Found footage is an approach to film making in which all or a substantial part of a fictional film is presented as if it were discovered film or video recordings. The events on screen are typically seen through the camera of one or more of the characters involved, often accompanied by their real-time off-camera commentary. For verisimilitude, the cinematography may be done by the actors themselves as they perform, and shaky camera work and naturalistic acting are routinely employed. The footage may be presented as if it were "raw" and complete, or as if it had been edited into a narrative by those who "found" it.With that being said I'm going to bring you my top 10 favorite found footage films of all-time. Now I will say I'm not a fan of the genre and there aren't a lot of good films in the genre, but I will try my best to put the list together. So without further ado...
10. Project Almanac
This may be a very recent film, but it still did a great job with the story and it used the found footage element to its advantage.A brilliant high school student and his friends uncover blueprints for a mysterious device with limitless potential, inadvertently putting lives in danger. Project Almanac has a rating of 35% on rottentomatoes.com.
9. Paranormal Activity 3
This film may not be as good as its predecessor, but it is a very creepy and frightening film. In 1988, young sisters Katie (played by Chloe Csengery) and Kristi (played by Sprague Grayden) befriend an invisible entity named Toby who resides in their home. Paranormal Activity 3 has a rating of 68% on rottentomatoes.com.
8. Project X
This film is just absolutely hilarious and ridiculous, but it made want to throw a party like this when I was in High School. 3 high school seniors throw a birthday party to make a name for themselves. As the night progresses, things spiral out of control as word of the party spreads. Project X has a rating of 28% on rottentomatoes.com.
7. Cloverfield
This film is just fantastic and it keeps you guessing the entire time and it does a great job of building the suspense to the big reveal at the end. Rob Hawkins (played by Michael Stahl-David) is a young American professional who has recently been offered a coveted new job in Japan. Eager to send his older sibling off in style, Rob's younger brother, Jason (played by Mike Vogel), and his girlfriend, Lily (played by Jessica Lucas), organize a surprise going-away party to take place the night before Rob boards his Eastern-bound flight. As the party gets underway, Rob's longtime friend and current love interest, Beth (played by Odette Yustman), shows up with another man as the dejected guest of honor's best-pal Hud (played by T.J. Miller) encourages partygoer Marlena (played by Lizzy Caplan) to wish him an on-camera farewell despite the fact that they barely know one another. Moments after Beth storms out following a bitter skirmish with Rob, the entire New York City skyline goes dark. Power is quickly restored, prompting partygoers to turn their attention toward the news, where they learn that a freight tanker has been overturned in New York Harbor. Racing to the rooftop in hopes of getting a better look at the situation, the group is terrified to witness a massive explosion that rains debris across midtown Manhattan, causing mass chaos and unparalleled destruction. But the worst is yet to come, because it soon becomes apparent that this is not the work of a terrorist or an act of war, but a massive creature beyond human comprehension. Now, as the military moves in and the streets of New York City become a virtual war zone, Rob, Lily, Marlena, and Hud race to rescue Beth and get out of the city before the powers that be unleash the ultimate weapon of mass destruction on one of the most populated cities on the planet. Cloverfield
6. The Blair Witch Project
This is the film that you could consider that really started the genre and made it huge and successful. Three students went into the Maryland back woods to do a film project on the Blair Witch incidents. These kids were never seen again, and the film you are about to see is from their recovered equipment, found in the woods a year later. The entire movie documents their adventures leading up to their final minutes. The Blair Witch incident, as we initially learn from the local town elders, is an old legend about a group of witches who tortured and killed several children many years ago. Everyone in town knows the story and they're all sketchy on the details. Out in the woods and away from their parked car (and civilization), what starts as a school exercise turns into a nightmare when the three kids lose their map. Forced to spend extra days finding their way out, the kids then start to hear horrific sounds outside their tents in the pitch-black middle of night. They also find strange artifacts from (what can only be) the Blair Witch, still living in the woods. Frightened, they desperately try to find their way out of the woods, with no luck. Slowly these students start to unravel, knowing they have no way of getting out, no food, and it's getting cold. Each night they are confronted with shrieking and sounds so haunting that they are convinced someone is following them, and they quickly begin to fear for their lives. The Blair Witch Project has a rating of 87% on rottentomatoes.com.
5. Cannibal Holocaust
This film is a beautiful social commentary on native tribes that live in our world, but the film caused controversy for it's gruesome and violent scenes, plus the film made everyone think that events depicted were real. An anthropologist heads a rescue party into the South American jungle to find a missing film team making a documentary on cannibal tribes but can only return with their footage, which reveals their crueler intentions. Cannibal Holocaust has a rating of 65% on rottentomatoes.com.
4. Paranormal Activity
This film restarted the genre and it is one of my favorite horror films of the century. A haunted house makes no secret of the fact it's not pleased with its new tenants in this independent tale of supernatural horror. Katie (played by Katie Featherson) and Micah (played by Micah Sloat) are a twentysomething couple who've just moved into a new home in San Diego, CA. Katie has an interest in the paranormal and believes that malevolent spirits have been following her since childhood, though Micah is not so easily convinced. However, after several nights of loud noises and strange happenings, Micah starts to agree with Katie that some sort of ghost may have followed them to the new home. After a paranormal researcher tells the couple he can't help them, Micah decides to take control of the situation and sets up a battery of video cameras so that if a spirit manifests itself, he can capture its behavior on tape. Once the surveillance cameras are in place, Katie and Micah bring in a Ouija board in an effort to talk to the spirits, a move that deeply offends the ghosts. Paranormal Activity has a rating of 83% on rottentomatoes.com.
3. V/H/S
This is a creepy film and it tells it's story in a very interesting and brilliant way. When a group of petty criminals is hired by a mysterious party to retrieve a rare piece of found footage from a rundown house in the middle of nowhere, they soon realize that the job isn't going to be as easy as they thought. In the living room, a lifeless body holds court before a hub of old television sets, surrounded by stacks upon stacks of VHS tapes. As they search for the right one, they are treated to a seemingly endless number of horrifying videos, each stranger than the last. V/H/S has a rating of 55% on rottentomatoes.com.
2. End of Watch
This I know that this isn't a pure found footage film, but it does have elements from the genre to include it in this list and it is such an emotional and intense film. Two young LA police officers discover a secret that makes them the target of the country's most dangerous drug cartel. End of Watch has a rating of 85% on rottentomatoes.com.
1. Chronicle
This is an amazing film and it is a great take on the superehero and sci-fi genre. Three high school students make an incredible discovery, leading to their developing uncanny powers beyond their understanding. As they learn to control their abilities and use them to their advantage, their lives start to spin out of control, and their darker sides begin to take over. Chronicle has a rating of 85% on rottentomatoes.com.
So ladies and gentlemen what are some of your favorite found footage films and what do you think of my list? Let men know in the comments section below and let your voice be heard.
Jonah Sparks
10. Project Almanac
This may be a very recent film, but it still did a great job with the story and it used the found footage element to its advantage.A brilliant high school student and his friends uncover blueprints for a mysterious device with limitless potential, inadvertently putting lives in danger. Project Almanac has a rating of 35% on rottentomatoes.com.
9. Paranormal Activity 3
This film may not be as good as its predecessor, but it is a very creepy and frightening film. In 1988, young sisters Katie (played by Chloe Csengery) and Kristi (played by Sprague Grayden) befriend an invisible entity named Toby who resides in their home. Paranormal Activity 3 has a rating of 68% on rottentomatoes.com.
8. Project X
This film is just absolutely hilarious and ridiculous, but it made want to throw a party like this when I was in High School. 3 high school seniors throw a birthday party to make a name for themselves. As the night progresses, things spiral out of control as word of the party spreads. Project X has a rating of 28% on rottentomatoes.com.
7. Cloverfield
This film is just fantastic and it keeps you guessing the entire time and it does a great job of building the suspense to the big reveal at the end. Rob Hawkins (played by Michael Stahl-David) is a young American professional who has recently been offered a coveted new job in Japan. Eager to send his older sibling off in style, Rob's younger brother, Jason (played by Mike Vogel), and his girlfriend, Lily (played by Jessica Lucas), organize a surprise going-away party to take place the night before Rob boards his Eastern-bound flight. As the party gets underway, Rob's longtime friend and current love interest, Beth (played by Odette Yustman), shows up with another man as the dejected guest of honor's best-pal Hud (played by T.J. Miller) encourages partygoer Marlena (played by Lizzy Caplan) to wish him an on-camera farewell despite the fact that they barely know one another. Moments after Beth storms out following a bitter skirmish with Rob, the entire New York City skyline goes dark. Power is quickly restored, prompting partygoers to turn their attention toward the news, where they learn that a freight tanker has been overturned in New York Harbor. Racing to the rooftop in hopes of getting a better look at the situation, the group is terrified to witness a massive explosion that rains debris across midtown Manhattan, causing mass chaos and unparalleled destruction. But the worst is yet to come, because it soon becomes apparent that this is not the work of a terrorist or an act of war, but a massive creature beyond human comprehension. Now, as the military moves in and the streets of New York City become a virtual war zone, Rob, Lily, Marlena, and Hud race to rescue Beth and get out of the city before the powers that be unleash the ultimate weapon of mass destruction on one of the most populated cities on the planet. Cloverfield
6. The Blair Witch Project
This is the film that you could consider that really started the genre and made it huge and successful. Three students went into the Maryland back woods to do a film project on the Blair Witch incidents. These kids were never seen again, and the film you are about to see is from their recovered equipment, found in the woods a year later. The entire movie documents their adventures leading up to their final minutes. The Blair Witch incident, as we initially learn from the local town elders, is an old legend about a group of witches who tortured and killed several children many years ago. Everyone in town knows the story and they're all sketchy on the details. Out in the woods and away from their parked car (and civilization), what starts as a school exercise turns into a nightmare when the three kids lose their map. Forced to spend extra days finding their way out, the kids then start to hear horrific sounds outside their tents in the pitch-black middle of night. They also find strange artifacts from (what can only be) the Blair Witch, still living in the woods. Frightened, they desperately try to find their way out of the woods, with no luck. Slowly these students start to unravel, knowing they have no way of getting out, no food, and it's getting cold. Each night they are confronted with shrieking and sounds so haunting that they are convinced someone is following them, and they quickly begin to fear for their lives. The Blair Witch Project has a rating of 87% on rottentomatoes.com.
5. Cannibal Holocaust
This film is a beautiful social commentary on native tribes that live in our world, but the film caused controversy for it's gruesome and violent scenes, plus the film made everyone think that events depicted were real. An anthropologist heads a rescue party into the South American jungle to find a missing film team making a documentary on cannibal tribes but can only return with their footage, which reveals their crueler intentions. Cannibal Holocaust has a rating of 65% on rottentomatoes.com.
4. Paranormal Activity
This film restarted the genre and it is one of my favorite horror films of the century. A haunted house makes no secret of the fact it's not pleased with its new tenants in this independent tale of supernatural horror. Katie (played by Katie Featherson) and Micah (played by Micah Sloat) are a twentysomething couple who've just moved into a new home in San Diego, CA. Katie has an interest in the paranormal and believes that malevolent spirits have been following her since childhood, though Micah is not so easily convinced. However, after several nights of loud noises and strange happenings, Micah starts to agree with Katie that some sort of ghost may have followed them to the new home. After a paranormal researcher tells the couple he can't help them, Micah decides to take control of the situation and sets up a battery of video cameras so that if a spirit manifests itself, he can capture its behavior on tape. Once the surveillance cameras are in place, Katie and Micah bring in a Ouija board in an effort to talk to the spirits, a move that deeply offends the ghosts. Paranormal Activity has a rating of 83% on rottentomatoes.com.
3. V/H/S
This is a creepy film and it tells it's story in a very interesting and brilliant way. When a group of petty criminals is hired by a mysterious party to retrieve a rare piece of found footage from a rundown house in the middle of nowhere, they soon realize that the job isn't going to be as easy as they thought. In the living room, a lifeless body holds court before a hub of old television sets, surrounded by stacks upon stacks of VHS tapes. As they search for the right one, they are treated to a seemingly endless number of horrifying videos, each stranger than the last. V/H/S has a rating of 55% on rottentomatoes.com.
2. End of Watch
This I know that this isn't a pure found footage film, but it does have elements from the genre to include it in this list and it is such an emotional and intense film. Two young LA police officers discover a secret that makes them the target of the country's most dangerous drug cartel. End of Watch has a rating of 85% on rottentomatoes.com.
1. Chronicle
This is an amazing film and it is a great take on the superehero and sci-fi genre. Three high school students make an incredible discovery, leading to their developing uncanny powers beyond their understanding. As they learn to control their abilities and use them to their advantage, their lives start to spin out of control, and their darker sides begin to take over. Chronicle has a rating of 85% on rottentomatoes.com.
So ladies and gentlemen what are some of your favorite found footage films and what do you think of my list? Let men know in the comments section below and let your voice be heard.
Jonah Sparks
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