By Eric Myford
Found footage horror movies. There are a ton of them these days and frankly people seem to either love them or hate them. Personally, I rather enjoy a good found footage movie. But that's the problem because so many are very, very bad. And yet here I am, watching every one I can get my hands on. So I figure I can do a public service and make a quick list of some obscure ones that I found particularly great. Of course this is all subject to personal opinion, but maybe you will find something here you love. So without further ado I present ten great found footage horror movies you may have never seen.
10 Great Found Footage Movies
You May Have Never Seen
Atroz (Atrocious) (2015) Lex Ortega
Following a fatal car accident, camcorder footage is located in the car, revealing depraved killers who like to film their horrible crimes. This Mexican horror movie is intense to say the least. Far more than your typical “torture porn”, this is a rather intense movie loaded to the gills with gore and depravity. As a bonus, the physical media release also contains the short film that inspired the feature length, which is great, but this brutal film is on a whole other level.
Long Pigs (2007) Nathan Hynes, Chris Power
Two desperate documentarians have found the perfect subject when a cannibalistic serial killer allows them to film his murders. Oh Canada, you have released one hell of a movie here. This is such an engaging film because the realism is very high, coveted among found footage fans. This legitimately feels like it could be an actual serial killer working and the gore and FX work is off the charts awesome. Definitely the kind of film that sticks with you.
Noroi: The Curse (2005) Koji Shiraishi
A documentary filmmaker looks into the seemingly unrelated paranormal phenomena that leads toward proof of the existence of a demon. Japan is no slouch when it comes to found footage horror and Shiraishi has made some great ones, but I think this is his best. The creep factor here is huge and if you're a fan of Japanese cinema you know that they tend to favor the slow burn scare and building suspense, which works amazingly well here.
Alone With Her (2006) Eric Nicholas
An obsessed man breaks into a woman's apartment and places hidden cameras everywhere so he can learn about her and worm his way into her life. Holy hell that is some creepy stuff and just so plausible too. The movie is backed by great, very natural performances and a unique filming / editing technique which really makes the story stand out. Also, it features one of the most haunting endings of any horror movie I have seen, so check it out.
Hate Crime (2012) James Cullen Bressack
A Jewish family is celebrating their son's birthday when a group of Neo-Nazis break into their house and film the atrocities they commit against the family. This could have easily been one of those “Oh, look how edgy I am” kind of movies, but this is a rather intense film. The chain of events that occur here are absolutely depraved and sure to keep even the most die hard disturbing movie lover glued to the screen. Definitely not for the easily troubled or offended.
Bad Ben (2016) Nigel Bach
A man gets a sweet deal on a great home only to realize there is a sinister presence that wants him out, by any means necessary. On the outside this may look like microbudget dreck we have seen hundreds of times before, but this is just fantastic stuff. Mainly due to the lead who plays such an atypical horror movie victim that it really stands out and blends humor and horror to perfection. This is a full on franchise now but the first is just extra special.
The Midnight Swim (2014) Sarah Adina Smith
A lake is unusually deep, and no one knows exactly how deep, but when a deep diver tries to find out and disappears, her three daughters finds themselves lost in the mystery. This is such an incredible film, total arthouse horror in a found footage package, making it stand out so much. But there is one thing that really makes it a truly unique movie and that's the beautiful cinematography mixed in with the dark material. Which you would never expect in found footage.
Random Acts of Violence (2012) Ashley Cahill
A man is tired of how gentrified the city has become so he starts a murder spree to lower property values, and when no ones pays attention, he decides to film his crimes. This is one of those movies where I expected nothing and got everything. Damn this is such a great flick. It's very low budget but don't let that sway you because everything about the movie is top notch. And the violence, absolutely incredible levels of violence.
Apocalypse Cult (2014) Glenn Triggs
A news crew is investigating a strange religious group that lives in the forest which turns out to be a doomsday cult living their final days, and ready to take anyone with them. Sure, there are a lot of found footage movies revolving around cults but I've always thought this one was something special. It's folk horror at its core but just so weird that it stands out and the found footage aspect really works well to bring it all home.
Be My Cat: A Film for Anne (2015) Adrian Tofei
A man obsessed with Anne Hathaway goes to extreme measures to try and convince her to star in his new movie. This is another one of those movies that looked like it might be hokey garbage, but that never scared me off before and wow, was I rewarded. This Romanian film is nothing short of exceptional, incredibly brutal and has a sick sense of humor that really ties every blood soaked scene together. And I still wonder if Anne Hathaway has ever seen this film.
So that's a quick list to get you started and as always, I will be back with more. Hope you find something to like here, in addition to something you may have never heard of. Until next time boils and ghouls!
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