My top five found footage movies

Disclaimer: this post was originally uploaded November 12, 2021 with an alternative list and was updated June 2025.

Note: The original list in order is The Blair Witch Project 1999, Unfriended 2014, V/H/S/2 2013, Creep 2014, and The Taking of Deborah Logan 2014.

Technically found footage made its debut in the 1980 movie, Cannibal Holocaust which utilizes a found footage concept that is more-so "this is based on a true story" but cinema style rather than what we'd expect from a found footage made today. Though the concept was used in this controversial film the horror subgenre we recognize today is modeled after The Blair Witch Project 1999 that used a solely "found" footage format, even if story elements like a true ending couldn't be achieved through this method. Taking the concept very seriously the creators had the actors remain lowkey leading up to the release and utilized "Missing Persons" posters that were actually advertisements for the movie as a guerrilla marketing concept.

Since it's success found footage has become an entire subgenre with its own styles, methods, and cliches that have developed through trial and error since 1999. This medium of storytelling challenges the creators to find realistic reasons for characters to be filming and for that filming to continue when they are facing imminent danger and possible death which presents an opportunity for innovation in the genre. Known in part for the cliffhanger endings many found footage films end in screen cards with a few sentences of some off screen outcome after the dust of the movie settled. Although the subgenre has grown exponentially some stand out amongst the rest for most horror fans, myself included. The rest of this post is my top 5 found footage movies that I gravitate towards and find myself rewatching often.

Movie spoilers past this point

Number 1 - As Above, So Below 2014

Originally As Above, So Below 2014 was just an honorable mention in my ranking of found footage horror but after making the original 2021 post I remembered how much I liked it. Between 2021 and now I don't even want to know how many times I've watched it at this point, but it is safe to say it is now an all time favorite. A found footage that incorporates the more traditional style of a professionally filmed movie being found after a group has disappeared. They use nice equipment and have a professional camera man who follows them throughout the Paris catacomb tunnels as they search for the Philosopher's Stone. Incorporating alchemy and the hunt for the stone in the film is really cool and it stuck with tying the plot to larger and grander ideas. I love the mix of realistic and supernatural scares held together by a building backstory. To rent and watch As Above, So Below now from Amazon Prime click here or to rent from Apple TV+ click here.

Number 2 - The Blair Witch Project 1999

There's not a single watch of The Blair Witch Project 1999 that hasn't left me looking over my shoulder and freaked out by the end. The lack of evidence until the building end in either direction of real or unreal turns the suspense dial up to 11 and the interspersed cuts to other, quieter footage following heightened moments created a false sense of security going into the final act. What seemed to be only in their heads starts playing out on the fictional footage captured by the group of 3 after getting lost in the woods turns far more serious and scary. This is the original found-footage movie that captivated audiences into the faux reality that found footage films are now known for. Trail blazing this subgenre to a wider audience than predecessors had managed with a rather simple plot the found footage genre, known for the simplistic filming style and lower budget actors sought for their lack of name recognition it it a studio's wet dream of a project on paper. To watch Blair Witch Project now on Amazon Prime click here.

Number 3 - The Taking of Deborah Logan 2014

Verdict is out if I have a bias for 2014 or rather that it was just a good year of horror, possibly a genesis of what I'd call modern horror now but The Taking of Deborah Logan 2014 is too good of a found footage to not include it. The style of the movie follows similar other found footage films, particularly of the time; put together as a raw or rough cut of a documentary, possibly the inclusion of scenes the creators would have ommitted due to the light it paints them in. Deborah Logan, the subject of the documentary, is experieicing straneg symptoms that mimic rapidly onset dementia and her adult daughter who's now returned home to care for her despite their differences. Fairly quickly after the film crew arrives at the Logan household things go downhill, most if not all of the incidences being attrbuted to Deborah's medical condition rather than thinking it could be attributed to spiritual disturbances in Deborah. Basically-she is possessed and this becomes pretty obvious to a viewer watching despite the usual hesistance of the characters to believe they are facing something supernatural. I can't watch this alone or in the dark which is the highest ranking of scary that I categorize movies in, particularly the imagery and blend of real and CGI effects are haunting. To watch The Taking of Deborah Logan now on Amazon Prime click here.

Number 4 - Paranormal Activity 2007

Paranormal Activity 2007 really revived the subgenre after the 2nd Blair Witch Project film didn't live up to the expectations audiences had following the first movie. Being unable to recapture that breakout sucess created an uphill battle for future found footage projects, like this movie. Before viral was a known and understood phrase the audience reaction-that of pure terror-went mega viral and attracted audiences to the movies. With a similar schtick to it's predecessors the question, "is this real?," was floated as part of the marketing campaign, and it stuck The haunting of the main couple’s home is the backdrop for the film and the reasoning used for having a camera system set up throughout their home, something considered normal today. The haunting starts small, not even hidden from early on but rather the extent is hidden from the viewer and it picks up as the couple continues to engage with it and observe it through the filming setup. The final scenes (from both endings, of which there are at least 2) shocked moviegoing audiences and left people screaming at their screen for answers. Video footage of audience members watching and reacting to the film were even used in the aforementioned promo to hook audiences. To watch Paranormal Activity 2007 it can be rented from Amazon Prime by clicking here or from Apple TV+ by clicking here.

Number 5 - Unfriended 2014

This movie got some hate when it came out and I'm not sure if it's controversial but nonetheless, Unfriended 2014, is one of my all time favorites and I can argue why it deserves a place on found footage rankings. Prior to this film the idea of having a full movie take place only from the POV of looking at a laptop screen was perposterous, an afront to the long standing beliefs about how films ought to be made. It isn't the best plot ever but the feat it accomplishes with the style and fluidity that it does is true craftsmanship and is the very type of innovation that the genre benefits from. With on screen typing and silent moments of panic coupled with tech malfunctions while the story is told from end to beginning throughout the group's game that drives the plot forward and forces the teen characters to stay in the evil videochat despite it seeming obvious that they should close their laptops and run far away. To rent Unfriended from Amazon Prime click here and to rent from Apple TV+ click here.

Conclusion & Other Subgenres

Horror subgenres are common, developing and evolving over time, and one of arguably the best additions is found footage. I love how the medium pushes creativity and forces creators to take chances on endings that aren't as predictable as the genre continued to develop over the coming years. Although it took some years for the steam to pick up following the 1999 release of The Blair Witch Project and then the not-so-great sequel one year later, Book of Shadows: Blair Witch 2 2000, considerably less liked than the original. Despite the twist that the original spun on the genre the lack of success for the sequel likely caused trepidation from studios, possibly seeing it as a flash in the pan rather than something that could evolve into a subgenre.

Now a full-fledged subgenre with parameters and guidelines evolving in particular around the technology available now and how we use that tech. Back in 1999 it didn't make sense for people to have a recording device out unless they were a filmmaker, professional camera person or a niche hobby, placing large constraints out of the gate for the plots of these movies. As tech evolved to be intertwined with our everyday lives, to the extent that in Unfriended 2 it is believable that dark web hackers are able to tap into the vast network of surveillance cameras throughout a city. This advancement in real world tech allowed for a more complete story to be believably told in more than ending title cards. Examples get more advanced and sometimes more dystopian to further plots and leaning into the possible horrors of tech while using a creative storytelling format.

Of all the subgenres I would say that found footage is my 2nd favorite, I'm not sure what my absolute favorite would be but irregardless this takes spot 2 in my lineup. While not my favorite of all time I rarely dislike a found footage movie, often finding that even B-horror style found footage flics are entertaining and sometimes repeat watched, something I can't say about other subgenres. If you're interested in more subgenres, in particular deep dives into genres I have a cannibalism post and a feminine coming-of-rage post up now and the underlined phrases can be clicked to re-direct to that page now.

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