HALLOWEEN SPECIAL: Top 5 Good Found-Footage Horror Films

In the world of horror cinema, the one sub-genre I tend to avoid most of the time is found-footage. For those of you who don't know, found-footage usually refers to horror films that have been shot in the style of video footage captured by a group of people (mostly student filmmakers) after a tragic and typically supernatural event, which has now been discovered and put on display. The intent is to break down the barrier between reality and illusion by presenting what usually is fiction as possible fact. The most famous example of this style of filmmaking is The Blair Witch Project from 1999. After shooting the film, the ones behind it hid away for a few months to help create the illusion that they had actually disappeared before their footage had been discovered. Also, they pretended to be shooting a documentary about an actual historical figure referred to as The Blair Witch, who was apparently a woman accused of witchcraft, murdered, and whose spirit haunted the nearby forest. The film gained a ton of popularity and earned so much money, it alone skyrocketed the sub-genre, surpassed only nine years later, arguably, by another successful indie found-footage film titled Paranormal Activity, which further popularized the found-footage sub-genre with its micro-budget of $15,000 just to gross nearly two hundred million dollars at the box office. 

While this particular style of horror film does have its merits, it has rarely been appealing to me personally. The main issue I tend to have with it is the cinematography. Because the vast majority of these found-footage films are captured with a single handheld video camera, the movement is always very shaky, blurry, and incoherent. Making it nearly painful to watch. On top of that, because of the simplicity of this sub-genres nature, many people with a video camera are now under the false impression that they to can make a horror film for cheap. Resulting in a ton of underwhelming movies with terrible acting, ugly camera work, nonsensical plots, and terrible special effects. One in particular (the title escapes me at the moment) features a story of a group of plane crash survivors running around a generic forest which is believed to be a secret government facility breeding Dinosaurs for the Military. Yes, I assure you, that is a real movie. 

Despite this overabundance of bad films, once in a while, a genuinely good one shines through. Most of which I have been fortunate enough to give the benefit of the doubt to and check out for myself. So, without further ado, here are my personal top 5 good found-footage horror films. 

#5

This is a film that should be experienced at least once, usually around Halloween time. Like most films of its kind, it suffers from all of the expected problems of the sub-genre: shaky cam, rapid-fire editing, too many jump-scares, and so on. On the other hand, it has just the right amount of all those things to just barely not overstay their welcome. However, what truly makes this film a genuinely intense experience, is the way in which it makes you care for the otherwise unlikable characters. The people we follow in this story are, to put it mildly, not the easiest to sympathize with. And yet, with all that these characters are put through, and how it only gets worse and worse for them as the story carries on, it is enough to make you feel that no one deserves to experience their form of suffering. Even those we may otherwise dislike. It is a visceral experience of a film only made less impactful by the wrong-headed choice to have someone at the beginning and end of the film proclaim that "this actually happened and is genuine guys." Had it not been for that additional aspect of the otherwise decent presentation, this could have been a perfect horror experience. As it is now, it's alright. Like I said, worth checking out at least once. 

#4 

It goes without saying that the late George A. Romero is something of an icon in the world of horror cinema. While this film, in particular, is not really a masterpiece (despite what the DVD cover would lead you to believe) it is a decently put-together flick that has some rewatch value for me. Like with the vast majority of Romero's films it is a horror story with social commentary. Specifically on social media, authenticity vs. artistic integrity, and the darker aspects of the human condition. Plus, it has one of the best-supporting characters for a horror film in Brody (Todd Schroeder), who is, hands down, the most entertaining, unnerving, and exciting role in the whole movie. He alone makes the film worth watching. What keeps me from coming back to this movie more often is mostly the gore. While the special effects are impressive, and there is some gore to be expected in a Zombie movie, it just goes a little too overboard for me personally. I am of the opinion that less is more, so when a film overindulges in areas where it doesn't need to, like violence and gore, it just loses points. Also, there is some of the less-than-stellar dialogue, underwhelming acting performances, and a framing device that only serves to make the story less intriguing.  Even so, I would recommend this as a decent, if silly, pick for Halloween. 

#3 

As I mentioned earlier, this is the film that skyrocketed the found-footage horror sub-genre, and for a good reason. Not only is it indeed a terrifying experience, but it's also remarkably simple. Produced for just a modest budget of $15,000, featuring a pair of unknown actors who responded to a craigslist ad, and using the director's house as the set, this movie makes the simple act of opening a door as terrifying as possible. A lot of this film's quality comes from its director, Oren Peli, a video game designer turned filmmaker, Mr. Peli showed how best to make the most of what you have. Peli managed to take the simplest of elements and play with them in ways that you don't see in a lot of bigger budget movies these days. On top of that, the film has the good sense to put the camera on an actual tripod once in a while, which arguably provides some of the scariest shots in the whole movie. There is an elegance to this movies simplicity, and for that, it is absolutely worth putting on the TV for Halloween. 

#2 

This is one of the few found-footage films that is less horror and more science fiction. While it does have its moments of terror, especially towards the end, it is more like a semi-realistic depiction of a NASA mission going wrong. Following a group of astronauts on their way to one of Jupiter's moons, Europa, in search of extraterrestrial life, what makes this film scary is the suspense. Throughout the whole story, the characters run into one complication after another, all scientifically sound as far as I can tell, building up to a climax that is simultaneously shocking and intriguing. The final image from the astronaut's mission is one of the most terrifying things I can remember seeing, despite how much I knew perfectly well that it was all a work of fiction. This is one of the few found-footage movies that succeeds in breaking down the barrier between fantasy and reality. That alone makes it a curious title for a dark and stormy night. 

#1 

This is a bit of a weird one. Technically, this isn't a found-footage movie, but it might as well be. See, the main thing that genuinely identifies a film as found-footage is when the characters acknowledge and interact with the person operating the camera, i.e., they know that they are being filmed. In the case of this movie, however, that never happens. While the camera is operated in much the same manner as would befit any other found-footage film, i.e., handheld camera cinematography with few cuts relying mostly on available light, the characters in this movie never acknowledge the camera nor the operator. This, in my opinion, puts Chernobyl Diaries above all other films of its kind, because it had the guts to try something different. The found-footage style of the cinematography, without acknowledging it, makes the experience a bit more immersive because it feels more like you are the character. This is probably the most profound example of my own philosophy towards cinematography and camera language, making the camera the protagonist. This aspect alone makes this movie my most favorite of the found-footage sub-genre. This may not be a great or even perfect film, but it does have a great deal of heart. It does everything I expect from a horror film, let alone a found-footage movie. If you're the least bit interested, pop this one in your DVD player on Halloween night, and be sure to check your heart rate afterward. 

Ladies & gentlemen, I am TheNorm, thank you for reading and have a Happy Halloween. 

Spider-Man PS4 - My childhood gloriously reimagined

This is a bit of a departure from what this blog usually is about, but this game is so amazing, so spectacular, so superior to anything else related to Spider-Man (my absolute favorite superhero of all time) that I can't help but put my thoughts and feelings about it here on this page. Also, video games have taken on a cinematic approach to storytelling so they can sort of count as movie related. Nevertheless, this brand new video game for the PlayStation 4 starring one of my all-time beloved fictional characters has made me so giddy and overjoyed as to make me recall how it feels to be a kid again. This game does so many things right and so many things passionately that it deserves a high place in gaming history.

To go over everything I love about this game would take too long. Therefore, I will go over just a few of the essential elements of this game that make so incredible to me.

The writing:

This game features some of the wittiest, intelligent, thoughtful, and fun storytelling I have seen in a video game, let alone a game about Spider-Man. First, the story of the game, while still true to the spirit of the character, is entirely original. While the script takes some cues from previous games, comics, and the movies (even some of the bad ones), the game interprets them all as bits of inspiration rather than as gospel. It is a self-contained universe with its own take on the character's history and future treated with the utmost amount of passion and conviction. Making this game a truly unique experience. Secondly, all of the characters are three-dimensional, sympathetic, and believable. Peter Parker/Spider-Man especially is played here as an older and more experienced character, making this experience a considerable departure from the usual practice of retreading Spider-Man's origin story. Third, everything builds up to an emotional and heart-pounding climax filled with character growth, loss, gain, and some relevant life lessons. This may very well be some of the absolute best writing for Spider-Man put to any medium.

Mary-Jane Watson and Miles Moralis:

It goes without saying that Mary-Jane Watson is an essential supporting character to the Spider-Man canon. This iteration of the character, in particular, is a beautiful addition. While Mary-Jane is more often than not the glamorous damsel in distress in other media, she is much more independent and strong-willed in the game. Once more, she plays a more active role in unraveling of the mystery within the story. Instead of remaining as a model or actress (as she has often been in previous incarnations), Mary-Jane is now a full-blown investigative journalist. Adding the cherry to the top of her excellent characterization in this game is her relationship with Peter. Even though they're not dating anymore in this story, they still care for each other and enjoy each other's company. Perhaps because there is always something brewing under the surface that just needs some time.

Miles Moralis also gets an incredibly significant and vital role in the game. For those of you who don't know, Miles Moralis is a recently created character in the Spider-Man universe who will eventually become the new Spider-Man. In the comics, he takes up the mantle after Peter Parker dies to save the city. Here, in this new game, they get to build a friendship. Peter Parker becomes a mentor for Miles after a tragic event which I will not spoil here. Soon, the two of them become close friends as one helps the other grow into the best version of himself possible. It's a dynamic that adds a lot of heart to the story, and I love the direction it goes. You'll see what I mean when you play the game.

The gameplay:

Before this brand new game hit shelves, the best Spider-Man video game to play, was Spider-Man 2 on the PlayStation 2 and Xbox. It was the first Spider-Man game to introduce an open world concept where you as the player could explore the entire island of Manhattan. You could swing around all the building and achieve incredible ariel acrobatics just like everyone's favorite wall-crawler. Also, it also had a random crime generating system where you would spot a crime in progress as you would swing your way through the city. It was, at the time, the closest we could get to really feeling like Spider-Man.

Many games similar to it came out over the years, most of which maintained the open world style of gameplay. Sadly, however, none of them ever managed to reach the same level of quality or entertainment value as Spider-Man 2. For the most part, these games would offer very little in the way of variety. Maybe one game would have a new combat tactic for the player, while another game would feature some new graphical capabilities, but none of it was really worth the full purchase price.

Spider-Man on the PS4 is the perfect combination of all the best parts of the games that came before without any of the horrible aspects. The web swinging feels even more visceral and exciting, the combat feels satisfying and challenging, and the lucrative amounts of side missions and challenges are enough to keep anyone occupied for a long time. This game truly makes the player feel like Spider-Man.

Some issues:

Now, needless to say, as beautiful as this game is, it is not without its flaws. The biggest nitpick I have with this game is the occasional stealth oriented side character mission. Every once in a while the game places you in control of one of the supporting characters who are in the process of sneaking abound a dangerous area packed with bad guys. Because the roles you play in these sections have no combat skills, your only option is to carefully sneak around the enemies to reach your goal. While you do have stealth sections when playing as Spider-Man (which are equally as fun as the rest of the gameplay for Spidy), it is less enjoyable because of the sudden lack of the abilities you have grown accustomed to having at your disposal. Granted, these sections are very few and far in between, and I guess the game has to create a sense of variety somehow, but I can't help but feel these stealth sections don't add a lot to the overall experience. In fact, they honestly kind of feel more like an inconvinence than anything else.

Nitpicks aside, Spider-Man PS4 is the superhero game I have been waiting for. It has a compelling story, super enjoyable gameplay, gorgeous graphics, and tons of extra content to make the game experience last for quite a while. If you have a PlayStation 4, then you owe it to yourself to get this game. If you don't have a PlayStation 4, then start saving up for one. Because, honestly, with this game, as well as the abundant amount of incredable exclusive games for this system, owning a PS4 has never been more worth it.

Play this game.

Ladies & gentlemen, I am TheNorm, thank you for reading.