anyone not into found footage films?

[Eschaton]

Tried to watch VHS last night and the blair witch project before that

Nah, couldn't do it

Something about the perspective

Any classic ones I should give a try?

[Stoney Mason]

The problem is that I don't think this concept is strong enough for a genre like its become. It's fine for the occasional movie that does it once every 5 years or so. But there are dozens of these films released regularly as if its a deep enough pool to support such a thing.

I liked the original [Rec] when it came out.

I tried watching Paranormal Activity a few years ago after missing out on that whole thing and it was baffling to me. It was the most boring, lame thing I'd seen in a long time.

[sarslip]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trash_Humpers

[TVC15]

Trash Humpers is like the most underrated Korine flick. The "WTF did I just watch?!" factor is SUPER HIGH.

[sarslip]

i endorse any Dogme 95 films

[Eric P]

i watch a lot of found footage films but i don't really like or dislike them based on the format, at least conceptually.  I do find that there are a great number of bad ones produced, but i'm curious if it's just because they're cheaper to make traditional films. 

i think i prefer "fake documentary" to strictly found footage w/r/t my fictional non-fiction film genres

[Phoenix Dark]

I enjoyed Blair Witch Project because of the mystique around the film and how I saw it. A neighbor told my mom about it back when it came out, and how it was real footage, etc etc. When it came out on VHS my mom rented it and man, I was impressed. I legit thought it was real. I can watch it today and still enjoy it.

Outside of that? I agree with Esch. Shit is wack and there's no real tension. I can't suspend my belief while witnessing an obviously fake ploy. It's a gimmick that was cool the first few times but now? Nah. When my brother got back from Africa he watched like 3 Paranormal Activity films back to back to back...I watched one and was just so turned off by the fuckery, I just couldn't understand why he fucked with it. I just threw my hands up and said this man has spent years in Africa helping poor children...I can't give him an L for being entertained by such light material now that he's back in America.

[MrAngryFace]

If I saw these in a forest I would shit my pants.

[Great Rumbler]

Occasionally it works to the movie's advantage, most times it's just annoying and makes me wish the movie had an actual cinematographer instead.

[StealthFan]

Blair Witch owned. Rest is hot

[Great Rumbler]

I liked Cloverfield and Troll Hunters, that's about it.

I'd rather have the effect as an enhancement for particular scenes, like the way Children of Men had a few POV-style scenes [even though the camera wasn't representing a character].

[team filler]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trash_Humpers

http://youtu.be/dvyvZK2kDoM?t=7m37s lol


original [rec] is good

[jakefromstatefarm]

I remember not hating Cloverfield

[Eric P]

my favorite thing about Cloverfield is the cameraman's name is Hud.

[king of the internet]

I really like the style even though the quality to shit ratio leans very, very heavily to the latter. I think the faux-realness can be super effective if done right. Blair Witch is still prob. the best example other than maybe Rec. Still, most don't justify the first 45 mins or so of set-up/utter tedium.

[Human Snorenado]

I genuinely find it to be shit, and the fact that it's most commonly associated with "horror" and that happens to be my least favorite genre doesn't help.

This has all made my decades long friendship with the director of the first VHS segment awwwwwwwkward.

[Raban]

I thought Cloverfield was decent

[king of the internet]

I genuinely find it to be shit, and the fact that it's most commonly associated with "horror" and that happens to be my least favorite genre doesn't help.

This has all made my decades long friendship with the director of the first VHS segment awwwwwwwkward.

First VHS segment was awesome tho. I'd get all up in that harpie. 

[Human Snorenado]

I genuinely find it to be shit, and the fact that it's most commonly associated with "horror" and that happens to be my least favorite genre doesn't help.

This has all made my decades long friendship with the director of the first VHS segment awwwwwwwkward.

First VHS segment was awesome tho. I'd get all up in that harpie. 

I know her too- local Atlanta actress and all around decent human being and sweetheart. She does have really weird, big eyes though.

[team filler]

I genuinely find it to be shit, and the fact that it's most commonly associated with "horror" and that happens to be my least favorite genre doesn't help.

This has all made my decades long friendship with the director of the first VHS segment awwwwwwwkward.

First VHS segment was awesome tho. I'd get all up in that harpie. 

I know her too- local Atlanta actress and all around decent human being and sweetheart. She does have really weird, big eyes though.

hook me up

[Tasty]

Dude I think andrex might be older than you

Well, I age faster.

EDIT: I'm a 1990 baby, so maybe I am younger?

Nah, you're an oldie.

Anyways, found footage has been exploited by Hollywood since Paranormal Activity into low-budget trash. There's still some good stuff every now and then, but fuck I see stuff like As Above So Below and it looks SO overproduced that it's completely contrary to the entire idea of found footage. Blair Witch and REC got it right. Hell, I even loved the first Paranormal Activity when it came out. But when Hollywood smells money in the water they attack like a shark. The low budgets were an excellent excuse to make a bajillion of them without giving a care.

The VHS series has always been 90% trash, the latest one was 150% trash. If you want a good recent found footage horror flick, check out Home Movie. Very unsettling. The Poughkeepsie Tapes is also pretty disturbing.

[TVC15]

I enjoyed The Poughkeepsie Tapes, although I remember it not having much of an ending. I want to see it again--it used to be streaming somewhere but now it's not even for rental.

[Himu]

For some reason I thought you were talking about films like sugata sanshiro or metropolis

[recursivelyenumerable]

in general i'm not a fan but I enjoy watching videos accidentally taken by my phone while it is in my pocket.

[Bebpo]

Chronicle
[REC]
Last Haunted House segment of VHS1
Cloverfield
Blair Witch (although I've heard it doesn't hold up these days.  When it was first shopped around as real it was pretty freaky).

are the best ones, though I'm probably forgetting something.  It definitely works for some films.  It works especially for horror because by putting you in the shoes of the character it recreates the uncertainty and chaos of being in the thick of it. 

[Bebpo]

But everyone should watch Chronicle regardless.  Will make anyone a Dane Dehaan fan.

[jakefromstatefarm]

Dane Dehaan

The Place Beyond the Pines

[toku]

Hate them. The only ones that have impressed me since Blair Witch were these admittedly cheesey B-tier canadian horror films Grave Encounters 1 and 2.

[Eric P]

For some found footage fun, check out Cannibal Holocaust which was so "real" looking that the director was brought up on murder charges.

spoiler (click to show/hide)

do not check out Cannibal Holocaust

[close]

[Human Snorenado]

That turtle

[Himu]

I loved chronicle

[iconoclast]

I don't mind them when they're done well. REC is great and Noroi is one of the best horror movies I've ever seen.

[Enl]

Found footage has been one of those genres that I have a real hard time getting myself to watch these days. The moment it pops up in a description my brain just shuts it out. It's been abused a lot recently because of how cheap it usually is to produce and can usually generate a profit. Usually I don't jump in unless I'm consistantly seeing good reviews for one from most of my horror outlets (though that didn't help for Paranormal Activity which I found to be a bore). A lot of them just rely on creepy sounds and build up to its own "shocking end". Lately I have enjoyed the more out there found footage attempts, like the Safe Haven segment of V/H/S 2 done by The Raid creators, and more recently As Above, So Below which was a more Hollywoody attempt than it is trying be something real and in the moment. I've been wanting to check out Willow Creek by Bobcat Goldthwait, but yeah, the found footage aspect has kept me putting it off.

[nudemacusers]

the only one that really struck me was the OG (blair witch)... was housesitting for a family in the ass middle of nowhere during a storm and it came on starz... while it didn't scare me, it definitely put me on edge all night as I tried to sleep lol. the only other purely found footage movie I dug was that chronicle movie, and that was a bit goofy in places simply because the camera was a little too conveniently roped into the goings on of the narrative.

[fistfulofmetal]

[REC] is the Bret Hart of found footage films.

[Oblivion]

Do the Paranormal Activity movies count? Not gonna lie, while I don't think they're particularly good movies, they are sort of a guilty pleasure of mine. I mostly watch them just to see what kind of new camera gimmick they'll use (PA4 was pretty distinguished mentally-challenged with its use of Kinect )

[Tasty]

Chronicle is fricking great.

Shame we'll never get Max Landis' Chronicle 2 even though it sounded amazing.

[Tasty]

I don't mind them when they're done well. REC is great and Noroi is one of the best horror movies I've ever seen.

HOLY FUCK NOROI

Jesus Christ that movie. Kicking myself for forgetting it. That shit's top-tier scare stuff for sure.

[toku]

Chronicle is fricking great.

Shame we'll never get Max Landis' Chronicle 2 even though it sounded amazing.

It really isn't.

[nudemacusers]

the idea of chronicle was cool but the execution was stifled by the need to be totally 'found footage'. should have done a combo.

[Tasty]

Chronicle is fricking great.

Shame we'll never get Max Landis' Chronicle 2 even though it sounded amazing.

It really isn't.

http://screenrant.com/chronicle-2-story-details-max-landis/

Sounded great to me.

[Bebpo]

Found footage has been one of those genres that I have a real hard time getting myself to watch these days. The moment it pops up in a description my brain just shuts it out. It's been abused a lot recently because of how cheap it usually is to produce and can usually generate a profit. Usually I don't jump in unless I'm consistantly seeing good reviews for one from most of my horror outlets (though that didn't help for Paranormal Activity which I found to be a bore). A lot of them just rely on creepy sounds and build up to its own "shocking end". Lately I have enjoyed the more out there found footage attempts, like the Safe Haven segment of V/H/S 2 done by The Raid creators, and more recently As Above, So Below which was a more Hollywoody attempt than it is trying be something real and in the moment. I've been wanting to check out Willow Creek by Bobcat Goldthwait, but yeah, the found footage aspect has kept me putting it off.

Oh yeah, willow creek is a good watch.  Don't expect too much though, film is zero budget and super mumblecore.

[Tasty]

Yeah, I wasn't exaggerating about that one lol.