to loudlunatics (#198,251)

As above so below is my favorite movie to tell people to watch around this time of year. Its God damn fantastic and super fun and no one has ever heard of it! Haven't had a single person I recommended it to dislike it so far!

2

bugxbuster t1_itl8bu6 wrote

I watched Dashcam on Hulu on a whim the other day, and it was amazing. Scary enough, but funny too with one of the most abrasive but hilarious main characters I’ve ever seen. Deadstream was good, but the main character of that was annoying and childish and I couldn’t stand him nearly as much as I loved the girl starring in Dashcam.

1

zAxioMatiCz t1_itleoq9 wrote

I have a vivid memory (I could have completely made up) that in the earliest trailers for Cloverfield that some o the footage was 'redacted' like soldiers faces were blacked out and voices changed. Either way I always thought that would be an incredibly creepy and immersive element for the genre - have parts maliciously and obviously left out.

Also, the whole promise of the found footage idea is why my biggest dream for movies is that someone makes a Navidson Record movie from the relevant portions of House of Leaves.

1

-SneakySnake- t1_itlf31t wrote

In your opinion, it's your favourite? Well, no arguing with that.

0

mcconorjam t1_itlgi7k wrote

I don’t see it mentioned yet, so I’m just gonna say Chronicle is a great movie

1

Keebler8448 t1_itlhuz1 wrote

It would be better if it wasn’t a shortcut to making a bad movie cheap. Unfortunately you just never really know what you’re going to get with found footage. Also, a lot of them have very little reason to be found footage. I’d say Deborah Logan and recently the Incantation had really good uses for the found footage Medium and told a really good story in a really effective way.

1

luepe t1_itliyzo wrote

It does what actually scary horror does best: it puts you in the shoes of someone in a scary situation as seen thru their 'eyes'.

I never understand horror that's so 'directed' or stylized to the point there isn't a single scary scene in the movie. How can you actually feel fear if you are just watching a bunch of people suffering something from afar?

1

thelonemagician t1_itlkpv6 wrote

Deadstream and V/H/S/99 are doing their part in 2022 to keep the hype alive

1

Ashamed_Ladder6161 t1_itlm7b0 wrote

It gets a bad rap because you have to work really hard to hide the conceit that everything happens with the camera present. It’s hard to tell a story where you can’t simply cut away to somewhere or someone else.

2

WithoutCaution t1_itlvawf wrote

I was 18 in 1999 and the Blair Witch Project was just a series of flyers I found at the local punk/goth/weirdo hangouts and record stores. The movie was playing as a late-night showing at the local art-house theater and absolutely nobody had any reason to believe that it was anything but actual found footage. Some friends and I went to see it and it was SCARY. AS. FUCK!!! If you were one of the lucky few who saw it in that tiny window of time, it fucking worked. Admittedly, the endless series of sad copycats have ruined the format, but that one worked.

1

PleaseNinja t1_itm2bmy wrote

Although not a horror film, 'Searching' with John Cho was very clever in it's use of different technologies while still maintaining the 1st person viewpoint. Really excellent movie!

3

El_kal91 t1_itmkj3s wrote

For people who actually need good ones to watch. Grave Encounters, REC, Noroi: The Curse, Incantation, The Medium, Hell House LLC, Gonjiam Haunted Asylum.

4

ChopTopMassacre t1_itobm86 wrote

Replying to Misdirected_Colors (#201,154)

It was a movie my stepbrother wanted to show me one night. I assumed it would suck because his favorite Star Wars movie is Attack of the Clones. But instead, it caught me off guard and kept me up the night I watched it. Was shocked to see how low it's RT score was after we finished it (both critical and audience)

2