Worst2First: My Top Ten Found Footage Horror Films

Worst2First: 

My Top Ten Found Footage Horror Films

When it comes to the term "found footage," it often leaves a negative taste in your mouth.  More often than not, the concept of found footage is used when you don't have enough money or ideas to make a full-fledged horror film, resulting in a subpar film.  Yet, there's a certain few that have risen among the ranks and become classics in their own right, resulting in memorable moments and inducing chills through your body.

Here are my personal top ten found footage horror films, worst2first...

**THERE WILL BE NO SPOILERS**

#10

The Den

Although the "Unfriended" series is more well-known, it's Zachary Donohue's "The Den" that's really frightening.  Shot entirely through the main character's webcam, "The Den" centers around a girl who uses a chatroulette-style website to study how many meaningful conversations she can find.  The result is that she uncovers a murder online, and becomes the next target for the killers.  Melanie Papalia gives a great performance, and the film is filled with tense moments and a thrilling conclusion, and what makes the film all the more frightening is knowing that this type of thing can actually happen.

#9

 The Sacrament

Based on the real-life events of the Jonestown Massacre, director Ti West gives us the bone-chilling film "The Sacrament," about journalists who go in search of a co-worker's sister who left to join a religious commune.  They meet the charismatic leader, and on the surface it looks to be a group filled with love and positive vibes, but as they dig beneath the surface, they learn the deadly truth, and they know the cult leader won't let them leave alive. 

#8

Devil's Pass

The real-life events of the Dyatlov Pass has intrigued me for a long time now, and "Cliffhanger" director Renny Harlan decided to make a found footage film centering on a group of students who go in search of answers themselves.  In 1959, nine experienced hikers went into the Ural Mountains in the Soviet Union, and were never seen alive again.  Their bodies were found having strange marks on them, and one had her tongue and eyes gouged out.  No one ever knew what happened, which is what "Devil's Pass" tries to find out - and of course, they run into something more dangerous than they could imagine.  It's an interesting look at the case and supplies enough thrills and chills to entertain the viewer.

#7

 V/H/S

When a group of hoodlums break into a house to steal a V/H/S tape, they find more than they bargained for.  "V/H/S" is a horror anthology film that features five short horror films, all connected by the found footage theme as the men watching them discover them among the V/H/S collection of the house they broke into.  Each story is terrifying and frightening, with some of horror cinema's most acclaimed up-and-coming directors.

#6

 As Above, So Below

Serving as a modern-day version of Dante's "Inferno," "As Above, So Below" focuses on a group of adventurers who travel into the mysterious Paris catacombs to find a fabled artifact that could grant eternal life.  Along the way they come into contact with their past sins, and how they react to them will result in whether they live or die.  This was the first film that actually got permission to film in the catacombs, which is the final resting place of over six million skeletons, and just the setting itself is cringe-worthy, but that's just the tip of the iceberg for this film.

#5

Troll Hunter

The most unique addition to this list, "Troll Hunter" is Norwegian found footage film where a group of college students originally go out to make a documentary about a bear poacher, but discovers there's something even more dangerous hidden in the woods.  The visuals are spectacular, and the film gives not just a terror feel, but also a fantasy one as well.

#4

 Creep

Friends Mark Duplass and Patrick Brice came together to write, star, and direct this small found footage gem that looks at the darker side of answering ads online.  Aaron answers an ad sent by Josef, and all he wants is to be filmed for one day, but then learns that the video is for his yet unborn son, as Josef reveals he's dying.  What follows is a twisting, winding road through the insanity of one man, and even though Duplass has starred in bigger box office films, this is easily his best performance ever.

#3

Cloverfield

Produced by J.J. Abrams, "Cloverfield" hit the viral market in an extraordinary way, delivering a unique marketing campaign that only fueled excitement for the film, and it more than delivered.  The film is shot entirely through the lens of a partygoer, who discovers that his perfect world is falling apart when an unknown monster attacks New York City.  The visuals are pulse pounding and exciting (if a bit shaky, but it is found footage after all), and the story is thoughtful and engaging.  The film has also spawned its own franchise, a loosely connected series of films that tie in to the original.

#2

 Paranormal Activity

The film that re-ignited the found footage subgenre, "Paranormal Activity" tells the story of a young couple living in a supposed haunted house, and the lengths they go to capture the activity on film.  This small, independent film scared audiences everywhere, and has become a modern-day classic.  The sequels it's spawned has dampened the legacy, but the first film is still a must-watch for any found footage horror fan.

#1

 The Blair Witch Project

Known as "the little film that could," "The Blair Witch Project" was shot for a measly $60,000, but worldwide grossed over $250 million dollars.  The film centers on three students who go in search of the fabled Blair Witch in the Kentucky woods, and all that remains of them is the video.  The marketing campaign was a stroke of genius, as they advertised the fact that the supposed actors really were dead, and we were witnessing their true final moments on the big screen.  The film makes great use of allowing your imagination to run wild, as there's very little seen of the actual witch - allowing us to imagine the worst instead of seeing it.  To this day, it's hailed as the best modern day found footage film, and one that's been copied multiple times but each time fails to live up to the legacy of the original.