Why I Love Found Footage Horror

Yet people love to hate on the genre.

“Too shaky.”
“No plot.”
“Why are they filming during a demon attack?”

But when it’s done right, found footage horror isn’t just scary, it’s incredibly intimate, and deeply unnerving in a way traditional horror wishes it could be.

It Feels Real

Found footage doesn’t look like a traditional movie.

There’s generally no slick cinematography, no moody lighting, no actor you recognize from six rom-coms.

It looks like something your friend recorded. Or worse, something you could’ve recorded. It really hijacks your brain and makes you forget you’re watching fiction.

And when horror feels real, it bypasses all of our defenses.

Because deep down, we know Jason Voorhees isn’t real. But a blurry figure caught on a camcorder in the woods?

That can hit a little too close.

The Cheapness Works

Most horror has a decent budget to fall back on. Big effects. Big sets. Big soundtracks that tell you when to be scared.

Found footage doesn’t have that luxury, and that’s exactly why it works. It’s quiet. It’s ugly. It’s believable. And the imperfections are what make it appealing.

The shaky camera, the bad lighting, and the awkward silences is what makes it feel raw. Like you’re not watching a story, you’re watching something that wasn’t supposed to be seen.

Which is exactly why it’s so unsettling.

You Become the Investigator

In most horror movies, the scares come to you. The killer jumps out. The music swells. The monster attacks.

In found footage, you have to look for it.

You’re scanning the corners. Rewinding. Squinting in the dark.

“Was that someone standing behind her?”

“Wait, that shadow just moved.”

It turns you into a participant. You’re not just watching. You’re searching. And that hyper-awareness? That slow-burn paranoia?

That’s the tension I, and probably you, live for.

The Build-Up Wrecks You More Than Any Jump Scare

Found footage horror doesn’t just kick the door in, it creeps in through the cracks.

It starts boring normally, such as someone filming a road trip, a vlog, or a house tour. And for 15 minutes you’re like, “Nothing’s happening.”

But that’s the trick.

The horror hides. It lets your guard down, and then, it twists.

Suddenly you realize that’s something’s wrong.

And it’s been wrong for a while.

No strings. No jump-scare orchestra. Just pure dread crawling up your spine.

And when it all finally breaks loose, you’re already too deep to look away.

It Feels Like a Secret – Like You Shouldn’t Be Watching It

There’s a voyeuristic thrill baked into found footage I think.

It’s not framed like entertainment.

It’s a tape that someone lost, or a camera recovered from a house where everyone vanished. Or better yet, a live recording where you watch what unfolds as it is happening to the participant.

It’s in front of you, and you’re not supposed to be here. You feel like you’re invading something private, and the longer you watch, the more it punishes you for looking.

It’s not just scary. It’s guilty scary.

Like a curse you clicked on.

And that’s why you and I keep coming back.

Found Footage horror movies just hit different.

Bonus: I Even ‘Like’ a Lot Of The Bad Ones

Let’s be honest, a lot of found footage movies aren’t great.

Bad acting. No payoff. Two hours of people yelling “What was that!?” into the void.

And yet, I still love them.

Because even the low-effort ones have moments. A flicker in the dark. A scream from another room. That one freeze-frame that ruins your night.

Found footage doesn’t need to be perfect. It just needs to hit once.
And when it does, that’s all it takes.