13 Days of Found Footage Horror Movies: Halloween Countdown

 Halloween is my favourite time of the year! As a spooky kinda gal it is the one time of year no one questions the horror movie inspired dresses I wear, or tells me 'Halloween was last month!', and buying home decor is never easier. One of my favourite things in life is also horror movies, so when it was requested by As the Pokéball Turns that I write a 13 Days of Horror Movies: Halloween Countdown, I had to oblige! This is part two (check out part one here), and is all about my favourite found footage films! I could easily have mentioned so many other films here, so a quick honourable mention for The Taking of Deborah Logan, Late Night with the Devil, Spree, Cloverfield, Hangman, Savageland, Lake Mungo and the V/H/S franchise.

13. Behind the Mask: The Rise of Leslie Vernon (2006)

Behind the Mask: The Rise of Leslie Vernon is a mockumentary (which falls under the found footage category) that follows wannabe notorious serial killer Leslie Vernon and his attempts to become infamous. It is something really different in the FF genre, and something different is hard to do in the world of horror.

12. The Blair Witch Project (1999)

You can't talk about found footage with talking about The Blair Witch Project. I love The Blair Witch Project so much that I have a twanas tattooed on my leg. Rewatching this never gets old! Found footage for me is all about the unseen, and TBWP nails it. Don't bother with the sequel Book of Shadows, but do give Blair Witch (2016) watch, it isn't as bad as people say!

11. Frogman (2023)

I did not expect to love Frogman as much as I did, but that promo image (above) had me intrigued, and I can't resist an FF based on IRL folklore and local legend. Frogman is a cryptid from Loveland, Ohio, and is described as a humanoid but frog like creature that is 4ft tall. How could you not want to know more about Frogman? This film follows Dallas Kyle, who is convinced he was Frogman when he was 12, but no one believed him. He wants to prove he didn't make it up, so sets out with his friends to find the real deal.

10. Horror in the High Desert (2021)

With FF you have to pay attention, and if you pay attention, you can spot SO much going on in Horror in the High Desert that you might not otherwise have noticed. You then immediately need to watch Horror in the High Desert 2: Minerva which is even better than the first. I've not had chance to watch Horror in the High Desert 3: Firewatch yet, but I will be doing asap! Part 4 has also just been confirmed, and it is a thrill to see an FF series thriving.

9. Cold Ground (2017)

Cold Ground in a mixture of French and English, and follows a team of scientists who are set to travel out to a research camp in the French-Swiss Alps that has stopped responding. The eerie snowy mountain setting is unusual for horror and works brilliantly, truly making the most of the helpless feelings you have as watch. This film is my go-to recommendation when people ask for an FF film they haven't seen.

8. The Borderlands (2013)

The Borderlands (also know as Final Prayer in some countries), is a British FF following Vatican investigators who have been sent to a church to study paranormal activity. This is quite a slow burn at times, and the ending is quite controversial, with some people loving it, some not getting it, and others hating it. I love it!

7. As Above So Below (2014)

One of the all time great found footage movies, and one of the rarer higher budget entries to the genre. The Paris Catacombs is the setting, and what a setting it is! Ben Feldman is one of the leads in this, he also pops up in Cloverfield, so I suspect that while he may have made his name in the sitcom Superstore, he is actually an FF fan. If you enjoy FF and you haven't seen this one, get it watched.

6. The Tunnel (2011)

The Tunnel is the debut feature film from Aussie director Carlo Ledesma, and follows a journalist and her crew as they explore the abandoned railway tunnels under Sydney. After a government project to recycle water in the tunnels is cast aside with no reason given, and rumours of homeless people vanishing from the tunnels, the team are sent in to make a documentary about this creepy underground location. The darkness truly envelopes you whilst watching this, and the claustrophobic setting is an FF dream. Another absolute must for FF fans.

5. Willow Creek (2013)

Camping in the woods is a classic found footage concept, and Willow Creek may be short, but it works. A couple decide to hunt for Bigfoot, another popular cryptid of the found footage genre. This film is famous for a 20 minute long shot inside a tent that is considered one of the most controversial in FF. People either love it or hate, and I personally think it is one of the most effective scenes in an FF movie.

4. Hell House LLC (2015)

The Hell House franchise has firmly established itself as one of THE top found footage franchises, and for good reason. We are 4 films deep with more on the way, and while some entries to the franchise are weaker than others, the original movie is the one for me. Endlessly creepy, plenty of jump scares, and very well done. Following a group who set up a haunted house for Halloween that goes horribly wrong, there is a reason this film is always mentioned when found footage is discussed.

3. Alien Abduction: Incident in Lake County (1998)

Alien Abduction: Incident in Lake County is actually a remake of The MacPherson Tapes from 1989, by the same director, Dean Alioto. That's right, this came out long before The Blair Witch Project which is widely considered the birth of the genre. This movie for me, of all the FF I have ever watched, feels the most like real found footage. In fact, for a long time many people thought this might be the real deal thanks to how limited the original MacPherson Tapes were, after a fire destroyed the master tapes. The family and their interactions feel so believable, that it is easy to suspend your disbelief that this is the real deal. 

2. Butterfly Kisses (2018)

I'm not someone who typically has bad dreams after watching a horror film. In fact, I generally only ever have the exact same nightmare that has been recurring since my childhood. But Butterfly Kisses can now claim victory as the one and only horror movie that has even given me a nightmare. Butterfly Kisses is another FF that follows the tale of a cryptid, the Blink Man, or Peeping Tom, when a group decide to make a documentary about their local legend. It is written and directed by Erik Kristopher Myers who sadly passed away in 2021. This movie is his legacy, and what a legacy we have to remember him.

1. Creep (2014)

Patrick Brice and Mark Duplass make one hell of a team for Creep. At only 82 minutes, they create a concept and a villain that are so well rounded that you can't not love this film. The sequel Creep 2 is also excellent, and we've recently had a mini series, The Creep Tapes, confirmed too. In Creep, Brice plays a videographer who is hired by Duplass, who claims to be dying, and wants to leave footage of himself behind for this loved ones. What follows is a wild ride, and truly one of the best found footage films.

13 Days of Horror Movies: Halloween Countdown

 Halloween is my favourite time of the year! As a spooky kinda gal it is the one time of year no one questions the horror movie inspired dresses I wear, or tells me 'Halloween was last month!', and buying home decor is never easier. One of my favourite things in life is also horror movies, so when it was requested by As the Pokéball Turns that I write a 13 Days of Horror Movies: Halloween Countdown, I had to oblige! I'm actually going to write two of these, one that is a mixture of movies, and one that is purely found footage, my favourite horror genre. Without further ado, let's get right into it:

13. The Descent (2005)

IMO The Descent is one of the most underappreciated horror films around! And I can't help but wonder if that is because it is focused around a group of women. It has so much tension, and the setting is truly horrifying. What isn't to love? I got in trouble for making my Mum watch this when I was a teenager when she asked to watch 'that horror about caves'. She meant The Cave, which is a 12, and I knew she did, but I'm a meanie so I put The Descent on and scared the crap out of her. Sorry Mum!

12. Shaun of the Dead (2004)

Shaun of the Dead, the rom-com-zom. A romantic comedy, with zombies! I'm not one for a rom-com, but I am a huge Shaun of the Dead fan. I tried to go to the cinema to see this back in 2004 when it was released and I was 16, and I got turned away for being too young and having no ID. It's a 15, I just had a baby face. Finally got to see it in the cinema two weeks ago to celebrate the 20th anniversary. Some of the language doesn't hold up, but it's still a must watch.

11. Terrifier (2016)

With Terrifier 3 hot in the cinema right now, it's the perfect time to check out the original movie in the francise (ideally immediately followed by Terrifier 2!). Terrifier is very gory, so if gore isn't for you, maybe skip this one. I will say as someone who isn't a fan of the later Saw series and the Hostel movies because of the realistic gore, Terrifier is very 80s campy gore. My husband isn't really a horror guy, but he loves this franchise and Art the Clown!

10. In A Violent Nature (2024)

Speaking of something different, my day 10 is probably my most controversial choice, this years In A Violent Nature. A slasher that follows the killer, instead of the victims. Beautiful cinematography, a unique perspective, and weirdly some proper laugh out loud moments. Or at least, me and my bestie laughed in the cinema when we saw it, plenty of other people literally walked out the cinema frustrated by the walking shots the movie is famous for. Whether you like this or not, I have no idea, but I do think it is a must see for any horror fan.

9. Day of the Dead (1985)

During February the cinema I go to had a zombie themed month, showing classic zombie movies every Monday. One of those was Day of the Dead, and I was shocked to realise I hadn't seen it! It does what every good zombie movie should do, make you question who the real bad guys are, the zombies following their instincts, or the humans left behind? A classic for good reason!

8. Halloween (1978)

That's right, I'm going to list Halloween, but not for Halloween itself, I'm saving my favourite for the top spot! Halloween is a masterpiece in how to pace a slasher, how to build tension, and how to create an iconic horror antagonist.

7. Wrong Turn (2003)

A favourite of my teenage years, I had to watch this as a Buffy the Vampire Slayer fan, because of Eliza Dushku. I've been nervous of hillbilly cannibals and houses in the middle of nowhere with loads of abandoned cars ever since. Not a fan of the remake in 2021, I think it is too different to call itself a reimagining really. But the original? So good.

6. Ready or Not (2019)

This is the film that proves that Samara Weaving needs to be one of the future iconic final girls of the horror genre. Her scream is unreal! I feel like this film flew under the radar and so many horror fans I know I haven't seen it, and it deserves better. The rumour is that Ready or Not 2 is in the works with Samara returning and if true, I cannot wait!

5. Talk to Me (2022)

My best friend Fal and I like to go to what Odeon calls 'Scream Unseen' showings, airing horror movies just before they come out that typically have been shown at film festivals or aren't from major production companies. In A Violent Nature is a film we saw through these, and Talk to Me is another. It's the first film from Aussie twins Danny Philippou and Michael Philippou and what a debut film it is! Creepy, haunting, eerie, and leaving you wanting more. All the actors did an incredible job, with particular mention to Sophie Wilde the lead who absolutely smashes it. Talk 2 Me (a sequel) has been confirmed, and I cannot wait!

4. Totally Killer (2023)

One of the more modern entries, this film knows exactly what it is, and is really fun whilst doing it. A time travelling slasher that goes back to the 80s and is fairly ridiculous! It's an easy watch, and it is fun, just what I want in a horror sometimes.

3. Dog Soldiers (2002)

Brit horror at it's finest, part action, part horror, part comedy! This werewolf movie never seems to get mentioned when people talk about horror, and I don't know why! Sean Pertwee nails it as one of the army squad who are trying to meet up with a Special Ops unit that has not fared well under the light of the full moon.

2. Cube (1997)

Of all the horror I didn't get to see in the cinema, this is the one I wish I had seen on the big screen the most. There is one particular scene that is so anxiety inducing, and so stressful, I can't imagine how it must have felt in the cinema. This is my absolute top under appreciated horror movie. It so rarely gets mentioned when people talk horror at all, and it is a truly stunning movie in terms of the cinematography to boot. Forever a favourite! I had this on VHS from my Aunty and Uncle, and it was one of the first DVDs I bought when I switched to DVDs. It's also one of the few I still have today!

1. Scream (1996)

And of course, I have to end with my all time favourite horror movie, Scream. From the opening kill, to Randy's Rules, this movie never gets old. I've watched it more times than I can count, and will keep watching it over and over. I have a Ghostface tattoo too. This is the franchise that really gave me my love of horror after I watched it as a teenager whilst babysitting and it really got to me. It has to be my pick to watch on Halloween itself!