Uncovering Your Appreciation for “Found Footage” Films
- Marifeliz
Found footage movies are not for everyone. The term describes a subgenre of horror that is filmed as if the main characters have discovered video of the rest of the story. Sometimes, the characters are even filmmakers themselves, which brings in a cool meta element for us movie lovers. The footage is presented in a raw way, without all of the glam and glitz of modern movies, and by doing this filmmakers make the movie feel grittier and more realistic. And a realistic horror movie is pretty much the scariest type of horror movie out there!
There tends to be no middle ground for found footage movies; people either love them or hate them. But I’m a total sucker for them! Even though I know it’s a movie, I completely buy into the illusion and feel as if what I’m watching could be real.
Cannibal Holocaust requires a massive trigger warning for several reasons, but this controversial and groundbreaking film was ahead of its time and has gained admirers all around the world.
Even as a horror fan, I wasn’t familiar with Found Footage until I started hearing other horror fans discuss the genre, the Italian director Ruggero Deodato in particular. His found footage film Cannibal Holocaust (1980) was so believable at the time that a rumor began to spread of the crew being brought up on criminal charges!
In truth, some crew members were actually charged with violating decency laws regarding the treatment of animals in the film, which also led to the film being banned in most major film markets, but not until after the film had gained notoriety and a cult following, drawing admiration from the likes of Sergio Leone, who wrote Deodato a letter saying: “Dear Ruggero, what a movie! The second part is a masterpiece of cinematographic realism, but everything seems so real that I think you will get in trouble with all the world”.
And Leone would be right, as the film was censored in most countries after an impressive 10-day run in cinemas. It would take Deodato three years of court battles to get the film unbanned and back into circulation, where it found even greater cult success.
Sergio Leone’s letter to Deodato: “Dear Ruggero, what a movie! The second part is a masterpiece of cinematographic realism, but everything seems so real that I think you will get in trouble with all the world.”
It was a truly transgressive movie that challenged the film industry’s boundaries to become one of the most innovative and horrifying movies ever made. As a result, it’s still considered taboo in some countries, and is not to be watched without a trigger warning. For example, from then on, Deodato was regarded as “Monsieur Cannibal” in France because of his brutal works.
After watching more of his films, I most definitely slept with one eye open for a while…but it also opened my eyes to why this filmmaking technique is so well respected.
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Barbie who? The Blair Witch Project might still be the best movie marketing campaign of all time.
As the genre became more prominent, found footage movies entered the mainstream to great success. Many of us probably remember the pandemonium caused by the The Blair Witch Project’s (1999) viral marketing campaign, and to this day it might stand as the most popular found footage film ever made. Though it would have competition from other gems like Cloverfield, Megan Is Missing (2011), As Above, So Below (2014), and The Atticus Institute (2015). They’re the best and popular in their category for a reason, so that’s where I’d recommend getting started if you’re looking to experience a real thrill. But don’t blame me if you have trouble sleeping! You may want to ReSee these ones with a night light on.
