The 10 Best Found Footage Horror Films Ever Made

Found footage horror divides audiences like few other formats. Critics dismiss it as cheap gimmickry while devotees praise its unmatched immersion. When done right, the format creates an intimacy traditional filmmaking can't replicate—we're not watching events unfold, we're experiencing recovered evidence of something terrible. Here are the ten films that prove found footage's legitimacy as a horror technique.

A ghost hunting TV crew locks themselves in an abandoned asylum for ratings, only to discover the supernatural is terrifyingly real. What begins as parody of paranormal investigation shows transforms into a genuinely frightening labyrinthine nightmare.

Mark Duplass is unforgettable as Josef, a man who hires a videographer for a seemingly innocent project. The film builds excruciating tension from social awkwardness and boundary violations, proving found footage can excel at psychological horror.

A haunted house attraction opens in a hotel with a dark past. The clown mannequins that move when no one's watching have become iconic, and the documentary framing adds layers of dread to the recovered footage.

A documentary crew follows an Alzheimer's patient only to discover something far more sinister than dementia. The film uses the medical documentary format brilliantly, and Jill Larson's performance is genuinely disturbing.

Made during lockdown, this Zoom seance gone wrong proves found footage can evolve with technology. At just 57 minutes, Host is relentlessly efficient, packing more scares per minute than films twice its length.

This Australian faux-documentary about a family dealing with their daughter's drowning is genuinely heartbreaking. The horror emerges slowly through recovered footage and photographs, building to revelations that recontextualize everything you've seen.

Whatever you think of its sequels, the original Paranormal Activity is a masterclass in minimalist horror. The static bedroom camera shots train audiences to scan for tiny movements, creating anxiety before anything happens.

This Japanese documentary-style film weaves together multiple storylines into an intricate supernatural mystery. At two hours, it demands patience, but the slow build pays off with mounting dread that few horror films achieve.

Spanish filmmakers Jaume Balagueró and Paco Plaza created the most intense found footage experience with this tale of a TV crew trapped in a quarantined apartment building. The final sequence in night vision remains absolutely terrifying.

The film that launched the modern found footage era remains its greatest achievement. Before viral marketing, before audiences knew the tricks, Blair Witch convinced millions its footage was real. Stripped of that mystique, it still works through suggestion and atmosphere—what we don't see is far more frightening than any monster could be.