Found-Footage Horror Movies That Are Actually Good

Found footage is by no means a new addition to the horror genre. Throughout the '80s and into the '90s, found-footage films popped up here and there, but they never really achieved critical or financial greatness. By the late '90s, however, production companies had started to realize the potential behind found footage. The ability to make a film with a next-to-nothing budget and no-name actors meant there was high probability for turning a sizable profit, and companies like Blumhouse Productions took on the task of combining low-budget filmmaking with high-quality arthouse movies. 

There were some immediate successes, and the market quickly embraced the style. Suddenly, found-footage films were everywhere. The fact that a movie could be made on such a shoestring budget meant that any and every horror trope could play out via shaky cam, and it did. And as any moviegoer knows, found-footage films are still hitting theaters today. And sure, a lot of these movies are garbage, but for all the bad ones out there, there are still a few gems worth watching. From obscure flicks to landmark films, these are the found-footage horror movies that are actually good.

In 2007, Jaume Balagueró and Paco Plaza set out to make a horror film that would bring audiences further into the action than ever before. Balagueró told IGN that their goal was to make their audience feel as though they were a part of the film itself. As he explained, "We wanted to use the film screen in a way that is similar to the experience of playing video games."  

REC does exactly that. Using a single camera, the film follows a reporter (Manuela Velasco) along on a story that begins as a "day in the life" exposé on some firemen and ends with them trapped in an apartment building that gets quarantined by the government. As the night progresses, the reason for the quarantine becomes terrifyingly obvious.

Unlike The Blair Witch Project, REC doesn't hold back when it comes to scaring its audience. The films throws itself into horror almost immediately and stays there for the remainder of its 80 minute runtime. It's short, not so sweet, and to the point. It doesn't try to be anything other than a shocker, and in that regard, it completely succeeds.

Cannibal Holocaust might be the most controversial film of all time. Released in 1979, the found-footage classic tells the story of an anthropologist who heads to South America with a rescue crew in search of a missing group of documentary filmmakers. He never finds them, but their footage lays out the horror of what actually befell them. 

Cannibal Holocaust was the most shocking thing in theaters at the time, and the consequences of being the first found-footage horror film hit hard. The film's director, Ruggero Deodato, was put on trial in Italy for the suspected murder of his actors. When he brought one of them to court to prove the charges were false, he was fined for animal cruelty, and Cannibal Holocaust was banned from Italian theaters for three years. In some countries, it only became available to view in 2001. 

It's difficult to stomach, and not just because of its portrayal of death and violence. Deodato has come under fire for the perceived exploitation of Colombia's and Brazil's indigenous peoples. But the film is the granddaddy of them all, and for that, it's worth a watch.

Most of the films that fall into the found-footage horror genre are serious endeavors. Whether it be through gore, shock value, or the regular creep factor, the point that most movies try to make is that somewhere, there is something that is absolutely terrifying, and you should be very, very afraid. Trollhunter isn't really like that. The 2011 Norwegian film is scary, yes. But it's also incredibly funny. And it's chock full of giant, murderous trolls.

André Øvredal created a film that stays true to its roots in folklore, set in a very modern world steeped in cynicism. When a group of film students discover the government has been hiding the existence of trolls along the Norwegian countryside, they take it upon themselves to document the creatures. Visually, Trollhunter looks modern and well-produced. But the film is 90 percent improvisation, so what you see on the screen is done mostly on the fly. It all works, though, and the movie winds up being one of the most entertaining found-footage films in recent years.

Deborah Logan (Jill Larson) suffers from an aggressive form of Alzheimer's. In order to save their home from being repossessed, her daughter Sarah (Anne Ramsay) convinces Deborah to allow a documentary crew to film her as part of an Alzheimer's study. The further along they get into their study, however, the more obvious it becomes that Deborah may be suffering from something that isn't at all based in science. 

So the premise isn't anything new or particularly progressive. The Taking of Deborah Logan is a pretty typical possession story involving a cult-like ritual and child sacrifice. But ultimately, the film's draw isn't its plot. Instead, it's watching Larson slowly devolve into something not quite human, in the most nightmarish ways. The actress definitely carries the film, but it also benefits from some truly creepy visuals throughout that, in spite of its shortcomings, make The Taking of Deborah Logan a worthwhile horror experience.

Taking a bit of a different approach to found-footage horror, 2014's The Den focuses on the uncertainty of web cams and the fear of being hacked. Elizabeth Benton (Melanie Papalia) is doing her graduate project on human interaction, specifically those interactions that occur in online chat rooms. She focuses her efforts on "the Den," a Chatroulette-type site that allows Elizabeth to forge quick and immediate connections with people around the world. But when she witnesses the murder of a young woman, Elizabeth finds her life turned upside down by a group of masked killers who prey on the Den's users.  

The most terrifying thing about The Den is its concept. In a world ruled by online presence, it's easy to feel safe and secure behind a computer screen. But when a stranger is able to take that away with a single key stroke, the horror of being completely exposed and vulnerable takes hold. That, along with the film's focus on chat-style footage, gives The Den a sense of originality and modern-day suspense. 

Hell House LLC takes the idea of a haunted house and mashes it into a found-footage nightmare, but in the best way possible. The 2016 film tells the story of Hell House, a New York City-based Halloween attraction that sets up shop at an abandoned hotel in the small town of Abaddon, New York. After 15 attendees and nearly the entire crew are found dead the morning after opening night, a series of tapes lays out the truth of what actually happened inside.

Although the film suffers a bit from a story that we've seen a million times before, Hell House LLC still finds a way to scare its audience, and it's through some pretty clever placement. Throughout the house, monsters come in and out of frame, but not in an outright, jump in front of the camera sort of way. Instead, they tend to hide in the shadows, barely visible for a moment or two before they disappear completely. It's nerve-wracking trying to keep track of them, and it's exactly that feeling that makes the movie a successful horror flick. 

Half supernatural mystery, half ghost story, 2009's Lake Mungo is a gripping tale of death, grief, and secret lives. Utilizing the tried and true "based on a true story" horror hook, this found-footage film tells the story of Alice Palmer (Talia Zucker), a 16-year-old who drowns near her family's home and then returns to haunt them. Things aren't at all the way they seem, and the truth of Alice's life may have been a bigger mystery than her death.

In spite of its catchy marketing ploy, Lake Mungo is a much better movie than the average haunter. It's most successful in its portrayal of Alice's family, who come across as legitimate and authentic, a real family in the midst of the grieving process. There's always the question in the back of the mind regarding the film's validity. Is it a true story? Of course not, but that doesn't make its final scene any easier to digest.