Top 10 Found Footage movies

Many probably associate found-footage style of film making with horror genre, and most of found footage movies are that actually. However there are some of them (two of which are on my list), that try to do differentiate themselves from other movies in the same genre by doing it in found footage style. Whenever I speak with someone about found footage movies I always mention how I'm really tired of them, and how they aside from that gimmick don't really have anything new to give to us. But every once in a while there comes a movie (that is done in found-footage style) that blows me away, proving that there still some cool things you can do by utilizing hand-held camera. So here we go with top 10 found footage movies.

10. The Blair Witch Project

This is the movie that started it all. There were movies prior to this one that had that hand held filming kind of vibe (see Cannibal Holocaust), but this movie really popularized the genre.  I really bought in to the hype for this movie. I came in to it with a blank slate not really knowing what is about and what kind of movie it is. Watching it back then when it was first released and not knowing much about it was probably the best way to watch that movie. And as far as I can remember I was really creeped out by it. Not really knowing if I was watching an watching an actual movie or some documentary footage was what made this movie enjoyable. However watching it years later and knowing what it is I came to not really carrying about this movie. As a matter of fact I found it kind of dull and boring. But for its legacy it deserves number 10 spot on my list.

9. V/H/S/2

It is up to debate, but for me this is the strongest movie from this V/H/S movie series thus far.Much like with other anthology movies there were some segments that really stand out, quality wise, and those that are particularly weak. For me the best segment of this movie (and of every V/H/S in general) is Safe Haven directed by Gareth Evans (dude that directed The Raid and its sequel). Basically this segment deals with a news crew that infiltrates Indonesian cult and a fucked up things going inside of this cult. This segment is just amazing and it pretty much makes every other pale in comparison. Another really good one from this set is zombie themed A Ride in the Park. Slumber Party Alien Abduction (story is pretty much explained in the title) is for me by far the weakest one, and I would even recommend skipping it all together.

8. The Last Exorcism

This is one of those movies that really surprised me, in a good way. Sure it is yet another exorcism movie, but what makes it great is some really clever scare scenes. Sure there are some scenes that are reminiscent of those from The Exorcist (spider walk from that movie comes to mind), but it still manages to take a spin on them. There are definitely some genuinely creepy scenes in this movie. The whole found footage thing made this movie even creepier.

I got to admit the ending of this movie is kind of stupid, but that still didn't take a lot from my overall enjoyment of the movie.

7. Lake Mungo

Lake Mungo is truly a weird little movie. It is basically a horror mocumentaary. It tells the story of this Sixteen year old Alice Palmer who drowns while swimming with her family. After her death the strange things start to happen at her house. And I don't want to reveal anything more in order to avoid spoilers. This is a well executed ghost story that is genuinely compelling.

6. Afflicted

Another indie horror flick on this list, that probably not that many people is familiar with. This is the story of two childhood friend Cliff and Derek (they are also the directors of this film), who have decided to travel all over the world in order to film their web series. Basically one thing leads to antoher and Derek gets inffected with a strange mysterious disease with some strange symptoms. Basically he becomes superhuman with super strength, speed and agility with some drawbacks. This movie is a true testament that there are still some interesting ideas that can be implemented in found footage movies. This movie is very well shot (at least for found footage movie), and being that is a low budget movie it manages to pull off some genuinely impressive effects.

5. End of Watch

It seems that found footage movie genre is reserved for horror movies, but every once in a while comes a movie in a different genre that manages to do something interesting with found footage technique and that is End of Watch. This movie was directed by David Ayer (writer of Training Day), and it follows two cops Taylor (Jake Gyllenhaal) and Zavala (Michael Peña) roaming the streets of L.A. and searching for criminals. It is in many ways similar to Training Day but much more brutal and more real. But the dynamic between the two leads is what really makes this movie rise above movies from similar genre.

4. Trollhunter

 This movie follow a group of student who are investigating a series of bear killings. In their search they stumble upon a mysterious hunter who turns out to be a troll hunter. Of course they didn't believe that trolls exist, but soon they found out. This movie is just cool in so many ways. And that dude that is playing the troll hunter is all sorts of bad ass. I really enjoy the dry humor of this movie, it really gelled well with all the craziness that was happening on the screen. Troll design in this movie is quite impressive. Variety in both appearance and size of these trolls is something to behold. Great movie that mixes moment of genuine tension with humor in a nice way.  

3. Chronicle

 The Chronicle was one of those movies that I've started watching with a very low expectations, and I was really blown away by it. This is a strange, you can say superhero origins story. Here we follow three high school seniors who gained telekinetic abilities from an unknown object. At first we get to see them use their newfound abilities to basically prank people and for some personal gain. This is until a shy kid called Andrew (Dane DeHaan) starts using his abilities for more sinister purposes. The whole introduction of the move with kids discovering their abilities and using them was presented in an interesting way, that we don't get to see in that many movies that deal with people with superhuman abilities. To see them using their abilities for stupid shit at first was quite refreshing. Also special effects for a movie with a budget of 12 million $ were pretty impressive. I feel that three leads did an amazing job, acting wise, With Dane DeHaan standing out. It was also cool (and weird in a way) for me to Michael B. Jordan, who I remember as a kid Wallace from the first season of The Wire.

2. Cloverfield

Cloverfield was one of those found footage movies that really surprised me. Watching the trailer I didn't really know what to expect, and the fact that its release date was set in January had me worried. And the movie itself started kind of weak with a bunch of douchey teens having a party. Thankfully this only lasts for about 10 minutes, next thing you see is head of Statue of Liberty rolling down the street. And everything that happens from then on is bad ass as well.  Shaky cam in this movie is used to a great effect. Throughout the movie we get to see only a few glimpses of the monster, until the very end when we get to see it in its full glory, and boy is it intimidating. 

1. [REC] and [REC] 2

First REC is my number one found footage movie. I was thinking of putting the second [REC] movie lower on the list, but in the end I decided to go the other way and put it next to first one. It was a way for me to simply highlight more movies. Basically these two movies play well off each either, where the second one basically follows where the first one left of and expands it in some really interesting ways. The first [REC] movie has got to be one of the scariest and most tense movies I've ever seen. And those last 10 minutes of this movie, boy they are great. It is one of my favorite zombie movies.