Image credit: BBC, ICAA, Universal Pictures, Blumhouse Productions, Tommy V Productions, Alcon Entertainment, Points North Films, FFM Productions, Cyfuno Ventures, Twin Engine Films, Cognetti Films, Jeff Rice Films, Code Entertainment, Quickfire Films, Haxan Films, Metrodome Distribution, The Kushner-Locke Company, The Fyzz Facility, Resolute Films and Entertainment
There's a whole world of found footage horrors out there that'll have you checking under your bed for weeks.
These 20 films? They're the real deal, each one upping the ante with chills and thrills that make The Blair Witch Project look like child's play. You've got classics that twisted the genre in ways no one saw coming, and fresh scares that keep you guessing till the last frame.
A groundbreaking live broadcast, intended as a hoax, explores paranormal activities in a London home; what begins as a playful investigation quickly spirals into a terrifying ordeal – genuine supernatural events unfold, gripping and horrifying an unsuspecting audience in real-time.
2. "Creep 2" (2017) Rotten Tomatoes score: 100%
A video artist looking for an intriguing subject meets a man claiming to be a serial killer; throughout a day filled with bizarre and tense interactions – she questions the nature of her work, her safety, and the truth behind her subject's chilling confession.
Discovering tapes of a student's project on a local horror legend, a filmmaker becomes obsessed; his investigation blurs the line between myth and reality – leading to a chilling conclusion that challenges the nature of belief and fear.
4. "The Taking of Deborah Logan" (2014) Rotten Tomatoes score: 91%
Intended as a study on Alzheimer's, a documentary crew begins filming Deborah Logan and her daughter, only to uncover a horrifying possession – this entity links Deborah's past to a sinister local mystery, erasing the line between medical science and supernatural dread.
5. "Creep" (2014) Rotten Tomatoes score: 91%
Answering a Craigslist ad, a videographer finds himself in a remote mountain town for a one-day job; his client, however, is not as he seems – a series of unsettling and increasingly dangerous encounters ensue, blurring the lines between victim and villain.
6. "[REC]" (2007) Rotten Tomatoes score: 90%
A reporter and her cameraman, covering a routine night shift, find themselves trapped in a building quarantined by the CDC; an outbreak of a mysterious virus turns residents into vicious attackers – they record their fight for survival, capturing the horror in real-time.
7. "The Conspiracy" (2012) Rotten Tomatoes score: 88%
Two filmmakers, while documenting the life of a conspiracy theorist, stumble upon a secret society; intrigued and determined, they delve deep into a world of power and secrecy – their goal: to infiltrate the group's highly secretive gathering, unwittingly exposing a dangerous truth.
8. "The Borderlands " (also known as "Final Prayer") (2013) Rotten Tomatoes score: 82%
Vatican investigators sent to authenticate a miracle in a remote English church face disturbing signs of demonic activity; their investigation uncovers a horrifying secret beneath the church – a discovery that tests their faith to the breaking point.
9. "Behind the Mask: The Rise of Leslie Vernon" (2006) Rotten Tomatoes score: 76%
In a reality where serial killers are commonplace, an aspiring killer, Leslie Vernon, invites a documentary crew to film his meticulous spree preparations; he reveals the chilling, yet darkly comedic, behind-the-scenes workings of horror villainy – challenging the crew's and viewers' perceptions of fear and fascination.
10. "Hell House LLC" (2015) Rotten Tomatoes score: 75%
A documentary crew investigates a tragedy at a haunted house attraction where 15 people died; through found footage, they reveal the terrifying truth behind the massacre – a sinister presence that the attraction's creators unwittingly unleashed.
A ghost-hunting reality TV crew locks themselves inside an abandoned psychiatric hospital; what begins as a stunt turns into a nightmare of horrific paranormal activity – their quest for ratings leads them to a sinister truth about the hospital's past.
12. "The Last Broadcast" (1998) Rotten Tomatoes score: 50%
Presented as a documentary, this film investigates the mysterious murders of a public access television team in the Pine Barrens; they were searching for the mythical Jersey Devil when tragedy struck – blending found footage with investigative journalism, the film uncovers the chilling truth behind their fatal expedition.
Researchers trace the path of a whole town that disappeared into the wilderness in the 1940s; as they venture deeper, they encounter strange phenomena – leading to madness and violence, the trail's sinister history comes to light, more horrifying than any legend.
Following the Phoenix Lights incident, three teens venture into the desert to document the mysterious events; they disappear, leaving behind footage – the film pieces together their fate, revealing a terrifying encounter with unknown forces.
15. "The St. Francisville Experiment" (2000) Rotten Tomatoes score: 46%
Four individuals spend the night in a haunted mansion in Louisiana for a paranormal investigation; recording their experiences, they explore the house's chilling history – confronting its terrifying inhabitants and uncovering secrets long buried.
16. "Exists" (2014) Rotten Tomatoes score: 33%
Friends on a trip to a remote cabin encounter a legendary beast; their adventure, captured on film, turns into a desperate fight for survival – as the creature from the shadows hunts them, the reality of the myth becomes a horrifying truth.
17. "The Possession of Michael King" (2014) Rotten Tomatoes score: 32%
Skeptical of the supernatural, Michael King sets out to debunk the paranormal; inviting dark forces into his life, his documentary becomes a chilling record of his descent into darkness – a personal and terrifying confrontation with the demonic.
18. "As Above So Below" (2014) Rotten Tomatoes score: 28%
Venturing into the catacombs below Paris, an archaeologist seeks the alchemical Philosopher's Stone; her team encounters a claustrophobic maze of terror – reflecting their personal hells and darkest fears, challenging their sanity and survival.
Tourists on an extreme tour of Pripyat, the abandoned city near the Chernobyl reactor, discover they are not alone; their exploration turns into a nightmare – faced with the radioactive ghost town's true inhabitants, their survival hangs by a thread.
20. "Behind the Sightings" (2021) Rotten Tomatoes score: 0%
Inspired by the 2016 clown sightings, a horror film follows a young couple documenting the terrifying clown appearances across America; their investigation leads them to a horrifying discovery – the dark truth behind the craze, more sinister than anyone could have imagined.
