Found Footage is a genre of film that centers on the premise that what you are watching are recordings gathered by the characters of the film that were found and shared to the public. One of the genre's most popular films is The Blair Witch Project that released in 1999, but the genre was around long before then. The genre had another surge in popularity with the release of Paranormal activity in 2007 and has since then been a regular sub-genre of horror.
The found footage genre is special because often, the goal is to stick as closely as possible to the idea that what you are watching is real. This makes for some really great horror films like the ones on this list, which pull out of this world elements like demons and different dimensions and ground them in film techniques based in realism.
Since 2020, there have been a lot of great found footage films and this list takes a look at what we think are the best of the decade so far.
10. Horror in the High Desert (IMDb 5.4/10)
Horror In The High Desert – Trailer (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CBwUq7C-9H4)
Horror in the High Desert is a 2021 found footage horror movie directed by Dutch Marich. The film is about outdoorsman Gary Hinge, who goes missing in 2017 while exploring a Northern Nevada desert. Horror in the High Desert centers on family interviews in which Gary's family talks about footage recovered at the site of his disappearance.
You know that feeling when a room you're in is so quiet that it starts to creep you out? That's what Horror in the High Desert feels like, except instead of the room, it's a never-ending desert.
Most of the movie is interview heavy, which can sometimes feel painfully slow and admittedly, dull. Yeah, I get it, Gary Hinge is a good guy, his family loves him, and he loves the outdoors- now please show me what a terrible time he had on his final expedition. And he did have a terrible time.
Ultimately, the film does show you Gary Hinges final recorded moments and it is so terrifying that it makes the wait feel worth it. With no music, the viewer is forced to spend those final moments with Gary in an awful silence that gets worse every second you're in it. The silence gets worse and worse until it isn't silent anymore and Gary realizes he is not alone, which doesn't make things better but actually makes them, way, way worse.
9. Horror in the High Desert 2: Minerva (IMDb 5.2/10.0)
Horror in the High Desert 2: Minerva - Official Trailer (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F5DwNoSXUcc)
Horror in the High Desert 2: Minerva is the sequel to the 2021 found footage horror movie of the same name. The film continues the story of the first , and examines cases of death and disappearance that could be linked to the missing hiker Gary Hinge..
The structure of the second Horror in the High Desert is a lot like the structure from the first- a dreadfully slow build that is dependent on its third act to make you feel like the wait was worth it. Like the first Horror in the High Desert, Minerva delivers with its ending sequence. So if you like the first movie, then you'll also like this one.
This time the scare at the end is different and instead of keeping the viewer exclusively in the desert, Minerva moves the terror into an old broken down cabin in the middle of the desert that feels claustrophobic and dangerous even in complete silence. The third act of this movie feels like a 3am trip to the restroom where you feel like something is watching you, except it's 20 minutes long and you don't just feel that way, there actually is something there with you.
8. Paranormal Activity: Next of Kin (IMDb 5.3/10)
Paranormal Activity: Next of Kin | Official Trailer | Paramount+ (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cyrhAScX80k)
Paranormal Activity: Next of Kin is the series’ only release after 2020 and moves away from the original story of the series that followed Katie from the first film. In Next of Kin, filmmaker Margot visits an Amish village with her friends and crew Chris and Dale. Margot’s reason for visiting the commune in the film is to find information about her past and her mother, who was once a member.
Ditching the home CCTV, Next of kin features much more high-quality film equipment that is justified through Margot and her group’s background in film. The switch is important because it brings the series into a new higher budget look that makes for great visuals and a departure from a shaky cam that makes it hard for the viewer to see what they should be afraid of.
And the movie does utilize what it can do with more modern equipment, with some really scary high-def shots of the film's monsters. The only bone I have to pick with this new hi-def direction is some awkward slow-motion shots that feel real out of place.
The movie is one of the better ones in the series though, and with a story that justifies the characters motivations and sometimes dumb decisions, I highly recommend it..
7. The Outwaters (IMDb 4/10)
The Outwaters | Official Trailer (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v6Du7TvNqvY)
The Outwaters is a group of 4 musicians who go into the Mojave Desert to film a music video and end up in a nightmare reality of screaming worms and a lot of blood. The movie had a very limited theater release before releasing digitally a week later on Screambox. The best way to watch this movie is to watch it in a theatre-like setting with no distractions or to watch withheadphones on, because so much of the terror of The Outwaters comes from its sound design.
You know how H.P. Lovecraft used to do that thing where he would write “It was so scary, I can’t even explain it, you can’t fathom what this monster looks like”? Well, The Outwaters is a true Lovecraftian cosmic horror because it does the exact same thing. I know that this can do a lot to turn away a lot of viewers, and actually the first time I watched The Outwaters, I hated it because I’m someone who wants to see what I should be afraid of.
But, after watching it again(with headphones on), I had a completely different experience. There is some really disturbing audio mixing throughout the film thatdoes a lot to feed the imagination and make you uncomfortable even if you can’t see anything. The movie is a total headspin meant to disorient you and not make much sense (because in cosmic horror, there’s so much you can’t and aren’t supposed to comprehend)- so another piece of advice that I have as you go into this movie is to not try to make it make sense.Instead, try to embrace the chaos.
The Outwaters is one of the truest to the genre pieces of cosmic horror that I’ve seen and arguably the best that I’ve seen in the found footage genre. Although, I should warn you, the protagonists are kind of unbearable.
6. Incantation (IMDb 6.2/10)
Incantation | Official Trailer | Netflix (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HnyNZdcL_GY)
Incantation is a Taiwanese horror found footage film released on Netflix in 2022. The film joins other found footage films released in the 2020’s that follow a trend of higher budgets in what used to be a low budget genre. The movie is about a woman named Li Ronan who believes she has been cursed after breaking taboo and recording a sacrificial ceremony with two of her friends.
The story takes place 6 years after the recording but jumps back and forward between present day footage of her and her daughter and footage from 6 years prior when she recorded the ceremony. The setup of the movie is familiar, a group of people directly ignoring what they’re told they shouldn’t be doing and then having to pay the consequence for it. Where it attempts to do something new though, is through a call to action to viewers where you are asked to pray along with the movie’s protagonist whenever you see a particular insignia on the screen.
Through the call for prayers from Ronan, the viewer is almost made a character and participant in the film. Yeah, it’s something that can be looked at as just a gimmick, but it adds an element of experimentation that makes the film feel unique and worth checking out.
5. Deadstream (IMDb:6.4/10)
Deadstream - Official Trailer (2022) Joseph Winter, Melanie Stone, Jason K. Wixom (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lsl4UF-o76Y)
Deadstream is a found footage movie about a problematic and unapologetic (his fake apology video doesn't count) YouTuber named Shawn. The film begins with his announcement that after having his account banned and unbanned, he's back and ready to film his craziest stunt yet. The plan is to spend the night in a place called the "death house" and live stream the entire night to his audience.
The setup isn't groundbreaking- especially for a found footage film; but what sets Deadstream apart is the added element of the livestream. It makes it so that Shawn can interact with people but ultimately, he is still very much on his own. The viewer comments and video submissions range from people trying to help him by breaking down symbols he sees throughout the house to trolls doing their best to get under Shawn's skin.
Viewer comments as well as Shawn's over the top personality make Deadstream as funny as it is scary. Sometimes the movie feels more funny than it is scary so depending how you feel about the comedy/horror genre, you might love it or might not be your favorite on this list.
There is a lot to be scared of though. With a jump scare here and there and different monsters stumbling through the house, there are moments that are tense and will freak you out.
4. Host (IMDB 6.5/10)
Host - Official Trailer [HD] | A Shudder Original (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SNlKbqHqGcY)
One of the few found footage movies to be released during the peak of the Covid-19 pandemic, Host did the most with what was available to it during a time of quarantining and no contact. The film is told entirely through a Zoom session recording and centers around a group of friends that want to perform a séance online. Even though most of the group doesn’t take the séance seriously, the séance suddenly becomes very real and very dangerous.
The film stands out because it manages to make its limitations not feel like limitations at all. Features on Zoom like the recorded background and filters are used to create really cool and creative scares that wouldn’t really work outside of this format.
The cast of characters is slightly obnoxious but besides maybe one of them, they come off as mostly likable. And despite only being 57 minutes long, I feel like I knew the characters and their personalities well by the time the movie ended, which is something that’s hard to do with such a limited runtime.
Years later, Host still stands up as a really great found footage horror movie.
3. The Medium (IMDB 6.5/10)
The Medium - Official Trailer [HD] | A Shudder Exclusive (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wDtJ3M4arIc)
The Medium is a Thai horror film that is part found footage movie and part mockumentary. The film, especially in the first half, does lean more into being a faux documentary than it does found footage. However, as the film progresses it settles into found footage conventions and expands what can be done with the genre.
The Medium does its best to fill its 130-minute runtime, which is definitely on the longer side for a found footage movie. It takes its time to establish the people being documented, which makes the first act feel really long. The slow build could be a problem for some, but the documentary style that’s used means that in that build-up, The Medium has some beautiful shots of the Isan region of Thailand that add so much to the world building of the story.
The slow build of the movie leads into a divisive third act that throws a lot at the viewer from new cameras being introduced to a sudden shift in the story through an unexpected main character change. Though it kind of goes off the rails, there are still a lot of really creepy and disturbing sequences in The Medium that will sit with you after you finish watching it.
2. Hell House LLC Origins: The Carmichael Manor (IMDb 6.2/10)
Hell House LLC Origins: The Carmichael Manor | Official Trailer | Shudder (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q_HLcTY15WY)
Hell House LLC Origins: The Carmichael Manor is the fourth film in the Hell House LLC series. As is hinted at by the title, the movie is a prequel to the other films. Instead of taking place at the Abaddon Hotel like the other films, Origins takes place in the titular Carmichael Manor. Main character Margot goes to the manor to try and get footage of the home's haunting and get information about the Carmichael family mysteries that include disappearances and unsolved murders.
Hell House LLC Origins starts slow, throwing a lot of background information at you before anything really happens. However, the shift to things going wrong happens a lot sooner than in other found footage movies. Only about 20 minutes into the movie, a ball rolls down the hallway (classic spooky shenanigans) and the movie takes off in two directions, both equally as disturbing.
While the story of LLC Origins centers on the experience Margot, her brother and her girlfriend have at the Carmichael Manor, the story is interwoven with footage from the past of the actual Carmichael family. The choice to tell the story this way is really cool because it gets around the limitations of the found footage and brings in a different element to introduce more characters and more terrifying scenes.
1. V/H/S/ 94 (IMDb 5.5/10)
V/H/S/94 - Official Trailer [HD] | A Shudder Original (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=opnSln8Ue2U)
Part of the V/H/S series that is now a staple in the found footage genre, V/H/S/ 94 naturally makes an appearance on this list. Since 2021, there have been three V/H/S/ movies released (94, 99, and 85), but only 94 makes it on this list because of how well-rounded the film is with each of its entries. Even though the other V/H/S/ movies didn’t make the list, I’d still strongly recommend them to fans of the series as there is nothing quite like them in the genre right now.
Not including the story surrounding narrative that is regularly built into V/H/S/ movies, 94 features four different segments: Storm Drain, The Empty Wake, The Subject and Terror. All 4 pieces are as scary as they are ridiculous and even though they’re all really solid segments, the real standouts here are Storm Drain and The Empty Wake.
In Storm Drain, a group of reporters go into some city sewers to investigate rumors of a monster living underground. And in The Empty Wake, a girl is asked to host a wake and film an overnight recording of the casket in the funeral home. Naturally, chaos ensues in both segments, and it makes for an iconic sewer monster and a terrifying game of hide and seek inside a funeral home.
