The Emergence of Found Footage in Horror Cinema

If there is one horror sub-genre I love but get to rarely watch – it's found footage. Shaky cam, shaky realism, or whatever name you want to call it, found footage is one of the most cost effective films to make in horror, but it can sometimes draw in the biggest crowds, scares, and ultimately make for a damn good watch.

Found footage is unique in its ability to blur the line between reality and fiction and emphasize the idea that if it can happen here, it can happen anywhere. For many, it's also a movie that normalizes the elements of horror, which can be comforting for some and increase the horror and tension for others. Perhaps one of the most fascinating things about the found footage genre is how it evolved into its style, but to examine that, first, we need to look at technique.

What Is Found Footage Horror?

The found footage style of horror is more than someone grabbing a cam and running away from the villain (hence the term "shaky cam), nor is it just a bunch of tripods set up in a dark wood. Found footage as a horror genre style is when the film's narrative is presented to the audience as if it were a recording or a collection of recordings of an actual event, except the event didn't happen (otherwise, that would be a first-person account or documentary).

This style makes found footage different than, say, a mockumentary. The main difference is the approach to filmmaking – found footage, true to its namesake, is supposed to be an after-the-fact narrative, which is why it is so prevalent in horror. We, the audience, must assume that the characters that experienced the event either perished or narrowly escaped the cataclysm. It is unscripted and unedited; therefore, the film exists in its rawest form – even if it doesn't depict an actual event.

Conversely, a mockumentary is designed to look like a "real" documentary, but the "truth" lies in the present. While these can delve into the realm of horror, mockumentaries more commonly use parody or satire to provide comedic elements, which help crack the façade that this is "real" information being presented.

The Found Footage Style

By now, found footage has its own film style, making it easily recognizable. Some of the elements that almost all found footage include are:

Shaky Camera Work

The footage must be presented as "raw" even if the camera is steady the whole time. In fact, in more recent films, such as Late Night with the Devil (2023), the found footage style is effective because it uses the studio cameras where the events occurred.

"Real" People (Unknown Actors)

The audience must believe that this is happening to real people; thus, less-known or completely unknown actors are often used. You may be familiar with the actor or actress in a, I've seen this person before, kind of way, but they should not be easily recognizable.

First-Person Driven

Movies are usually either plot-driven or character-driven, but with found footage, it is almost always character-driven. That is because the narrative relies on this being the story focused on a person (or group of people). This adds to the realism.

"REC" Button

This is often common for VHS-style found footage films, but I would call it any technological proof that the film is in a raw form. For instance, in Unfriended (2014), the film uses elements like a Macbook screencast to show the realism. Instagram or Facebook Reels, text messages, and even Zoom iOS are also common.  

Low Barrier to Produce

Since filmmakers do not have to budget for big-name talent, do not have to use CG (though they certainly can and do), and essentially, the more unedited and rawer the tape, the more realistic, this means the movies are often low-budget. That doesn't mean low quality (though they can be); it is simply easier to produce these films.

Viewer Challenges and Accessibility For Found Footage Films

I mentioned at the beginning of this article that I don't always get to watch found footage. So, I want to take a quick moment to say that found footage is a horror style that is not always accessible to the masses, though because of the nature of the film, it is designed to be. I can get motion sickness and sometimes eye strain with the shaky, often chaotic camera work. For others who watch, the style can sometimes induce seizures.

I've talked about disability in horror before so I want dive too far into this, but my commentary here is more about why I personally don't watch it a lot—for the same reason I can't play first-person shooters (which I would love to). Sometimes, the immersion, as mentioned above, can come at a cost for viewers.

The Beginnings of The Found Footage Horror Subgenre

Now that we understand what found footage is let's explore how it started. No, the genre did not begin with a particular film about a witch (we will go over that in the next section), but a much earlier film called The Connection (1961) is the first to use this style. Directed by Shirley Clarke, the film follows a group of drug users who have agreed to be filmed while waiting for their heroin connection to show up. This ends with a "real" overdose, but the film is not grounded in reality – it's scripted, even if it's not shot to look that way, and based on a Jack Gelber Play by the same name.

The above is not, however, classified as a horror (though it dealt with what would be considered horrific themes and elements of the day). The first found footage-style horror would have to be Cannibal Holocaust(1980). The movie is about an anthropologist and rescuers leading a jungle expedition to save a group of filmmakers who have gone missing. Naturally, this team will be filmed as well. Now, there is some debate about whether Cannibal Holocaust counts because it could fall into the mockumentary style, and it very clearly is a snuff film, which is meant to depict an actual murder.  

In my opinion, Cannibal Holocaust does fit the "rules" I've outlined above for found footage, but I can understand why it's more described as a snuff film. After all, the film is meant to appear that way and includes the confirmed deaths of animals. Additionally, the director, Ruggero Deodato, was even arrested for the film, though later, the actors proved that they were, in fact, alive.

Regardless, it wouldn't be until many years later that found footage would find its footing.  

Found Footage Horror Breakthrough and Success

Perhaps it was because of the violent nature of Cannibal Holocaust or because they saw what happened to Deodato, but found footage wouldn't take off until 199 with the release of The Blair Witch Project. Not only had this style of found footage not been done before, but filmmakers relied heavily on some of the first forms of viral marketing. I remember as a teen pulling IMBD and then being so creeped out when the actors were even listed as "dead" or "missing."

While the plot itself is basic—three filmmakers go into the woods to find the infamous town legend of the "Blair Witch"—she inevitably finds them. However, the film works because it leaves so much to the viewer's imagination, especially with that final shot of Mike, played by Michael C. Williams, standing in the corner (which indicates they are going to die one by one). It is ambiguous but also not, elevating the audience's fear.

The movie had a budget of less than $100k and grossed more than $200 million worldwide. As a result, a slew of films, from Paranormal Activity (2007) and REC (2007) to V/H/S (2012) and the other films in that series, wanted to tackle the genre in new and inventive ways.

The Future of Found Footage & Shaky Realism

What is next for found footage? Well, there will certainly be films that follow the Blair Witch Project style, such as 2023's V/H/S/85. However, I do see filmmakers reinventing the wheel in the found footage genre. Movies like Late Night with the Devil (2023) or the 2121 film The Medium offer originality to the genre. Even Dashcam (2021) sought to use a different medium in the filmmaking style.

Found footage I believe will continue to change with the times – from movies centered on screencasting and screenlife to those that make use of drones, GoPros, or other advancements. We can also see found footage becoming more and more immersive. It is an exciting time for the genre if filmmakers are brave enough to continue pushing the envelope.

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