A.V. Opinions: I love found footage movies

It wasn’t until last year, when the latest V/HS anthology dropped, that I realized just how deeply I love found footage movies. I mean, I’d always enjoyed them, but this time it was like the floodgates opened. Suddenly, I was down a rabbit hole of films I didn’t even know existed, and I’ve been binging ever since.

Add to that the fact that this year marks the 25th anniversary of The Blair Witch Project, and it’s been the perfect excuse to rewatch the granddaddy of them all. Revisiting Blair Witch along with a Bigfoot marathon that included some found footage movies, has really hammered home just how much this genre speaks to me. I think I’ve devoured about 20 found footage movies this year, and frankly, I don’t see the momentum slowing anytime soon.

What I love most about the genre is how it encourages creativity on a shoestring budget. It's the ultimate DIY genre, and a love letter to indie filmmaking. You don’t need millions of dollars or high-end special effects to tell a terrifying story. You just need a camera, a bit of atmosphere, and a strong idea. With limited resources, filmmakers are forced to focus on the story and execution, It’s impressive how much tension and terror can be built from such minimalistic filmmaking, and I think that’s what draws me in.

The possibilities for future found footage films are endless. I’m already getting hyped thinking about the next wave of haunted asylums, Bigfoot sightings, alien encounters, exorcisms etc. The genre thrives on the unexplained, the eerie, and the mysterious. And even though so many of the movies are from the horror subgenre, there's something about the way they unravel their stories that fascinates me. They tap into our fears in a raw, unpredictable way. The overall aesthetic taps into something visceral for me. It’s intimate. It feels personal. I didn’t realize I loved found footage this much until I went down that rabbit hole, and now I’m honestly addicted to the genre. When done right, you almost forget you’re watching a movie. You’re just in it.

If you haven’t taken a dive into the world of found footage, I highly recommend it. There’s a whole bunch of movies to discover. There’s always something new and terrifying waiting to be found.

-Brad McBoom