10 Greatest Found Footage Horror Movies of the Last 10 Years
The best thing about found footage horror is its ability to create the illusion that what’s captured on screen may be real. It’s been one of the most prolific and successful subgenres of horror, perhaps since The Blair Witch Project in 1999 popularized the idea and the potential it has for creating some unforgettably fun dread. Since then, many found footage films have been released to capture the same kind of success, some to no avail, but there have been some notable standouts. Particularly, the last ten years have seen remarkable improvements.
As horror continues to grow, found footage will continue to evolve and expand along with it. As this last decade is anything to go by, this subgenre isn’t going away any time soon and continues to provide audiences with intense dread and suspense, all shot with that unique amateur style these movies are known for. From the surprise comeback of a struggling filmmaker to arguably one of the best zombie features in recent memory, these are the ten greatest found footage horror movies of the last ten years.
10
‘The Visit’ (2015)
M. Night Shyamalan, the once-in-demand, acclaimed filmmaker responsible for Unbreakable and The Sixth Sense, was at a low point in his career going into the early 2010s after a string of flops in the previous decade. But in 2015, he was back, this time with a new approach to his unique storytelling. The Visit is a tense found footage thriller about siblings documenting their visit to meet their estranged grandparents, only to record the couple’s increasingly erratic and sinister behavior.
While admittedly not the best of his career, considering some of its unusual dialog and predictable storytelling, The Visit is widely considered a comeback for Shyamalan, as it’s for the most part a decently paced and suspenseful nail-biter. The plot is simple but effective, and there’s a lot of escalating horror as the siblings slowly reveal that the grandparents are not who they say they are. There’s a lot to get invested in this eerie thriller, so long as you look past its obvious flaws.
9
‘V/H/S/94’ (2021)
The V/H/S franchise has been a go-to for found footage and anthology enthusiasts since 2012. Providing one eerie, unique short with each film, the franchise has seen some highs and lows since. But, of all that has come out, arguably the fourth installment, V/H/S/94, is the definitive best, a darkly creative and utterly terrifying cult favorite that has one nightmarish story after another.
Each of the four segments provides a bit of unique terror, ranging from slow and suspenseful to balls-to-the-wall insane and intense. Not to mention, the film gloriously utilizes all kinds of different horror genres, from supernatural to sci-fi. Of the four, it’s certainly the first segment, “Storm Drain,” that’s widely considered the best in all the V/H/S franchise for its dark, claustrophobic setting and perfect build-up. Overall, it’s a solid sequel that currently represents the peak of the series.
8
‘Spree’ (2020)
Showing the absolute dark side of fame and internet stardom, 2020’s Spree takes viewers on a bloody joyride following one man’s descent into madness. Starring Stranger Things star Joe Keery, he plays the ambitious Kurt Kunkle, a rideshare driver who takes his plans to go viral to extremes as he records a murderous scheme to take his passengers on a torturous ride before killing them.
It’s a wild, slowly disturbing slasher thriller that borders on dark comedy. While its writing and story are uneven, it’s Joe Keery’s hilarious yet oddly terrifying performance as the unhinged Kurt that makes it stand out, and he enhances the suspense as the audience doesn’t know just how far his character will go towards infamy. It’s not perfect throughout, but Spree has a great balance of horror and comedy and a memorable lead performance that’s able to keep anyone invested.
7
‘Creep 2’ (2017)
The first Creep in 2014 showed that terror is unpredictable and anyone, no matter how ordinary they look, can secretly be carrying a murderous dark side. It was a spine-chilling, incredibly unsettling slow-burn slasher that director Patrick Brice brilliantly brought to the screen. So, when it came time for a continuation, he didn’t disappoint, as 2017’s Creep 2 is just as tense and arguably more shocking than its predecessor.
Starring comedian Mark Duplass playing against type once again to play the name-switching serial killer from the first one, this nightmarish story follows him as he lures a curious video artist to his cabin in the woods. It’s Duplass’s remarkable versatility and ability to go from calm to wildly unhinged that greatly enhances the fear of this film, and there’s no telling what his character will do next. Creep 2 will have viewers right on the edge of their seats in anticipation, never for once letting them know what might just happen at any moment.
6
‘Deadstream’ (2022)
A low-budget found footage fan favorite, Deadstream is a 2022 dark comedy that takes a simple premise and elevates it with exciting characters and some genuinely intense scares. It sees Joseph Winter as a fading internet personality who gets more than he bargains for when he livestreams exploring a supposedly haunted abandoned house.
Where it lacks originality, it makes up for it in innovation and brilliant self-aware satire. Deadstream pokes fun at the genre and its many tropes while also being a solid and truly frightening found footage horror flick in its own right. There’s a lot of creativity and great practical effects, the main character is genuinely intriguing and fun to follow around, and, of course, it has plenty of startling jump scares for those who love that kind of stuff.
5
‘Host’ (2020)
Widely considered to be one of the scariest horror films of the 21st century, 2020’s Host is a terrifyingly memorable standout of modern found footage. With its claustrophobic feel and pandemic-infused premise, it’s about a group of friends during London’s COVID-19 lockdown as their Zoom call turns deadly when they unwisely perform a seance, which unleashes a sinister spirit that slowly kills them one by one.
Capturing the isolating frustration and social anxiety prevalent during the pandemic, Host came out at the right moment to capitalize on these feelings. It’s incredibly intense from start to finish, featuring as many shocking jump scares as any other typical found footage movie, but boosted by nonstop suspense and a dark, sinking feeling that anything will happen at any point. Host never lets up and ensures that anyone watching it will be spooked long after the credits roll.
4
‘The Medium’ (2021)
From Thailand, director Banjong Pisanthankun‘s underrated supernatural folk horror thriller The Medium takes found footage to a whole new level of extreme. Set in the Isan region of the country, it follows a documentary crew as they record the strange phenomenon surrounding a woman claiming to be succumbing to a frightening ancestral curse.
It’s bold, shocking, and wildly chaotic, especially in its bleak finale. The Medium is just pure shock and terror, featuring a striking mix of character drama and intense dread to keep viewers absolutely disturbed until the very end. It’s also brilliant in its storytelling, expertly exploring themes of sacrifice, family trauma, and the struggles to maintain faith in times of darkness, all put into one well-executed and eerie tale that should be considered today a modern classic.
3
‘Late Night With The Devil’ (2023)
Late Night With The Devil is a wild, mind-bending found footage horror film by Australian filmmakers Cameron and Colin Cairnes. Scaring its way to becoming one of the 2020s’ most remarkable chillers, it’s about a widowed television personality as he desperately tries to save his fading talk show by hosting a Halloween-themed night with guests claiming to be connected with the supernatural. Things go horribly wrong when one guest happens to be carrying a terrifying secret.
It’s wonderfully shot and made to look exactly like a ’70s American talk show, even down to costumes and footage quality. There’s some decent build-up to the shocking supernatural parts, and it takes its time before things get completely out of control. Once the terror cranks up to eleven, things become intense and certainly unexpected, resulting in an unforgettable viewing experience. Overall, Late Night with the Devil is a fantastic and nightmare-inducing film that can’t be ignored.
2
‘Incantation’ (2022)
For the most unsettling found footage experience ever, give Incantation a try. This 2022 supernatural folk horror film is undeniably tense from beginning to end, featuring a considerably bleak and dark tone. It’s about a woman with a dark history as she worries that her young daughter may suffer a terrible curse after she broke a sacred taboo six years earlier.
It’s a film that genuinely makes the audience participate in the story and makes them feel part of the terror that’s unfolding around its central character. It doesn’t rely heavily on jump scares, just uses its eerie atmosphere and mounting suspense to effectively get under the viewers’ skin. One of the most singular and effective entries into the subgenre, Incantation uses its found footage style flawlessly to create something that almost feels real.
1
‘One Cut Of The Dead’ (2017)
Taking the last spot is a slowly growing cult classic that’s not only one of the most compelling found footage films in recent memory but also one of the best zombie films. Directed by Sin Iichiro Ueda, One Cut of the Dead is a 2017 Japanese dark comedy about an amateur film crew whose attempts at making a low-budget zombie flick turn deadly when they encounter real flesh-eaters at an abandoned WWII facility.
The writing is brilliant, the balance between comedy and horror is superb, and it honestly breathes new life into the zombie formula, adding another fresh and thrilling addition to this popular subgenre that far too often settles for slop. A commercial and critical darling, One Cut of the Dead carved a path to become one of this century’s greatest found footage horror films and one of the subgenre’s all-time greatest.
