I know even though they make truck loads of money, some people dislike the horror found footage genre. I personally think they're great in that they are films that amateurs produce with little to no budget, and still make an effective film.  Also I think seeing through the camera's lens can much more frightening than the usual setup, since it's more of seeing through the eyes of the character.

What are your thoughts on the genre?

Hello Ectoplasm

To me, it's like, "Alright, Paranormal Activity and Blair Witch were successful so if we copy their style our movie will be just as awesome!!!"

I think if indie film makers think that's the case, it's not. Paranormal and Blair Witch succeeded only because they could deliver scares. You wouldn't say they were good movies but they did what they were supposed to do. When film makers try and copy this genre, they are usually disasters.

On youtube, most of the horror indie trailers I have seen are the found footage ones (they sucked btw). The truth being, if somebody thinks shaky cam is the way to go for a good movie, it isn't. If your directing sucked beforehand, chances are it will suck now. Sorry if it sounds harsh but IMO it's true. I'm not saying I could make a better movie but running around like a tool with a camera doesn't make it better either.

District 9 uses this technique heavily and that's one of those few moments in film where it actually works. Cloverfield and Rec used it but I haven't seen neither, despite the fact I have them both

I guess that's it for me.

Rant over!

Mohammad

I see what you're saying in that a lot of people think they could do it just because they saw those movies, and then it turns out like crap. I like District 9 and Cloverfield is an awesome example of a good found footage film. I have yet to see Rec but I hear it's great and Quarantine was pretty good.

I like them, even have an idea for one myself that will hopefully come to fruition at some point.

Like any other genre, it's about how well they are done.

Rec 1 and 2 were brilliant films imo...fast paced, tense with good action.

District 9 was only a hair's breadth short of an all time classic.

A particuar favourite of mine is a Japenese film called Noroi: The Curse...which is surprisingly complicated for one of these types of films.

Funnily enough my least favourite flms are the two best known and most successful...Blair Witch and Paranormal Activity.

Blair Witch remains one of the worst films I've ever seen...I found myself laughing out loud at it in the cinema...particularly when she started snotting on the screen, and then more just thinking how they managed to get away with passing this off as something new. I remain amazed not just how successful it's been..but that others seem to find it genuinely scary.

All they do is walk round a woods. Nothing of any interest or tension happens and I found the acting and character reactions absurd and unbelievable (like throwing the map away)...but at least the ending was good.

Paranormal Activity was a little better. Again, nothng happens...people just talk a lot...but it was a little more interesting...the ending I saw when she threw the man across the screen had me in hysterics again. Couldn't stop laughing for about an hour...and I still laugh when I think about it now.

Two of the best comedies I've ever seen, but I don't think that was quite the point.

Quoted from Scar Tissue Films A particuar favourite of mine is a Japenese film called Noroi: The Curse...which is surprisingly complicated for one of these types of films.

Damn, scar! You've seen every movie and now you've made me add this one to the list. I will try and find it somewhere, Japanese cinema is one of the best in the world. From their movies to their anime.

Quoted from nawazm11 Damn, scar! You've seen every movie and now you've made me add this one to the list. I will try and find it somewhere, Japanese cinema is one of the best in the world. From their movies to their anime.

It's not perfect. It's even a bit cheap at times, but it really worked for me.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0930083/

I found a website listing the best 50 Asian Horrors and started working my through them...might be worth a google, there were some good ones on there I'd never heard of.

I'll be sure to check that film out Scar, I'm interested in seeing some Japanese horror since a lot of our horror movies are remakes from there (crappy ones at that).  

Also, very tough to find, is a movie called The Poughkeepsie Tapes.  One of the best in the subgenre.

Quoted from Scar Tissue Films A particuar favourite of mine is a Japenese film called Noroi: The Curse...which is surprisingly complicated for one of these types of films.

Haven't seen this one, Rick.
Thanks for the tip.
It's in my queue now.

Cheers,
E.D.

I watched Megan is Missing not long ago. wasn't too bad.

I also think it's interesting that the found footage style is finding it's way to the superhero genre with Chronicle.  The idea of using the camera to ground the fantastic in some sort of reality may work there.

I've said it before and I'll say it again:  I liked The Blair Witch Project.  I thought the story and the characters were realistic.  I wish that, when I saw it, I was one of the people who thought it was real.


Phil

You know, I've never seen the Blair Witch. BUT, before the film came out, I came home from work one night and turned on the late night tv shows. I ended up on the sci fi channel, and there was a one hour program that was presented as a documentary about the coming Blair Witch. It was very effective. I can really see why a lot of people were fooled and went into that film thinking it was real. I think I remember reading a lot of people were mad at the sci fi channel for that, but it was brilliant marketing.

Quoted from BoinTN I also think it's interesting that the found footage style is finding it's way to the superhero genre with Chronicle.

Thanks for mentioning that, Boin. I think everybody must've seen that ad on youtube by now But you're very right. I'd like to see where they take that.

Paranormal Activity was rubbish! The title should have been Ordinary Activity because nothing happened!

REC 1 and 2 was good though, might have to check some of the ones mentioned above out.

Steve

[REC] 1 is one of my favoite horror flicks for the sheer intensity of the conclusion.  Looking forward to Genesis.

Quoted from BoinTN [REC] 1 is one of my favoite horror flicks for the sheer intensity of the conclusion.  Looking forward to Genesis.

Definitely prefer this to the domestic remake, "Quarantine".
Even though the ex Mrs. Dexter is pretty hawt running around and screaming lots.

E.D.

Very, but I think [REC] works so well because it is foreign-language, too.  That somehow added to the realism for me.  Maybe it's just harder to tell if a line reading was a little false or something, anything that may remove oneself from the immersive experience that a found footage movie is shooting for.

Quoted from Scar Tissue Films A particuar favourite of mine is a Japenese film called Noroi: The Curse...which is surprisingly complicated for one of these types of films.

Rick,

I watched this tonight, it's quite the intricate tale.
Despite devolving into a scream fest at the end, I was impressed with its ambition.
It's more focused on telling a story than manufacturing scares.
The litter critters reminded me of the forest spirits in "Mononoke no Hime".

Thanks for the recommend.

Regards,
E.D.

Speaking of found footage films, I got this recently and will probably watch it tonight.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1191111/
"A drug dealer becomes interested in death and re-incarnation after reading "The Tibetan Book of the Dead". Suddenly dead, his soul floats though Tokyo observing the dramas of his friends and foes. An oath determines his next step 'as a soul'."
It's called Enter the Void if you guys can't be bothered to click the link

Half of the movie is in POV form while the other half is the camera looking over the shoulder of the characters. It seemed like a nice artsy type film to watch so I got it. It's nearly three hours long so hopefully it keeps me interested.

Quoted from nawazm11 Speaking of found footage films, I got this recently and will probably watch it tonight. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1191111/ "A drug dealer becomes interested in death and re-incarnation after reading "The Tibetan Book of the Dead". Suddenly dead, his soul floats though Tokyo observing the dramas of his friends and foes. An oath determines his next step 'as a soul'." It's called Enter the Void if you guys can't be bothered to click the link Half of the movie is in POV form while the other half is the camera looking over the shoulder of the characters. It seemed like a nice artsy type film to watch so I got it. It's nearly three hours long so hopefully it keeps me interested.

Enter the Void is a tough watch but worth it IMO. I've seen it twice including once on the big screen. Definitely a unique experience.

As for found footage in general, I'm wouldn't say I'm a fan.

I don't think there's anything wrong with it, per se, but it tends to only be dumb directors who think it's cool. To me, they've always felt like cousins to ghost hunting reality shows, which are super lame and appeal to equally lame sensibilities. Even when they're pulled off right, the majority of non-found footage horror movies are still better.

The best found footage films IMO are Cannibal Holocaust, The Blair Witch Project and REC. I probably enjoyed REC the most.

The second wave of found footage films has done little for me though. The Poughkeepsie Tapes, in particular, has got to be one of the most overrated horror movies in a long time. I thought it was utterly flippant and stupid, despite being based on some interesting ideas. It kinda made me angry, to be honest.

Megan is Missing is probably the best of the newer ones but even that had some major issues. I'd be wary of recommending it to anyone.

Nevertheless, I'm open to better films from the genre. But I've yet to see one that's really outstanding.

Quoted from nawazm11 Speaking of found footage films, I got this recently and will probably watch it tonight. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1191111/ "A drug dealer becomes interested in death and re-incarnation after reading "The Tibetan Book of the Dead". Suddenly dead, his soul floats though Tokyo observing the dramas of his friends and foes. An oath determines his next step 'as a soul'." It's called Enter the Void if you guys can't be bothered to click the link Half of the movie is in POV form while the other half is the camera looking over the shoulder of the characters. It seemed like a nice artsy type film to watch so I got it. It's nearly three hours long so hopefully it keeps me interested.

I never thought of Enter the Void as a found footage film.
But I can see enough of your point to go along for the ride.
Noe's film is like, The Blair Witch Project of the mind!
Make sure your tray table is in the upright position, it's gonna be a bumpy ride!

I also found a fair amount to enjoy in this New England mystery thriller:
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1398428/

"Yellowbrickroad" forsakes manufactured shocks for dread soaked storytelling.

Regards,
E.D.

I was very disappointed with Yellowbrick Road.  It had a few moments, and also potential, but for me, it was very dull, uneventful, and poorly executed.

Just finished Enter the Void and wow-oh-wow, was that a freaky ride. I loved all the neon colours and the crazy direction. This definitely reached my top 50 . I think you got it spot on, James. A very unique experience indeed.

E.D.

It's not really found footage but I like to think that any type of POV in movies should go into the same category.

As for YellowBrickRoad, I can't say I can watch anything from IMDB that's less than 5 . If you liked it though, I will try and find this somewhere. It doesn't seem like a popular movie so hopefully a local video store has it

Mo, Yellowbrick Road is streaming on Netflix.  If you don't have Netflix, get it.  If you enjoy watching movies, and spend money renting movies at a video store, you'll fall in love with Netflix and save yourself a shitload of cash in the process.

Yeah, Yellowbrickroad had a very compelling build to one of the least satisfying pay-offs in recent memory.  Still, there are moments in that of genuine creepiness and the sense of "We have to keep going" for some inexplicable reason I found to be a fun device.

Quoted from nawazm11 As for YellowBrickRoad, I can't say I can watch anything from IMDB that's less than 5 . If you liked it though, I will try and find this somewhere. It doesn't seem like a popular movie so hopefully a local video store has it

I'm not a big fan of the film, but it did keep me watching until the end.
That's more than I can say for most entries of the sub genre.

Regards,
E.D.

It just occurred to me that I did see Trollhunter last year. I thought it was pretty goo and surprisingly unproblematic. The mythos and Norse geography made for a relatively fun ride. This, not Megan is Missing, is the best of the found footage genre I've seen lately. I think the fact that I forgot about it just goes to show the state of the subgenre at this point.

You're a harsh man James!

That particular genre is at it's highest ever point at the moment!

Does that mean we've been inundated with classics? No...but it's only really been going since Blair Witch...as a separate, standard genre.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Found_footage_(genre)

EDIT: Click the link to the foound footage..genre page...won't direct link for some reason.

Man Bites Dog from 1992 is probably the only "classic" the genre has ever had.

It's largely bound to be a low standard genre, all things considered, because people turn to it when they've got no money to make a standard film.

Quoted from Electric Dreamer Rick, I watched this tonight, it's quite the intricate tale. Despite devolving into a scream fest at the end, I was impressed with its ambition. It's more focused on telling a story than manufacturing scares. The litter critters reminded me of the forest spirits in "Mononoke no Hime". Thanks for the recommend. Regards, E.D.

Glad you found it worth your time. I do think it's worth watching from a writing/filmmaking point of view. Leaves you with a feeling there's more to be got out of the format, even if it's not perfect.

The same director has done a few decent horrors. He's done a couple of other found footage ones...Shirome (not so good) and Occult...which is decent as well.

Quoted from Dreamscale Mo, Yellowbrick Road is streaming on Netflix.  If you don't have Netflix, get it.  If you enjoy watching movies, and spend money renting movies at a video store, you'll fall in love with Netflix and save yourself a shitload of cash in the process.

I'd love to Jeff but it's not available in Australia. I think the last time I checked was two years ago and they're giving me the same response.
"Sorry, Netflix is not available in your country... yet"

Quoted from Scar Tissue Films You're a harsh man James!

Been hearing this a lot lately. I must be doing something right.

Quoted from Scar Tissue Films That particular genre is at it's highest ever point at the moment! Does that mean we've been inundated with classics? No...but it's only really been going since Blair Witch...as a separate, standard genre.

I wouldn't say we've been inundated with classics either. But I do think a few of these films have been put up on pedestals.

I wouldn't say the genre's all that separate from Blair Witch though. The movement is. But Blair Witch really isn't that structurally different from these newer ones. Even Cannibal Holocaust shares a lot of similar traits.

Quoted from Scar Tissue Films Man Bites Dog from 1992 is probably the only "classic" the genre has ever had.

...

Now I have egg on my face. This one, I actually did think was quite well done. I haven't seen it in years though.

Quoted from Scar Tissue Films It's largely bound to be a low standard genre, all things considered, because people turn to it when they've got no money to make a standard film.

I disagree. I think the writing is primarily to blame for most of these films, especially The Poughkeepsie Tapes.

Quoted from Dreamscale I was very disappointed with Yellowbrick Road.  It had a few moments, and also potential, but for me, it was very dull, uneventful, and poorly executed.

I'm watching this right now. Almost one hour in. So far my opinion is that this is a cheap ass looking movie. Ugly looking film with ugly people and a sloooooow moving story. Even the sound is bad. I'll watch it to the end though because my add tells me I have to.  

Pia, when you're done, you owe it to yourself to watch Trespass.  Make sure you drink heavily though first and throughout.  Check out my review if you're doubting it.  What a movie...damn...how do they do it?  What an instant classic....or is that Vlassic pickle?

Now these people have sex too...how weird after what they've just been through!

Jeff, if Blackout and Finders Keepers end up on NetFlix....I worry that people will say the same about those.  

Pia, Trespass is a $35 Million picture.  You'll love it!!!

Checked out Yellowbrickroad, although I thought it was a found footage film because it was mentioned here.     

I'd agree with most of the assesments here that while it had a promising premise, it fell apart during act 2.  The music playing in the woods was creepy at first, but quickly got annoying to the point where I wanted to stop watching.  Talk about stomping an idea into the ground.  And the ending was like a bad twist out of the Twilight Zone.  I had the feeling at times that there wasn't even much of a script here and they were all just winging it as they went along.

It did have a couple of shocks, but one of the real problems was that I just didn't care about any of these characters.  Boring people caught in an annoying situation.

But getting back to found footage, anyone ever seen The St. Francisville Experiment?  Now there's my vote for worst found footage film ever.

Gonna take a peak at yellowbrick road today. Anyone else see Megan is Missing? That fucking Shelton brought it up. As far as found footage goes, it's really not that bad. Although, they claim it was too shocking for most audiences. They should read some of the scripts here.

James

Megan is Missing was okay. Not exactly shocking IMO. Yellow Brick Road was bad on all levels.

YellowbrickRoad was much better than Trespass at least.

I actually thought the ending to Megan is Missing was pretty disturbing. But totally unmerited and for a film that tried so hard to be realistic, it kinda made the whole thing fall apart. They would've never included that stuff in a real documentary. Unfortunately, without the ending, the film's pretty dull and without any sort of "payoff."

So a mixed bag for me.

Can someone please explain the ending to Yellowbrick Road?


Phil

I took the ending to mean that Teddy was in Hell.  The theater was hell, and the horror movie playing before him was his to watch for all eternity.  The usher says something to the effect of "there are many different endings", meaning each person winds up with their own version of the movie.

Another possible explanation for the overall bizarre-ness of the story is that Teddy was dead from the beginning.  Remember the early scene when he walks into that strange office and he's all alone except for the clerk behind the clouded glass.  The clerk inexplicably hands him that stack of info on the town and says, "enjoy your picture show."  The movie usher says the exact same thing at the end.

If that was the premise of the film, I think they could have found a much better way to execute it.  I just found the whole damn thing annoying.

Quoted from nawazm11 I'd love to Jeff but it's not available in Australia. I think the last time I checked was two years ago and they're giving me the same response. "Sorry, Netflix is not available in your country... yet"

Mohammad FYI, not sure where you're living in Oz but you should check out Quickflix - YellowBrickRoad is avail on it... least in Sydney it is. Similar deal to Netflix in US and a lot of titles you won't find in your average DVD store.