The genre of found footage horror

I’ve been fascinated with the sub-genre for some time. Horror films often fail to scare me because of their production value. It’s hard for me to feel real fear behind the safety of what is obviously a movie. Not that any traditional horror films have failed to frighten me in the past. The Exorcist, the Shining, and Poltergeist are examples of horror films that work. They are creepy, scary, and ultimately fun to experience. But they are only movies, and at the end of the day I can distance myself from what scares me about them. Which is ultimately why I kind of adore the found footage film when done right. Presenting the events as fact while filmed through the characters own camera has a way of cutting through the production, and getting to the heart of what scares me. Not all films are successful, but when done right the genre is amongst my favorite in horror.

There have been several films like this before The Blair Witch Project. But a) I have not seen them and b) I feel this is the film that made the genre what it is today.

I have very distinct memories of the first time I saw a clip from The Blair With Project, a film that I still very much love. It was late at night, and I was watching the IFC channel. A segment came on about the movie, portraying it as a mystery and real. They showed the classic confessional scene, where Heather is snotting all over the camera. It chilled me to my core and effectively terrified me for the rest of the night. Of course eventually the cat was out of the bag, and we found out it was fake. So imagine my surprise when I went to see the film in theaters and it terrified me all over again.

The key elements that make this now established genre work are

1. A group of talented, natural actors.

2. The use of a realistic camera.

3. A plausible reason to keep the camera rolling.

4. Vague ideas and imagery of an unseen (or unwanted) force.

Blair Witch set the bar very high as it was a perfect blend of all these elements.  From the creepy but real interviews at the beginning, to the sounds of children playing in the night outside their tent, Blair Witch sustains a slow burn as we learn more and more of their predicament. Capped off by one of the creepiest images I’ve seen on film.

Something about that image above was so unsettling to me. Still is. I loved the ambiguity of the threat. How we were left staring at the edges of the frame, filling in the holes with our most unimaginable terrors.

There were imitators. But Paranormal Activity was the first to come along and make the model lucrative again. It had a terrific concept. A couple is experiencing unexplained noises in the night so the boyfriend buys a video camera to document the goings on. And the rest is history. What I really enjoyed about this film was the simplistic set up. Again we have realistic actors improvising their lines. We also have the similar slow burn effect, as the escalation of creepy imagery builds and builds to what is an ultimately unsatisfying ending. They play with fun concepts here, from the haunting being a demon as opposed to a ghost, to the idea that this force is following Katie and therefore can’t be run from. The boyfriends refusal to stop filming seemed un-realistic at a certain point, but overall I thought it was insanely clever and unnerving.

Cloverfield was an attempt to use the genre in a more “Monster Movie” type of way. It had a similar structure but it left out some of the key ingredients. The actors are fine in their own right but the characters they play aren’t really likable or natural. The very nature of their trek through the city after the monster’s first attack just doesn’t make logical sense. Neither does the constant video recording. So the illusion is shattered.  I found myself constantly questioning why they kept filming.  It never made sense.

Paranormal Activity 2 is better than the first while enriching it at the same time. The pacing is better, the scares wilder, and it has images and scenes that are creepy as hell. The characters are infinitely more likeable and the addition of security cameras (added after a mysterious break in in which nothing is stolen) is a genius idea. The film effortlessly re-creates the feeling one gets when alone in a big house. That unease is felt throughout and builds to an ending in a basement that is my favorite excuse to keep a camera rolling in any of these film (besides [REC] 2. More on that below.). The father, in a blackout, rushes into the basement for reasons I won’t explain and uses a night vision camera as his way of seeing in the dark. It’s such a perfect idea, one that is a great change of pace from the stationary camera we watch for most of the film. Both films show you very little, but enough for you to once again fill in the gaps with your own imagination. Which is always scarier. Well almost always.

It’s rare for a horror film to scare me beyond the all too familiar jump scares that are a common staple. And indeed the spanish horror film’s [REC] 1 and 2 have they’re fair share of boo moments. But they also got under my skin in such a profound way that I’m pretty sure when I’m alone in a dark place it’s this films imagery that will come to mind and give me all sorts of anxiety. And the best trick of all is I’m happy about that.

The first film plays out as a tv news shoot gone horribly awry. We get a single cameraman’s view of the events, and the filmmakers are ingenious in how they use the camera, and explain why it stays on. [REC] (gotta love the brackets) is indeed a “found footage” film in the vein of the Blair Witch Project and Paranormal activity. The acting is terrific and feels incredibly real. And when the shit hit’s the fan and zombie’s star running amok one can’t help but smile. It’s the tone that makes the film memorable. Somewhere in the formula, they manage to infuse a sense of fun into the proceedings. The scares come often, mixed with a fair helping of incredibly creepy imagery. And then you get to the end. Holy shit. I won’t spoil it for you, but my girlfriend described it as such, “The most terrifying thing I have ever seen on film.” And I agree. An image so disturbing and terrifying that I found myself panic-stricken after the credits began to roll. We had to immediately turn on the special features in hopes that they could show us how this end image was created so we could subdue our fears and tell ourselves it wasn’t real. It helped, for a moment. But like I said, when I’m alone and in the dark, that’s the image that comes to mind. It replaces the sister stricken with spina bifida from Pet cemetary. Image included

That was what I imagined in the dark. Always. Because my brain is a dick. I couldn’t even find and post the creepiest image of this character because I didn’t want to have to look at it as I wrote this.

Then I learned of a sequel and sought it out. And was insanely pleased with the results. [REC] 2 is not a better film. It uses the same found footage scenario but to a lesser believability. But what it lacked in realism it more than made up for in pure horror goodness. Once again the scares come often, as do the creepy images. And the whole way we are teased that the image that terrified us would return. Again I won’t spoil it for you, but it does not disappoint. Though I will admit that when it arrives its not as terrifying. I later deduced it was because my girlfriend and I were so freaking terrified of it’s return that when it did, and it didn’t cause us to die of panic, perhaps it lessened it’s grip on us. Of course that night, in the dark, the image remained

I’m often critical of horror as a genre for its shameless attempts to either rip off better movies or give you the bare minimum of entertainment the average moviegoers require.  I like creepy images and concepts that work on an emotional and visceral level. Spanish directors Juame Balaguero and Paco Plaza have and incredible handle on what’s scares us and do so with a fun spirit an incredible craftsmanship. [REC] and it’s sequel are thrill-rides in every sense of the word, and if you are a horror fan then by all means seek them out, if you dare

The question is can the genre continue after so many have covered similar ground? And I’m not really sure the answer. I just saw The Last Exorcism which was creepy but also ended in a truly preposterous way robbing the film of what it had earned throughout the first half. It’ll take a lot of creativity to broaden the spectrum of what these films are capable of, but I look forward to hopefully still being surprised by its effectiveness.

If I am missing any films, or you have suggestions of others please leave a comment. I’d love to know more.