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.
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