THE EVOLUTION OF FOUND FOOTAGE HORROR MOVIES

Following my previous blog, Five Best Found Footage Movies: Dare Enough to Watch?, this one is closely related. If you enjoyed that list and want to dig deeper, you might find this one just as interesting.

If you think found footage horror movies are thrilling, have you ever wondered, when did this all start? Understanding its history and evolution can give you fun insights and trivia you might not expect.

According to Night Tide Magazine, the found footage horror genre gained recognition with Cannibal Holocaust (1980), directed by Ruggero Deodato. The film was presented as if it were a real documentary, blurring the line between fiction and reality. Deodato used a found footage style and instructed the cast to remain out of public view, leading to legal trouble when Italian authorities accused him of making a real snuff film. He was eventually cleared of charges after proving that the actors were still alive.

Cannibal Holocaust (1980). Source: peacocktv.com

Before Cannibal Holocaust, Snuff (1976) was released and became infamous for its controversial marketing, which falsely claimed to depict real murders. However, Snuff was not a true found footage film, as only a small portion of the movie featured handheld, shaky camera work. Despite this, its shocking premise helped pave the way for later found footage horror films.

The found footage trend continued with The Blair Witch Project (1999), which also adopted a documentary-style approach. The filmmakers instructed the cast to avoid public appearances to maintain the illusion of authenticity. This is aligned as what written in Wicked Horror. However, before The Blair Witch Project, there was Ghostwatch (1992), a British horror mockumentary that presented itself as a live paranormal investigation on television. While Ghostwatch mimicked the style of found footage, it is more accurately classified as a pseudo-documentary due to its scripted nature.

Ghostwatch (1992). Source: theguardian.com

Other notable films following this format include Noroi: The Curse (2005) and The Poughkeepsie Tapes (2007), both of which blend found footage elements with a mockumentary approach. These films often incorporate interviews and archival footage to create a sense of realism, but they differ from pure found footage movies as they present themselves as investigative documentaries rather than "discovered" footage.

Cloverfield (2008) took inspiration from The Blair Witch Project, using a handheld camera perspective to immerse viewers in the chaos of a monster attack. Meanwhile, Paranormal Activity (2007) popularized a different approach by relying on fixed surveillance cameras to capture supernatural events. Among these films, The Blair Witch Project and Paranormal Activity remain the most well-known examples of found footage horror, both critically and commercially.

Deadstream (2022). Source: horrormovielists.com

In later years, the found footage genre evolved with films like Lake Mungo (2009), Grave Encounters (2011), Unfriended (2014), and Deadstream (2022). These movies innovated by incorporating new technologies such as laptop webcams and GoPro cameras. However, some argue that these films stray from the raw, unfiltered aesthetic of early found footage horror, as their polished presentation sometimes reduces the sense of realism that defines the genre.

Feel more attracted to found footage movies? Don't forget to check the previous blog "Five Best Found Footage Movies: Dare Enough to Watch?"