Following The Blair Witch Project (1999): Looking to the Future of Found Footage in Horror
Found footage is a divisive subgenre in the landscape of horror. Some people are obsessed with this approach, seeking it out even when they find the more traditional forms of horror unappealing. Others can’t physically bear the movement the found footage genre implies, with motion-sickness gatekeeping the enjoyment.
Ever since the breakout success of The Blair Witch Project in 1999, however, there’s no doubt that found footage horror movies have exploded in popularity. As we find our way deeper into the 2020s, horror films are increasingly happy to embrace this type of filmmaking approach. So, why is this, and what places found footage in such a strong position in the future of horror films?
“Blair Witch” (CC BY 2.0) by Will Folsom
A More Realistic Lens
One of the biggest contributors to helping found footage succeed as a genre is how well it lends itself to a seemingly more realistic approach. As much as many of us recognize horror films as an art form, the very act of traditional filming can act as a barrier between us and a film’s content. Framing, zooms, transitions, and cliches, all of these elements in any fantastic traditional movie form can take us out of the experience, and remind us of the artificiality of a setup.
The filming requirements and techniques of found footage films help sidestep these problems, grounding us with a more realistic perspective. In The Blair Witch Project, we’re stuck seeing things from a first-person perspective as we would in real life, and this helps build the verisimilitude that some of us find easier to fall into.
Horror Reflecting Culture: Dashcam and Unfriended
Next up in the major contributing factors to the success of the Blair Witch Project and other found footage films is how well they continue to blend with so many aspects of our increasingly technological culture.
The central conceit of found footage is that it’s built on people carrying film equipment with them. Back in the day, this once meant camcorders, but in the age of smartphones, the idea is much more flexible.
Thanks to social media and the sheer usefulness of smartphone cameras, we’re constantly filming everything. Of course we’re going to film spooky or horrific events if they happen, and this provides a million options for stories.
Films like Unfriended (2014) and Dashcam (2021) marry found footage with our modern online usage. Characters navigate social media and use webcams to broadcast live streams, making the horror elements of the film more immediate and real. This sense of realism using social media and particularly livestreaming is not restricted to the horror genre.
Other forms of entertainment, such as online roulette casino games have taken similar paths, incorporating live dealers to host games for players looking for a more realistic and personable experience. Slot games have also used horror iconography in games like Blood Suckers, providing horror fans with an immersive and playable experience of the genre.
Perhaps online casino games will capitalise on the increasingly popular pairing of live-streaming and horror by adding a spooky twist to a live roulette game.
Lowering the Barriers to Entry
Making a movie is never cheap, but production costs still exist on a broad spectrum. Where Hollywood action movies can cost well over a hundred million, found footage films tend towards the much more cost-effective side of the equation. Again, The Blair Witch Project was a standout here, raking in nearly $250 million on a shooting budget of around $60,000.
If you film from the perspective of a handheld camera, or a security system, you’re not aiming for the highest possible level of fidelity. You don’t need the best special effects, and by relying on the imagination of the viewer, you can achieve much more than elaborate monster designs ever could. This makes the creation process much easier for newcomers, and more appealing to financiers uninterested in costly investments.
As a side effect, lower budgets and a Handycam approach can also help cover lackluster performances from actors. Most people naturally act a little stilted when they’re being filmed, so the actors being slightly uncomfortable can actually help make the films seem more realistic. The same can be said for irrational anger or outbursts, which are common in high-pressure situations when we’re under scrutiny.
“That guy I met in the woods” (CC BY-SA 2.0) by zlakfoto
With hardware and software filmmaking tools becoming cheaper and more accessible by the year, found footage films find themselves poised for a new golden age. While our fatigue for big-budget comic films continues to grow, it could be time to turn to smaller-scale stories, and you don’t get much more personal than films taken from a human’s point of view.
There’s a lot to look forward to, both for fans and for those looking to experiment with filmmaking themselves.