Worst2First: My Top Ten Favorite Found Footage Films

Worst2First: 

My Top Ten Favorite Found Footage Films

In horror there's several subgenres: vampires, zombies, monsters, psychological thrillers, serial killers, torture porn, etc.  One of those subgenres is found footage, which is almost entirely filmed as if it were found by a third party not involved in the events taking place on screen, and often seen through the eyes of the characters involved.

One of the most well-known found footage films is "The Blair Witch Project," and now they're releasing a remake of the 1999 classic, and in honor of this I came up with my Top Ten Found Footage Films, Worst2First.

**There will be no spoilers.**

#10

Europa Report

There's not many found footage films that take place in space, but "Europa Report" is one of the best (better than "Apollo 18").  The movie focuses on a crew of scientists who travel to Jupiter's moon Europa in search of water and possible life, and what they discover is an intriguing mystery that's as harrowing as it is terrifying.  The film also boasts a strong cast including Embeth Davidtz, Michael Nyqvist and Sharlto Copley.

#9

Paranormal Activity

Not since "The Blair Witch Project" was there a found footage film as integral to the subgenre as "Paranormal Activity," a small film that cost only $15,000 to make brought in a staggering $107 million.  The film scared audiences across America, but the reason why it's so low here is because of the sequel after sequel it spawned, which tarnished the legacy of this groundbreaking piece of film.

#8

Grave Encounters

For years, television has been inundated with supernatural ghost hunting shows.  From "Most Haunted" to "Ghost Adventures," these shows are all the rage and never have they ever captured anything worthwhile.  "Grave Encounters" serves as a toast to this television genre as it focuses on a team of paranormal investigators who spend the night in an abandoned mental asylum in hopes of catching Casper.  What they find is far more terrifying, and features some stellar effects for such a low-budget affair and some truly scary moments.  The sequel is not as good, unfortunately.

#7

Creep

This small film was directed by Patrick Brice, written by Brice and Mark Duplass, and features the two men in a thrilling pas de deux of two men from very different paths in life - Duplass's character hires Brice to film his final moments for his family, but the truth behind the story is far more terrifying and surreal.  The ending itself stuck with me so much I still remember it to this day, and the brilliant acting of the two leads makes this more than just a traditional found footage film.

#6

[Rec]

Foreign countries often produce the best horror movies, mostly because they're not limited to American studio desires and they have much more intriguing histories.  "[Rec]" hails from Spain and follows a television crew inside an apartment complex where the tenants are showing signs of violence, resulting in the first zombie found footage movie.  The film got the American treatment with "Quarantine," but it pails in comparison to the original, filled with dread, suspense, scares and a compelling leading actress.

#5

The Den

"The Den" is found footage for the new generation.  The film was shot entirely through the webcam of a girl who's doing a study on how webcams and online chat rooms affect society, and when she witnesses a murder online, the killer begins stalking her through hacking her social media and camera, resulting in an unnerving tale that will make us so suspicious that we'll tape up our webcams so we'll be relieved that no one will be watching us.

#4

Trollhunter

From Norway, "Trollhunter" isn't as much a horror movie as it is a fantasy tale from a foreign land, centering on a group of students who investigate a group of bear killings and find an eccentric man who is actually hunting a large troll.  The story is a beautiful Scandinavian folklore where the troll seems a bit goofy looking, but still terrorizes the students and audiences alike.

#3

Cloverfield

Before he was taking us to galaxies far, far away and telling us to live long and prosper, J.J. Abrams produced this small-budget found footage film where a group of friends in New York City have to survive the night from hell as a creature of unknown origins wreaks havoc on the town.  Sure it includes a lot of camera shaking as they run through the city, but if you can get through the motion sickness you'll experience a thrill-a-minute ride where you feel like you're in the middle of the carnage.

#2

The Blair Witch Project

The film that brought found footage to the modern era, it was revolutionary when it debuted in 1999.  Made with just $60,000, it grossed over $140 million and revolutionized how we view found footage films.  I still remember when it came out I actually thought this was a film where the people actually went missing in search of the Blair Witch in the Kentucky wilderness, and the marketing campaign was transformational in its process.  They had websites that linked to stories about the teens' disappearances, lost posters hanging up everywhere, and the world believed that these kids were really missing.  I remember one night on Jay Leno when he had Heather Donoghue (one of the stars) on, and I was freaking out because they actually found the missing documentarians, only  to discover it was all a hoax.  I was angered, but I appreciated how they went the extra mile to make the film as believable as possible.  Unfortunately, with how the Internet and social media is today, nothing will trick us as well as they did back in 1999.

#1

Cannibal Holocaust

The granddaddy of found footage films, "Cannibal Holocaust" is so controversial it's banned in several countries, and the filmmakers actually faced legal problems because people believed they actually saw murder occur onscreen, and the director actually had to prove that no humans were killed in the making of this film (to add to the sensational nature of the film, he couldn't say the same about animals, as several animals were really killed on screen).  The film was so shocking and violent that it transformed the movie subgenre and nothing close has managed to live up to its legacy.  This simple film about a group of filmmakers going missing in the Amazon jungle strikes fear in the hearts of people today, and once you see it, it becomes one of those films you'll never forget.