Most horror films lose their sting when they choose to come across as overly dramatized, highly packaged films. The narrative of such films isn’t tethered to reality, and depicts a storyline that’s not relatable, reducing the overall believability of the film and the horror depicted in it. Enter: found footage films. This niche genre works on treating the visuals of the film as footage found from a normal camera, and is a considerably cheaper option compared to full-blown horror productions. The aesthetic sensibility of found footage films usually gets a bad rap, but that’s precisely what makes new directors gravitate toward the genre, creating hidden gems in the process.
Here are some lesser-known found footage horror films that need more love.
10 Frankenstein’s Army (2013)
Frankenstein’s Army is a cross between a found-footage film and an overly SFX-driven film, where a Nazi scientist creates an army of robot zombies in an effort to win the war. Frankenstein's Army isn't the most thought through films in terms of narrative clarity, but if you’re a fan of gnarly monstrosities and mind-less chaos, set against the backdrop of WWII, then you should be sure to check Frankenstein’s Army out.
9 Descent Into Darkness: My European Nightmare (2013)
On a surface level, Rafaël Cherkaski’s Descent Into Darkness: My European Nightmare seems like an average film that aims at capturing a man’s descent into madness. But the film is so much more than that. Rafaël Cherkaski gives one of the best transformational performances, as he straps a camera on his head and begins his compulsive investigation into the European dream, which then slowly turns into his plummet into madness.
8 The Den (2013)
The Den is a tense and eerie film that walks on the narrative tightropes of sociology and crime. Director Zachary Donohue leverages the influence of technology on our everyday lives and crafts a narrative out of the dangers of it. The film’s plot follows a woman who witnesses a murder online, while studying the behavior of webcam chat users. Having witnessed the murder firsthand, she soon finds herself to be the target of the killer's next attack.
7 Trollhunter (2010)
Trollhunter starts out with a shaky-cam approach suggestive of lo-fi storytelling standards before transforming into a full-blown creature feature on par with the scale of Ghostbusters. The found footage of the film is stitched together under the umbrella of a student film investigating a series of mysterious bear killings in the countryside. The findings of the students bring them close to a gigantic beastly figure that has its roots referenced in Norwegian folklore.
6 Lake Mungo (2008)
Lake Mungo isn’t as unheard of as the other films on the list, but seems pale when compared to the found footage greats in the form of Paranormal Activity and REC. The film marries classic haunted house elements along with a healthy serving of family drama, all told within the framework of a found footage film. The film’s plot follows Alice, a girl who drowns in a lake, leaving her family shattered. Soon after, they begin experiencing a haunting in their home. When they hire a parapsychologist for answers, all signs point toward Alice’s secret past.
5 Hell House LLC (2015)
Often seen as one of the pioneers, responsible for ushering in a new wave of independent found footage films, Hell House LLC works on a string of twists and a progressive effort at tension-building. The film has a polarizing audience, with the groups being divided into two opposing viewpoints. Where one group swears by the film, giving it cult-like status, the other is slightly disappointed in its generic end. Regardless of the two extremes, Hell House LLC is one heck of a scary movie, that is worth a watch.
4 Creep (2014)
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Director Patrick Brice’s 2014 film Creep is aptly titled. The film merges the money-strapped necessity of the younger generation with the bizarre eccentricity of the older generation. Playing on this emotional motif, the plot follows Aaron, a videographer that takes up a job that requires him to travel to a remote mountain town and document a man named Josef, who is his cinematic subject for the day. As Aaron gets to work, he realizes Josef isn’t what he seems to be, and the job isn’t just videography.
3 Butterfly Kisses (2018)
Butterfly Kisses is a creepy and pessimistic film that investigates the urban legend known as Peeping Tom. The film follows a filmmaker that discovers a box of videotapes that shed light on the students' discovery about the chilling and obsessively creepy depiction of the mythical boogeyman. A compulsive deep dive into the world of myths and macabre horror, Butterfly Kisses is in equal parts rewarding as is entertaining.
2 The Poughkeepsie Tapes (2007)
Plagued with ill repute since its release, The Poughkeepsie Tapes has been pulled twice from its release due to the sensitive nature of its content. The incredibly disturbing film follows a group of police officers that uncovers a heap of around 800 tapes left behind by a sadistic and emotionally deranged killer. The following tapes are difficult to digest and feature all forms of filth and disturbing elements, making The Poughkeepsie Tapes a visceral experience altogether.
1 Cannibal Holocaust (1980)
Ruggero Deodata’s Cannibal Holocaust is one of the most grotesque found-footage movies to have ever been made. The film is often regarded as the “Salo” of the found footage genre, and follows a group of anthropologist that journey into the Amazon and encounter a group of cannibals. What follows is a deep dive into the grisly world of horrific imagery that’s bound to scare you for days.