The 10 Most Frightening Found-Footage Films Ever Made

Found footage flicks all generally follow the same formula: shaky camera work and no-name actors to add to the illusion that this is real life, even though we’re well aware these stories are very much scripted. The following ten films however, made their own unique mark on the horror subgenre and in turn, scared the daylights out of us. These are the most frightening found footage flicks that cover topics from ghosts and cults to exorcisms and physics. 

Cannibal Holocaust (1980)
This relatively forgotten Italian horror classic actually started the found-footage subgenre back in 1980, when slashers were far more fashionable. Documentarians film a remote tribe deep in the Amazon, but end up getting attacked, sacrificed, and, yep, eaten. At the time, it was considered one of the most controversial films ever made because of snuff allegations and animal cruelty. [Where to stream Cannibal Holocaust]

The Blair Witch Project (1999)
Filmmakers Daniel Myrick and Eduardo Sánchez started a phenomenon when they cast no-name actors, gave them a couple cameras, sent them into the backwoods of Maryland, and tricked everyone on the Internet. Watching The Blair Witch Project 15 years later makes you shake your head a bit because nothing happens, but in that place and time, when you were in that theater waiting for something to happen, the tension became a character all its own. The Blair Witch Project was exactly what horror needed after Scream. [Where to stream The Blair Witch Project]

Grave Encounters (2011)
A group of ghost hunters lock themselves overnight in an asylum with a harrowing past for a new reality series. The reality show never came to be, however, because the host and his entire crew died. Grave Encounters is essential because it’s not only a perfect parody of overly dramatized paranormal reality series, but it’s so tensely filmed, it gives you all the spooks you want from a found footage flick. [Where to stream Grave Encounters]

Paranormal Activity (2007)
Director Oren Peli revived found footage for the mainstream almost a decade after The Blair Witch Project. Katie Featherston and Micah Sloat experience an unwelcome presence in their home, made worse by Micah’s filming, which only aggravates the evil entity. Though the film spawned a bunch of annoying sequels and prequels, the original is legendary. [Where to stream Paranormal Activity]

The Poughkeepsie Tapes (2007)
A serial killer’s extensive collection of torture and snuff films is recovered by investigators in Upstate New York. With no apparent pattern other than brutality, the Poughkeepsie killer murdered hundreds of men, women, and children and filmed every single crime. Said to be based on real-life serial killer Kendall Francois, the shelved mockumentary is only available on YouTube. [Stream The Poughkeepsie Tapes]

V/H/S (2012)
This collaborative mumblegore found-footage hodge podge features horror segments from Ti West, Joe Swanberg, and more. Each VHS tape contains a different tale of terror more chilling than the last. Our very own Mark Graham took the liberty of ranking the scariest segments from V/H/S and V/H/S 2. [Where to stream V/H/S]

Cloverfield (2008)
Drew Goddard (The Cabin in the Woods) is going to be that screenwriter who’s a tad under-appreciated now, but in 20 years or so we’re going to look back and be like, “Whoa, that dude was cray.” You heard it here first. The glossiest found-footage flick on this list, Cloverfield follows a group of friends living in NYC who document a monster attack on the city in real time. [Where to stream Cloverfield]

Devil’s Pass (2014)
The title might seem a tad hokey but this found footage gem is like if The Blair Witch Project were set in the mountains of Russia and there was time-travel involved. What makes this high-concept horror flick so cool? It’s inspired by the U.S. Navy’s Philadelphia Experiment and unified field theory, which suggests that at higher points on the planet, electromagnetic fields and gravity can converge in an area to make whatever passes through that area completely invisible. [Where to stream Devil’s Pass]

The Sacrament (2013)
Ti West‘s mockumentary, based on the Jonestown Massacre, is so terrifying because it’s all too real. Three journalists — Patrick, Sam, and Jake — investigate a religious cult recently joined by Patrick’s sister Caroline, a recovering addict. At first, their documentary is going well, until the leader of the cult decides he no longer wants a film crew on his private grounds and takes matters into his own hands. [Where to stream The Sacrament]

The Last Exorcism (2010)
Ashley Bell stars as Nell, a possessed gal in distress when Father Cotton Marcus (Patrick Fabian) is hired by her father to take on her exorcism, which ends up being his last. Instead of sticking with a traditional ad campaign, the film’s marketing teen used Chatroulette to spread the word. A girl would start undressing in front of the camera and suddenly turn into a demon before cutting to black. Talk about a boner killer. [Where to stream The Last Exorcism]
 
Like what you see? Follow Decider on Facebook and Twitter to join the conversation, and sign up for our email newsletters to be the first to know about streaming movies and TV news!
Photos: Everett Collection