The 25 best found footage movies of all time, ranked

Entertainment Weekly's list features plenty of horror classics in addition to select dramas and action films.

One of the most affecting and moldable cinematic templates, found footage movies soared in popularity following The Blair Witch Project’s debut 25 years ago — but the subgenre had already been percolating for nearly 40 years before that.

Many argue that the first found footage picture was Shirley Clarke’s The Connection (1961), a faux-documentary about a group of drug addicts — mostly musicians — waiting around an apartment for their dealer, while the cameraman tries to intervene and even manipulate the proceedings. A few years later, Milton Moses Ginsberg directed Coming Apart (1969) — a precursor to Sex, Lies, and Videotape (1989) — that plays out in a seemingly unbroken shot and stars Rip Torn as a creepy psychiatrist who likes to film his amorous encounters with women.

With the notorious video nasty Cannibal Holocaust (1980), the found footage style dipped its toes into horror and never looked back. Though some movies played with the subgenre’s trappings during the following decades — most notably the BBC special Ghostwatch (1992) — found footage didn’t properly take hold until the advent of consumer-grade camcorders. The Blair Witch Project (1999) gave rise to a series of imitators, but it was Paranormal Activity (2007) that birthed the genre’s most fertile period.

While many found footage movies remain in the horror sandbox — and, admittedly, some less talented filmmakers use the genre to do nothing at all — the format’s best installments take the camera’s limitations and spin them into a brilliant device to immerse the audience in various worlds. In some cases, they’re worlds we’d never want to visit.

Here is Entertainment Weekly’s ranking of the 25 best found footage movies of all time.

25. Searching (2018)

This particularly sharp and savvy tech-thriller sees a father (John Cho) investigating the disappearance of his daughter (Michelle La), who led a busy and mysterious life on social media. Meanwhile, a dogged detective (Debra Messing, going against type with a hefty dramatic performance) assists in his efforts.

Using a seamless combination of FaceTime calls, CCTV and news footage, and investigators’ video evidence, Aneesh Chaganty weaves a riveting, anxious, and classically creepy found footage movie that puzzles until its final moments.

Where to watch Searching: Starz

24. Unfriended: Dark Web (2018)

An improvement over Unfriended (2014), this sequel finds five pals video chatting for their weekly game night. The twist: one of them logs in via the stolen laptop of a nefarious dark web user, who hacks their call and begins wreaking bloody havoc to regain his device.

Tapping into terror and mean-spiritedness similar to Megan Is Missing, Dark Web holds you in its sweaty grip from start to finish with some clever editing and a nice spattering of jump scares. This isn’t high art, but it’s still a notably inventive computer-based thriller.

Where to watch Unfriended: Dark Web: Amazon Prime Video (to rent)

23. End of Watch (2012)

David Ayer’s white-knuckle police procedural follows two Los Angeles beat cops (Jake Gyllenhaal and Michael Peña) who get embroiled with a gang of drug dealers.

Admittedly, the found footage concept is shaky here. It’s ostensibly sourced from dash and body cams, but Gyllenhaal’s character is also making a documentary about his life, and by the third act it’s unclear where the footage is coming from… if not the production-grade camera of a cinematographer (in this case, Roman Vasyanov). Yet Ayer’s film is an undeniably powerful one. It works effortlessly as both a gritty urban thriller and a stirring testament to friendship and brotherhood.

Where to watch End of Watch: Amazon Prime Video (to rent)

22. The Bay (2012)

Barry Levinson, known for character dramas like Rain Man (1988) and comedies like Wag the Dog (1997), helmed this startling and unfortunately credible bio-horror tale. It concerns a Maryland community beset by waterborne parasites that take control of victims’ bodies and brains, causing them to do terrible things.

Levinson’s movie is one of the most convincingly documentary-like in the found footage subgenre. The simple premise and pacing conceal its supreme power and startling chill, throwing you directly into the fray for a nightmarish immersive experience.

Where to watch The Bay: Amazon Prime Video (to rent)

21. The Last Broadcast (1998)

A documentarian (David Beard) enters the Pine Barrens to investigate the case of the Jersey Devil with drastic consequences in this gripping, lo-fi genre film that exists on a similar plain as The Blair Witch Project (not in cultural magnitude, but definitely in style).

Their similar storylines are likely just a coincidence. But much like the infamous 1999 chiller (which was shot in 1997, around the same time as The Last Broadcast), this found footage movie benefits from empathetic lead performances by talented unknowns and plenty of regional charm.

Where to watch The Last Broadcast: Tubi

20. Willow Creek (2013)

Comedian turned filmmaker Bobcat Goldthwait directed this amiable, genre-literate found footage movie, which stars Alexie Gilmore and Bryce Johnson as skeptical documentarians who explore the eponymous California town's obsession with Bigfoot. It’s not a spoiler to say there’s more truth to the legend than either anticipated.

Willow Creek functions as both a jovial document of the town itself and, in its later stages, a properly suspenseful horror film. Goldthwait calls back to multiple classic forest-terror flicks, especially those from the genre’s most fertile period in the ’80s. The brilliant final punchline, without giving much away, nicely one-ups the similar conclusion of The Prey (1983).

Where to watch Willow Creek: Peacock

19. Megan Is Missing (2011)

Michael Goi’s found footage shocker is remarkably upsetting and genuinely nauseating; it’s an uncomfortable, grimy little thriller about two teens — Amy (Amber Perkins) and Megan (Rachel Quinn) — who meet an enigmatic young man called “Josh” online. After Megan disappears while going to meet him, Amy resolves to find out what happened to her friend.

Both a savage warning to people of all ages not to mess around on the internet and a chilling horror pic in its own right, Megan Is Missing manages to be enthralling even as it flirts with being unwatchable, building breathtaking suspense before the uncompromising third act.

Where to watch Megan Is Missing: Tubi

18. VHS 2 (2013)

This second installment represents the venerable anthology franchise’s height of humor, invention, and variety. Its frame story involves a crime-busting couple who, while searching for a missing coed, must view a variety of videotapes.

The vignettes range from aliens crashing a slumber party to a man suffering a rogue ocular transplant, but the finest segments come courtesy of original Blair Witch Project director Eduardo Sánchez and The Raid (2011) filmmaker Gareth Evans. Sánchez’s entry features industrious zombies hot on the tails of some cyclists, while Evans’ installment (the best here) deals with a demented doomsday cult.

Where to watch VHS 2: Hulu

17. The Poughkeepsie Tapes (2007)

This skin-crawling faux-documentary concerns a prolific New York serial killer who evades capture despite recording his brazen crimes. As investigators review the snuff tapes, the fiend’s identity comes into focus; but do they have the right man? 

Directed by brothers Drew and Eric Dowdle, who capably remade Rec as Quarantine (2008), The Poughkeepsie Tapes makes up for its occasional lapses in realism with its utterly distrubing portrayal of pure evil. It’s a tough watch, and rarely an enjoyable one, but it's nevertheless effective as both a taut found footage film and a haunting home invasion thriller (not to mention that it touts one of the best horror movie masks of all time).

Where to watch The Poughkeepsie Tapes: Tubi

16. Grave Encounters (2011)

This modern horror classic sees ghost hunters head to an abandoned psychiatric hospital to capture evidence of a genuine haunting, but they find much more than they bargained for.

That ropy old setup gives way to one of the more effective, and certainly action-packed, entries in the found footage subgenre. Directors Colin Minihan and Stuart Ortiz wisely employ a slow build with sharp writing and character development up top. When everything goes ballistic, the film adopts a pace similar to the rollercoaster Italian ghost films of the 1980s. In other words, it’s an absolute blast.

Where to watch Grave Encounters: Tubi

15. Cannibal Holocaust (1980)

One of the original found footage movies, Ruggero Deodato’s landmark exploitation movie follows a New York City documentary crew into the Amazonian jungle to film indigenous cannibal tribes, where things of course go terribly wrong.

Suffice it to say, the United Nations won’t be screening Deodato’s movie anytime soon. Most infamous for its inexcusable animal snuff sequences, the film is equally concerned with watching yuppies suffer at the hands of “unhinged natives.” Yet while lacking in decency and, frankly, class, Cannibal Holocaust features extremely effective queasy quasi-realism. It’s also an undeniably significant cinematic relic that set many ground rules for found footage.

Where to watch Cannibal Holocaust: Peacock

14. Host (2020)

This recent genre entry finds six friends holding a Zoom séance with a mysterious medium (Seylan Baxter), accidentally summoning a demonic entity into their homes in the process.

Rob Savage’s DIY creep-fest was produced and released during the initial COVID-19 lockdown, and it’s one of the few cyber-based projects that works. The constraint provided by its premise gives the film a vigor and life lacking in most horror films set online (and even many found footage thrillers). Its scares are well-executed with generous character development and likable performances from the entire cast.

Where to watch Host: AMC+

13. The Taking of Deborah Logan (2014)

This harrowing faux-doc feels like a combination of Grey Gardens, Paranormal Activity, and the Anthony Hopkins drama The Father. It concerns a documentarian (Michelle Ang) chronicling the eponymous Deborah Logan (Jill Larson) and her daughter (Anne Ramsay) as Deborah succumbs to Alzheimer’s. Yet as strange events occur around their home, the Logans wonder if something else is to blame for Deborah’s condition.

The Taking of Deborah Logan is a high-water mark for found footage. The performances are far beyond what the subgenre is typically graced with, while the suppressive atmosphere lends the film a claustrophobic feel despite multiple scenes set outside the house of horrors. It’s a tricky, intelligent balancing act that director Adam Robitel pulls off with aplomb.

Where to watch The Taking of Deborah Logan: Tubi

12. Cloverfield (2008)

Matt Reeves’ directorial career broke through with this taut alien invasion horror riff, which plays intelligently (rather than exploitatively) with a queasy post-9/11 anxiety that was still common at the time of Cloverfield’s release.

Just as a group of carefree New York City twentysomethings (including Mike Vogel and Lizzy Caplan) gather to celebrate one of their friend’s impending move westward, a creature the size of the Empire State Building descends on the city. From there, they have to navigate an increasingly chaotic Manhattan and a growing military presence in their desperate fight to evade the beast and its smaller compatriots.

Where to watch Cloverfield: Paramount+

11. Chronicle (2012)

Josh Trank’s riveting inversion of the superhero mythos birthed the careers of Dane DeHaan and Michael B. Jordan. DeHaan stars as an awkward teen who films his every move and, along with his friends, stumbles upon a mysterious object that imbues them with remarkable powers. But the abilities bring out the darker sides of some, imperiling the world as the kids know it.

Chronicle is one of the best superhero movies of the modern era, subverting many of the genre’s tropes and character types while indulging the right amount of camp and spectacle (and all under 90 minutes).

Where to watch Chronicle: Amazon Prime Video (to rent)

10. Ghostwatch (1992)

This groundbreaking BBC gem stars actual network anchors of the time in a fake "live" broadcast concerning a haunted house investigation on Halloween night. When a presence known as “Pipes” makes itself ominously known and attempts to infiltrate the production, the on-air hosts must fight to stay alive — or, more accurately, to stay un-possessed.

Highly controversial at the time, Ghostwatch spurred thousands of complaints to the network, many of which were from viewers who had believed the program was real. Indeed, Ghostwatch is one of the most clever examples of the format, one that’s extra effective if you have context for the personalities of early-’90s BBC anchors.

Where to watch Ghostwatch: AMC+

9. The Visit (2015)

M. Night Shyamalan got his career back on track with this tense, genuinely funny potboiler. Two kids (Olivia DeJonge, Ed Oxenbould) finally get to visit their grandparents (Deana Dunagan, Peter McRobbie) for the first time since their mother (Kathryn Hahn) cut off contact. Things seem normal at first but quickly devolve once nighttime rolls around.

Here, Shyamalan delivers his best work in over a decade, getting out of his own way and letting the story do the talking. It’s as straightforward a thriller as you can get, one propulsively paced and executed with an abundance of mordant humor.

Where to watch The Visit: Max

8. Gonjiam: Haunted Asylum (2018)

This exceptional K-horror film sees prankish web series hosts venture into a haunted asylum, where they’ve set up a succession of cheap scares to thrill their viewers. Little do they know, the paranormal residents there have a few genuine frights in store for them.

Gonjiam gets terrific mileage from a well-trod premise. You’ll likely laugh out loud at how many times the movie gets you with the same is-it-or-isn’t-it-real trick, but it’s so well structured that you’ll hardly mind playing the fool. There’s also a pleasing lack of artifice here, both in the acting and Jung Bum-shik’s direction, that makes this one of the most watchable found footage installments in recent memory.

Where to watch Gonjiam: Haunted Asylum: Tubi

7. Trollhunter (2010)

André Øvredal directed this transcendent comedic thriller about a group of student filmmakers who set out into the Norwegian countryside to make a documentary about poachers. But they’re tempted to change their angle when they meet an enigmatic man (Otto Jespersen) who claims to spend his days hunting trolls.

Øvredal has gone on to a fairly robust Hollywood career, directing solid genre films like The Autopsy of Jane Doe (2016) and Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark (2019). Yet Trollhunter remains his most fleshed-out and daring work, a cunning, scrappy little experiment that features impactful performances and action sequences.

Where to watch Trollhunter: Max

6. Hell House LLC (2015)

There’s nothing new or fancy in Hell House LLC, which makes its feverish grip on the audience even more admirable. Good-time youths venture to an abandoned inn, where 15 people perished in a commercial haunted house gone terribly wrong, to investigate the unexplained tragedy.

Hell House takes its time spinning the tale of misfortune that befalls the central investigators. It deftly combines a pseudo-crime documentary angle with a down-and-dirty fright-fest that milks each corner of the cavernous inn for everything it’s worth. Perhaps most astonishingly, the movie manages to make creepy clowns — that shopworn trope — genuinely frightening again.

Where to watch Hell House LLC: AMC+

5. Paranormal Activity (2007)

Arguably the movie that kicked off found footage’s most fruitful period, Oren Peli’s masterfully orchestrated spook-fest concerns a young couple — Katie (Katie Featherston) and Micah (Micah Sloat) — who begin documenting eerie occurrences in their suburban home.

The hair-raising moments in this homegrown genre hallmark arise nominally through character development, a key to Paranormal Activity’s enduring power. Its simple formula sets the viewer up for at least one (usually more) scare every 10 minutes or so, slowly revealing the particulars of the plot without sacrificing the story’s anxious mystery.

Where to watch Paranormal Activity: Max

4. Lake Mungo (2008)

This somber Australian chiller, done in an exceptionally authentic faux-doc style, follows a family trying to piece together unexplainable supernatural events in the aftermath of their daughter’s tragic, seemingly accidental death.

It would be a stretch to call Lake Mungo a full-on horror movie, though it has several sequences of ceaseless tension and one incredible, thematically rich fright near the end. It’s perhaps one of the only found footage movies that is nominally a kitchen-sink family drama, infused with inflections of the paranormal and a few bone-chilling moments along the way. The actors, meanwhile, do a tremendous job behaving like normal people caught on camera while making tiny, hugely influential performance choices.

Where to watch Lake Mungo: Tubi

3. Rec (2007)

A late-night TV host Angela (Manuela Velasco) and her cameraman plan to shoot a slice-of-life piece while following local firefighters to a city skyscraper. But when a mysterious virus imbues an elderly woman with excessive strength and a taste for blood, the police seal off the building, leaving the journalists and co. to face growing factions of the infected.

This properly frightening genre exercise is one of the few found footage movies that properly utilizes the camera lens’ limitations. Rec wrings an almost silly level of suspense and fear from what could be lurking on either side of the frame, a smart device that places the audience right in the center of the horror.

Where to watch Rec: Tubi

2. Creep (2014)

Mark Duplass gives his best performance to date in this psycho-thriller as a man who claims to be terminally ill and hires a filmmaker (Patrick Brice) to record him as a relic for his unborn son. It quickly becomes clear, however, that he can’t be trusted as the cameraman unravels a dangerous web of secrets.

Duplass and Brice (who also directed) wrote the screenplay together, marvelously blending suspense and comedy elements for a wholly original slow-burn horror film. Creep is able to maintain its mystery, and its dread, for much longer than most movies can muster, all while providing some modern jolts for viewers weaned on found footage.

Where to watch Creep: Netflix

1. The Blair Witch Project (1999)

It’s the film that birthed the found footage genre as we know it today. In 1994, three college students (Heather Donahue, Michael Williams, Joshua Leonard) venture into the woods of Maryland to make a documentary about the Blair Witch, a local urban legend, and find far more than they bargained for.

Produced in 1997 for under $1 million, The Blair Witch Project demonstrated that you don’t need an abundance of anything to make a riveting thriller. It’s remarkable how atmospheric the movie is without treating its natural environment in any substantial way. And then there’s the infamous marketing campaign, which was so convincing as to make audiences believe the terrifying events unfolding were authentic recordings.

Directors Daniel Myrick and Eduardo Sánchez keep a tight rein on this surreal, nightmarish classic. It’s the found footage genre’s crowning achievement, proving that understated storytelling is one of the most powerful tools at a filmmaker’s disposal.

Where to watch The Blair Witch Project: Peacock

Read the original article on Entertainment Weekly.