With the release of "Paranormal Activity 3," the found footage genre has a new entry. Known for its quiet, everyday moments before big scares with a heightened sense of realism, found footage has become a staple of the horror genre in a few short years. The shaky, faux-documentary style really came into its own with 1999's "The Blair Witch Project," but examples of similar films can be traced back to as early as 1980 with the infamous "Cannibal Holocaust."
"Blair Witch" set off the biggest and most recent crop of found footage films, but the latest releases probably owe their popularity to 2008's "Cloverfield" and the original "Paranormal Activity." Ultra-cheap to make, the movies can either work because of their low-budget scares or stink of a movie studio trying to cash in on the latest movie fad without spending as much. Even the king of the zombie movie, George A. Romero, tried it out in "Diary of the Dead."
So we want to know which found footage movie you think is the best. Does the nod go to the movie that started it all, "The Blair Witch Project"? Or do you prefer your scares on the more "Paranormal" side?
Vote for your favorite in our poll past the break!
In the spirit of the old adage, "No news is good news," the filmmakers behind
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It's a relatively quiet day Around the Blogosphere, but I guess that is to be expected with San Diego Comic-Con now in full swing. There have been a lot of exciting happenings IN the office today. Emmanuelle Chriqui -- ie Sloan from "Entourage" -- was a guest on
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'The Blair Witch Project' And Other Movies That Make You Reach For The Dramamine
Posted 7/14/09 12:00 pm EST by Jenni Miller in Commentary
In fact, writer/directors Daniel Myrick and Eduardo Sánchez went to great lengths to convince investors, and eventually potential viewers, that their movie was a documentary. They did so through the use of cleverly staged "found" footage and an extensive back story. In the end, "The Blair Witch Project" was such an effective horror movie because of what it didn't show -- and because the use of unsteady handheld cameras often left audience members feeling dizzy and nauseated. So whether shaky camera work is used or abused in the name of art, shock, shlock or gore, I salute the following flicks for making me reach for the Dramamine instead of the remote. Read More...
Tags cloverfield, crank, Dancer in the Dark, Open Water, The Blair Witch Project, United 93