Best Found Footage
Noroi: The Curse (2005) is a Japanese found footage horror film directed by Kōji Shiraishi, presented as a completed documentary by a paranormal investigator who disappeared; it is widely considered one of the most accomplished J-horror found footage films.
Barbarian is a 2022 horror film directed by Zach Cregger, featuring Georgina Campbell, Bill Skarsgård, and Justin Long. The narrative centers around a female protagonist who encounters an unsettling discovery while renting a property through Airbnb. It was produced by multiple individuals and marks...
The Blair Witch Project presents itself as a documentary following three film students investigating the legend of the Blair Witch in the Maryland wilderness. The narrative utilizes footage purportedly captured during their expedition into the Appalachian Mountains. It is presented as a “found foota...
Chronicle is a 2012 film about three Seattle teenagers who develop telekinetic abilities following the discovery of a mysterious object. The newfound power leads to experimentation and escalating behavior, particularly as one of the individuals, Andrew, descends into an increasingly troubled state....
Late Night with the Devil is a found-footage horror film set in 1977. The movie simulates a live television broadcast investigating paranormal claims surrounding a haunted woman. Shot using analog techniques to create an unsettling atmosphere, it explores themes of demonic influence and media manipu...
Paranormal Activity is an independent horror film presented as found footage. It depicts a couple’s attempts to document and understand increasingly disturbing events within their home. The movie's realistic approach and suspenseful narrative style, achieved through the use of a video camera, made i...
End of Watch portrays the experiences of two Los Angeles Police Department officers, Brian Taylor and Mike Zavala, operating in South Central LA. The film depicts their routine law enforcement duties alongside interactions with local gangs and the development of a close bond between the officers. It...
Cloverfield is a 2008 horror film depicting a group of friends’ efforts to escape a large creature attacking New York City. The story follows their attempts to flee the monster's assaults within the urban environment. The film features a cast including Lizzy Caplan and Jessica Lucas, documenting thi...
Álex Pastor and Pau Fernández Colomé's *REC* (2007) remains the gold standard for found footage horror. Following a television news crew investigating a mysterious outbreak in a Barcelona apartment building, the film delivers relentless tension and genuinely terrifying creature design. Its tight pac...
Man Bites Dog is a 1992 French-Belgian black comedy crime mockumentary. The film was created by Rémy Belvaux, André Bonzel, and Benoît Poelvoorde, who served as writer, producer, editor, cinematographer, and lead actor. It explores the experiences of a documentary crew following a convicted murderer...
The White Vault is a fictional horror audio drama podcast that utilizes a found-footage, documentary-style narrative format. The story follows an international repair team sent to a remote outpost in the Arctic where they encounter strange and terrifying phenomena. It is distinctively known for its...
The Strangers is a 2008 horror film about a couple vacationing at a remote home when they are terrorized by three masked individuals. The story draws inspiration from real-life murders and break-ins, creating an unsettling atmosphere of suspense. It explores themes of vulnerability and intrusion wit...
Grave Encounters is a 2011 found footage horror film directed by the Vicious Brothers. The story follows a television crew documenting their investigation within an abandoned psychiatric hospital, intending to capture definitive proof of ghosts. Their efforts result in increasingly unsettling and da...
Paranormal Activity 3 continues the series following Micah, a young man who moves into his deceased grandfather’s house. The film utilizes found footage techniques to depict escalating paranormal activity within the residence, involving several individuals. It is the third installment in the Paranor...
Creep 2 is a 2017 American found-footage psychological horror film directed by Patrick Brice. As the sequel to the 2014 film Creep, it stars Mark Duplass, who reprises his role as a serial killer named Josef. The plot follows a video artist named Sara, played by Desiree Akhavan, who accepts a myster...
Europa Report depicts the first manned expedition to Jupiter’s moon, Europa. The mission encounters significant setbacks including communication loss and equipment failure. The crew ultimately discovers increasing indications of extraterrestrial life during their exploration of the icy world.
Trollhunter is a 2010 Norwegian found-footage fantasy film written and directed by Andre Ovredal. Framed as recovered documentary footage, it follows university students who investigate suspected bear poaching and discover that a government employee is secretly tracking and killing trolls across rur...
The Dirties is a Netflix mockumentary exploring themes of teenage anger and retribution through a found footage style. The film follows two friends documenting their plan for revenge against high school bullies. Its unsettling realism and focus on escalating consequences make it notable for viewers...
Creep is a 2014 American found-footage psychological horror film directed by Patrick Brice, who also appears as the videographer Aaron. Mark Duplass plays Josef, a client who hires Aaron to record a series of personal videos at a remote house. The film builds its threat through improvised dialogue,...
Quarantine is a 2008 found footage horror film directed by John Erick Dowdle. It features a group of individuals who become infected with a rapidly spreading zombie virus after attending a party. The cast includes Jennifer Carpenter, Jay Hernandez, and Rade Šerbedžija in this narrative centered arou...
The Borderlands (2013) is a British found footage horror film directed by Elliot Goldner, released in the US as Final Prayer, in which Vatican-assigned investigators document strange occurrences at a rural English church with a deeply sinister history.
Trollhunter is a 2010 Norwegian mockumentary film presented as “found footage.” Directed by André Øvredal, the story follows an investigation into alleged troll sightings, featuring a cast including Otto Jespersen. The film received largely positive reviews upon its release in the United States.
Occult (2009) is a Japanese found footage horror film directed by Kōji Shiraishi following a filmmaker who investigates a lone survivor of a random mass stabbing and uncovers escalating supernatural connections.
Unfriended: Dark Web is a 2018 screenlife horror film centered on a group of friends who discover a dark web-enabled laptop. They become targets of a group of online hackers connected to previous events, creating a suspenseful narrative within the confines of computer screens. The story presents an...
Paranormal Activity 2 presents a narrative that precedes the events of the initial film, unfolding approximately two months prior to its start. The story spans an extended timeframe and explores the origins of the haunting activity depicted in *Paranormal Activity*. It serves as a prequel installmen...
"Rules for Vanishing" is a 2019 young adult horror novel written by Kate Alice Marshall. The story is structured as a found-footage narrative, compiling documents, transcripts, and testimonies regarding a supernatural road that appears once a year. The plot follows characters who navigate this dange...
Unfriended presents a supernatural horror narrative unfolding via a computer screen. Six teenagers engaged in a Skype call are confronted by the ghost of a former classmate seeking revenge. The story is presented as a continuous screencast from a MacBook, depicting escalating events following the st...
