Found footage (genre)
Encyclopedia
Found footage is a genre of filmmaking, especially horror
, in which all or a substantial part of a film is presented as discovered film or video recordings, often left behind by missing or dead protagonists. The events onscreen are seen through the camera of one or more of the characters involved, who often speaks offscreen. Filming may be done by the actors themselves as they recite their lines, and shaky camerawork
is often employed for realism. While the genre dates back at least as far as 1980's Cannibal Holocaust
, it was popularised after the release of such films as The Blair Witch Project
(1999), Paranormal Activity (2007) and Cloverfield
(2008).
Horror film
Horror films seek to elicit a negative emotional reaction from viewers by playing on the audience's most primal fears. They often feature scenes that startle the viewer through the means of macabre and the supernatural, thus frequently overlapping with the fantasy and science fiction genres...
, in which all or a substantial part of a film is presented as discovered film or video recordings, often left behind by missing or dead protagonists. The events onscreen are seen through the camera of one or more of the characters involved, who often speaks offscreen. Filming may be done by the actors themselves as they recite their lines, and shaky camerawork
Shaky camera
Shaky camera, shaky cam, hand-held camera or free camera is a cinematographic technique where stable-image techniques are purposely dispensed with. The camera is held in the hand, or given the appearance of being hand-held, and in many cases shots are limited to what one photographer could have...
is often employed for realism. While the genre dates back at least as far as 1980's Cannibal Holocaust
Cannibal Holocaust
Cannibal Holocaust is a 1980 Italian horror film directed by Ruggero Deodato from a screenplay by Gianfranco Clerici. Filmed in the Amazon Rainforest and dealing with indigenous tribes, it was cast mostly with United States actors and filmed in English to achieve wider distribution...
, it was popularised after the release of such films as The Blair Witch Project
The Blair Witch Project
The Blair Witch Project is a 1999 American horror film pieced together from amateur footage. The film was produced by the Haxan Films production company. The film relates the story of three student filmmakers The Blair Witch Project is a 1999 American horror film pieced together from amateur...
(1999), Paranormal Activity (2007) and Cloverfield
Cloverfield
Cloverfield is a 2008 American disaster-monster film directed by Matt Reeves, produced by J. J. Abrams and written by Drew Goddard.The film follows six young New Yorkers attending a going-away party on the night that a gigantic monster attacks the city...
(2008).
Examples of found-footage films
These films are listed chronologically by year of theatrical or home video release, then alphabetically within each year.- Cannibal HolocaustCannibal HolocaustCannibal Holocaust is a 1980 Italian horror film directed by Ruggero Deodato from a screenplay by Gianfranco Clerici. Filmed in the Amazon Rainforest and dealing with indigenous tribes, it was cast mostly with United States actors and filmed in English to achieve wider distribution...
(1980) - Månguden (1988)
- 84C MoPic84C MoPic84C MoPic is a 1988 American independent war film drama by Patrick Sheane Duncan.-Story:The film is created as a mock-up documentary of a Long Range Reconnaissance Patrol mission during the Vietnam War...
(1988) - Man Bites DogMan Bites Dog (film)Man Bites Dog is a darkly comedic crime Belgian mockumentary starring Benoît Poelvoorde. In the film, a crew of filmmakers follow a serial killer, recording his crimes for a documentary they are producing...
(1992) - Alien Abduction: Incident in Lake CountyAlien Abduction: Incident in Lake CountyAlien Abduction: Incident in Lake County is a re-enactment of a supposedly genuine home video of an alien abduction of a family in Montana that was shown on the UPN network in January,1998....
(1998) - The Last BroadcastThe Last Broadcast (film)The Last Broadcast is a 1998 American horror film made by Stefan Avalos and Lance Weiler. The film was produced digitally using inexpensive PC-based hardware and software.-Synopsis:...
(1998) - 909 Experiment (1999)
- The Blair Witch ProjectThe Blair Witch ProjectThe Blair Witch Project is a 1999 American horror film pieced together from amateur footage. The film was produced by the Haxan Films production company. The film relates the story of three student filmmakers The Blair Witch Project is a 1999 American horror film pieced together from amateur...
(1999) - The St. Francisville ExperimentThe St. Francisville ExperimentThe St. Francisville Experiment is a 2000 low-budget horror film directed by Ted Nicolaou. It is filmed in a found footage style.The film is about a small group of paranormal investigators who spend a night in an old haunted mansion located in New Orleans, Louisiana.-External links:...
(2000) - Gang Tapes (2001)
- The Collingswood StoryThe Collingswood StoryThe Collingswood Story is an award winning indie horror film, hailed by Shivers Magazine as "The Best Low Budget Movie Since The Blair Witch Project"...
(2002) - August Underground's MordumAugust Underground's MordumAugust Underground's Mordum is an independent exploitation film released by the Pittsburgh-based film production/special effects/design company Toetag Pictures in 2003...
(2003) - The Last Horror MovieThe Last Horror MovieThe Last Horror Movie is a British horror film directed by Julian Richards, starring Kevin Howarth, Mark Stevenson and released in 2004. It is filmed in a found footage style.- Plot :...
(2003) - Zero Day (2003)
- September TapesSeptember TapesSeptember Tapes is a faux-documentary feature film co-written and directed by Christian Johnston in his feature debut. An early review of the film's promotional trailer noted that the footage looked "more real than network news footage"...
(2004) - The Curse (Noroi) (2005)
- The Zombie DiariesThe Zombie DiariesThe Zombie Diaries is a 2006 British independent horror film written, produced and directed by Kevin Gates and first-time feature film maker Michael Bartlett.The film was shot in a hand-held documentary format on DV and split into three separate parts....
(2006) - Alone with HerAlone with HerAlone with Her is a 2007 American suspense film directed by Eric Nicholas about a tech-savvy stalker who uses spy cameras to force his way into the life of a young woman.The film tells the story through the lenses of spy cameras.-Plot:...
(2007) - Diary of the DeadDiary of the DeadDiary of the Dead is a 2007 American/Canadian horror film by George A. Romero...
(2007) - Exhibit A (2007)
- Head CaseHead Case (film)Head Case is a 2007 pseudo-documentary horror film written and directed by Anthony Spadaccini.The film is presented as a collection of home movies from serial killers Wayne and Andrea Montgomery, middle-class suburban residents of Claymont, Delaware who film their sadistic crimes.- Cast :* Paul...
(2007) - The Poughkeepsie TapesThe Poughkeepsie TapesThe Poughkeepsie Tapes is a mockumentary directed by John Erick Dowdle and stars Bobbi Sue Luther, Samantha Robson and Ivar Brogger.-Plot:...
(2007) - Paranormal Activity (2007)
- RECREC (film)REC is a 2007 Spanish horror film co-written and co-directed by Jaume Balagueró and Paco Plaza.The film was released in Spain in November 2007. Balaguero and Plaza previously directed the 2002 documentary OT, The Movie. REC was filmed using shaky camerawork...
(2007) - RedactedRedacted (film)Redacted is a 2007 American war film written and directed by Brian De Palma. It is a fictional dramatization, loosely based on the 2006 Mahmudiyah killings in Mahmoudiyah, Iraq...
(2007)
- Welcome to the Jungle (2007)
- CloverfieldCloverfieldCloverfield is a 2008 American disaster-monster film directed by Matt Reeves, produced by J. J. Abrams and written by Drew Goddard.The film follows six young New Yorkers attending a going-away party on the night that a gigantic monster attacks the city...
(2008) - Home MovieHome Movie (2008 film)Home Movie is a 2008 horror film and is the directorial debut of actor Christopher Denham.The film received favorable reviews at Montreal’s 2008 Fantasia Film Festival. Following the final screening, bids were made on the film and IFC Enterainment acquired the U.S. rights for IFC's Festival Direct...
(2008) - June 9 (2008)
- Lake MungoLake Mungo (film)Lake Mungo is a 2008 Australian psychological horror mockumentary film directed by filmmaker Joel Anderson and stars Talia Zucker.-Plot:Sixteen-year-old Alice Palmer drowns while swimming in the local dam. When her body is recovered and a verdict of accidental death returned, her grieving family...
(2008) - MonsterMonster (2008 film)Monster is a 2008 direct-to-DVD monster film produced by American studio The Asylum, written and directed by Erik Estenberg.The film is an Asylum mockbuster created to capitalise on the release of Cloverfield. It was released direct-to-DVD on January 15, 2008...
(2008) - QuarantineQuarantine (film)Quarantine is a 2008 American horror film, directed by John Erick Dowdle and starring Jennifer Carpenter, Jay Hernandez, Columbus Short, Steve Harris, Rade Šerbedžija, Greg Germann, Bernard White, and Johnathon Schaech. The film is a remake of the Spanish horror film REC with a few exceptions such...
(2008) - Evil ThingsEvil ThingsEvil Things is a 2009 American horror film written and directed by Dominic Perez as his feature film debut.-Background:Shot in found footage mockumentary style in the valleys surrounding New York City, the film deals with the haunting of a group of twenty-somethings in a deserted house, captured...
(2009) - OccultOccult (2009 film)Occult is a 2009 J-Horror, "found footage" film in the form of a documentary. The movie was written and directed by Kôji Shiraishi.-Plot:...
(2009) - Paranormal EntityParanormal EntityParanormal Entity is an American horror film produced by The Asylum in 2009. It is one of many films dubbed as a "mockbuster", a movie designed to capitalize on the success of a higher budget film. Paranormal Entity is a mockbuster of the successful low-budget horror film Paranormal Activity. The...
(2009) - REC 2REC 2REC 2 or [●REC]² is the 2009 Spanish horror film sequel to 2007's REC. Written and directed by Jaume Balagueró and Paco Plaza, both of whom returned from the previous film, the story takes place immediately after the events of the first film, with producing company Filmax International describing...
(2009) - The RitualThe Ritual (film)The Ritual is a 2009 pseudo-documentary horror film written and directed by award-winning filmmaker Anthony Spadaccini.The film is a sequel to Spadaccini's 2007 horror film Head Case and continues the story of Claymont, Delaware serial killer Wayne Montgomery, who films his crimes.The plot details...
(2009) - Trash HumpersTrash HumpersTrash Humpers is a 2009 American independent drama "film" directed by Harmony Korine. Shot on worn VHS home video, the film features a "loser-gang cult-freak collective" and their whereabouts in Nashville, Tennessee.-Cast:-Production:...
(2009) - 8213: Gacy House8213: GACY HOUSE8213: Gacy House or Paranormal Entity 2 is a 2010 American horror film by The Asylum. The film acts as a loose prequel to The Asylum's 2009 film Paranormal Entity, and a mockbuster of the film Paranormal Activity 2.-Plot:...
(2010) - Abnormal Activity (2010)
- AtrociousAtrocious (film)Atrocious is a 2010 Spanish horror film written and directed by Fernando Barreda Luna. It was released in the United States on August 17, 2011....
(2010) - Eyes in the DarkEyes in the DarkEyes in the Dark is a 2010 American horror film written and directed by Bjorn Anderson. It is filmed in the "found footage" style.-Plot:The movie follows seven college students as they take a weekend trip to a lodge in the Cascade Mountains. As they film themselves for their video blog, they record...
(2010) - Love Sex aur DhokhaLove Sex aur DhokhaLove Sex aur Dhokha is a 2010 Indian film directed by Dibakar Banerjee and produced by Alt Entertainment, is shot entirely on DigiCam, being one of the first films coming out of India to be presented in the found footage style...
(2010) - The Last ExorcismThe Last ExorcismThe Last Exorcism is a 2010 American found footage horror film directed and edited by Daniel Stamm. It stars Patrick Fabian, Ashley Bell, Iris Bahr, and Louis Herthum....
(2010) - Meadowoods (2010)
- Paranormal Activity 2Paranormal Activity 2Paranormal Activity 2 is a 2010 American supernatural horror film directed by Tod Williams and written by Michael R. Perry. The film is a parallel prequel to the 2007 film Paranormal Activity, beginning two months before and following up with the events depicted in the original film...
(2010) - Paranormal Activity 2: Tokyo NightParanormal Activity 2: Tokyo Nightis a 2010 Japanese independent supernatural horror film written and directed by Toshikazu Nagae. Commissioned by the Japanese, the film is based on the 2007 American film Paranormal Activity and documents the events that follow from the original film....
(2010) - Paranormal Effect (2010)
- Re-Cut (2010)
- Shirome (2010)
- The Troll HunterThe Troll HunterThe Troll Hunter is a 2010 Norwegian dark fantasy film, made in the form of a "found footage" mockumentary. It is written and directed by André Øvredal, and features a mixed cast of relatively unknown actors and well-known Norwegian comedians, including Otto Jespersen. The Troll Hunter received...
(2010) - UnawareUnawareUnaware is a science-fiction horror thriller film directed by Sean Bardin and Robert Cooley. It follows a vacationing couple who discover something disturbing on a rural Texas ranch. Like the films Paranormal Activity and The Blair Witch Project , Unaware is an independent feature presented in...
(2010) - Anneliese: The Exorcist TapesAnneliese: The Exorcist TapesAnneliese: The Exorcist Tapes is a 2011 documentary-style horror film directed by Jude Gerard Prest. It is based on the real life exorcism of Anneliese Michel, a young woman thought to have been possessed. The film was released direct-to-video on March 1, 2011...
(2011) - Apollo 18Apollo 18 (film)Apollo 18 is a 2011 American science fiction horror film directed by Gonzalo López-Gallego and produced by Timur Bekmambetov and Ron Schmidt. The film's premise is that the officially canceled Apollo 18 mission was actually launched in December 1973 but never returned, and as a result the United...
(2011) - Area 51Area 51 (film)Area 51 is a science-fiction film picture written and directed by Oren Peli, the director of Paranormal Activity and starring Benjamin Rovner, Reid Warner and Darrin Bragg.-Cast:* Sandra Staggs* Ben Rovner as Ethan Cole...
(2011) - DeliveryDelivery (film)Delivery is an upcoming American horror film. This film was written by Brian Netto and Adam Schindler, directed by Brian Netto and produced by Adam Schindler.-Story:...
(2011) - Grave EncountersGrave EncountersGrave Encounters is a 2011 Canadian-American supernatural horror film shot in the found footage style where it is recorded by a video camera in a first person point of view as made famous by The Blair Witch Project and Cloverfield. Written and directed by The Vicious Brothers, the film premiered...
(2011) - Hollow (2011)
- Megan is Missing (2011)
- Paranoid Activity 2 (2011)
- Paranormal Activity 3Paranormal Activity 3Paranormal Activity 3 is a 2011 American supernatural horror film. It is the third film of the Paranormal Activity series and serves as a prequel, set 18 years prior to the events of the first two films...
(2011) - Ragini MMSRagini MMSThe music is composed by S. D. Burman, Shamir Tandon, Faizan Hussain, Agnel Roman, and Bappi Lahiri. The soundtrack for the film was released on April 19, 2011...
(2011) - REC Genesis (2011)
- Stingy Jack (2011)
- The Tapes (2011)
- The TunnelThe Tunnel (2011 film)The Tunnel is a 2011 horror film directed by Carlo Ledesma, and co-written, co-produced and co-edited by Julian Harvey and Enzo Tedeschi. The film stars Bel Deliá, Andy Rodoreda, Steve Davis, Luke Arnold, Goran D...
(2011) - UntitledUntitled (film)Untitled is a 2011 British drama-horror film directed by Shaun Troke. Presented in the style of found footage, the film stars Troke alongside Nikki Harrup, Leonora Moore and Danny Goldberg. Prior to release, Untitled used a viral marketing campaign by promoting various clips of the film via the...
(2011) - World of the Dead: The Zombie DiariesWorld of the Dead: The Zombie DiariesWorld of the Dead: The Zombie Diaries 2 is a 2011 British horror film written by Kevin Gates. The film is a sequel to The Zombie Diaries....
(2011) - The Amityville Horror: The Lost Tapes (2012)
- ChronicleChronicle (film)Chronicle is a science fiction film set in the found footage format, which is scheduled for release on February 3, 2012.-Plot:-Cast:* Michael B. Jordan as Steve* Dane DeHaan as Andrew Detmer* Michael Kelly as Matt* Alex Russell...
(2012) - Evidence (2012)
- Haunted PolandHaunted PolandHaunted Poland is an upcoming horror film, pieced together from amateur footage. The film was produced by Maso & Co Productions. Told cinéma vérité-style, Haunted Poland depicts the contents of recorded tape filmed by a couple Ewelyn played by Ewelina Lukaszewska, and Pau played by Pau Masó who...
(2012) - REC Apocalypse (2012)
Examples of found-footage TV series and made for TV specials
- Alien Abduction: Incident in Lake CountyAlien Abduction: Incident in Lake CountyAlien Abduction: Incident in Lake County is a re-enactment of a supposedly genuine home video of an alien abduction of a family in Montana that was shown on the UPN network in January,1998....
(1997) (mockumentaryMockumentaryA mockumentary , is a type of film or television show in which fictitious events are presented in documentary format. These productions are often used to analyze or comment on current events and issues by using a fictitious setting, or to parody the documentary form itself...
) - JeopardyJeopardy (BBC TV series)Jeopardy was a BAFTA award-winning Scottish television series which ran for three series, from 2002 to 2004, on BBC One. It was created by Tim O'Mara who also directed, and all three series were produced by Andy Rowley with exec for Wark Clements Richard Langridge. It has aired numerous times on...
(2002) (series) - Lost TapesLost TapesLost Tapes is an American horror/thriller docudrama television series that airs on Animal Planet. Produced by Go Go Luckey Entertainment, the program presents fictional found footage depicting traumatic encounters with cryptozoological creatures , including the Chupacabra and Bigfoot, and even...
(2009) (series) - The RiverThe River (U.S. TV series)The River is an upcoming American paranormal/adventure/horror series that will debut during the 2011–12 television season on ABC as a midseason replacement. Eight episodes will be produced for the first season. The series will premiere February 7, 2012....
(2011) (series)
Examples of found-footage video games
- Michigan: Report from Hell (2005)
- Halo 3: ODST (2009)
- Kane & Lynch 2: Dog DaysKane & Lynch 2: Dog DaysKane & Lynch 2: Dog Days is a video game developed by IO Interactive, published by Eidos Interactive under Square Enix available on Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. It is the sequel to Kane & Lynch: Dead Men...
(2010)