Contributing to the media obsession was the fact that Paranormal Activity made a killing at the box office, bringing in close to $200 million (estimated worldwide gross) while being made on an estimated budget of only $15 thousand. Its no surprise that countless imitators have come along since, looking to get a piece of the action. The unfortunate thing is that, now, everyone with a handy cam thinks they can be the next Tarantino.
Inside, we take a look at the best and worst found footage films and film you in as to who got it right and who got it terribly, terribly wrong.
Paranormal Activity
Paranormal Activity gets it right in a lot of ways. Writer-director Oren Peli really revolutionized, both the found footage and haunted house sub-genres. He made a film on less than a shoestring budget (before the studio came in, injected some more money to cover other costs) and he did it seamlessly. Peli really impressed me with his directorial debut. The scares are frequent and quite terrifying. The simplistic approach proved to the benefit of the finished product. The lack of frills and the crude nature of the production lent an added eeriness to the film. This is most certainly one of the best found footage films to come out since The Blair Witch Project.
Lake Mungo
This film is brought to us by Joel Anderson in his feature film debut. Lake Mungo breaks the mold of the traditional found footage film. Mixing news footage with interviews and home video, it provides a unique spin on the more conventional approach to found footage. On some levels, the film actually surprised me. Ive seen a lot of poorly-constructed and simply bad films from After Dark Horrorfest. Lake Mungo separates itself from the pack with above-average acting, reasonably good production value and fair effects. However, in spite of everything it had going for it, Lake Mungo had major problems with pacing. The film takes too long to take off. Even though the film is fairly well made, I found myself bored and waiting for something to happen. Unfortunately, when Lake Mungo finally got where it was going, I was too irritated with the films lack of direction to actually enjoy it. I cant recommend it.
The Last Exorcism
This flick takes an interesting spin on exorcism films. Rather than rehashing what weve seen time and again, it brings some new ideas to the table. The twists along the way keep the viewer guessing and the twist at the end was unexpected. I liked virtually every aspect of The Last Exorcism. The films pace kept me engaged. The effects were simple, but believable. The story managed to be fairly original. The camera work was quality. There were very few of the typical motion sickness inducing shakes and jolts that have come to be associated with the found footage genre. The only thing that didnt work for me was that Ashley Bells performance, as Nell, felt overacted. It wasnt so bad that it became a derailer of my overall enjoyment of the film, though. Beyond that, I have no complaints. This is well worth a look and my pick for the best found footage film to come out in the wake of Paranormal Activity. The Last Exorcism is worth a look.
Paranormal Entity
Paranormal Entity is just one in a long line of Asylum rip offs. Asylum made no effort to even try to disguise their intent to clone the success of Paranormal Activity and capitalize on the profitability of the found footage phenomenon. I was actually shocked at just how unapologetically Asylum ripped off Paranormal Activity. The acting is awful. None of the cast brought any level of believability or depth to their performances. The plot is unoriginal, obviously. The camera work is so shaky that it gave me a headache. I found zero redeeming qualities in Paranormal Entity. Im going to recommend steering clear of this rubbish.
Troll Hunter
Trollhunter is written and directed by André Ovredal, who brought us Future Murder in 2000. This sophomore effort from Ovredal is an interesting spin on the found footage genre. The premise is far-fetched and a little ridiculous, but it works. The cast is likeable. There are some genuinely funny moments in Troll Hunter. The troll effects are good. The film is quirky, bizarre and highly enjoyable. If you havent had the opportunity to check it out, definitely do so.
The Devil Inside
I cant say that The Devil Inside was all bad. It certainly wasnt all good, either. It had some legitimately frightening moments and a couple of good jump scares. The effects are decent and the acting is bearable; on the other hand, the direction is weak and so is the script. The film borrows too heavily from superior films like The Exorcist. The ending came directly out of left field and offered no closure for any of the events of the preceding 90 minutes, which makes the entire film feel like a waste. The Devil Inside could have been more than what it was if writing duo William Brent Bell and Matthew Peterman had given more attention to the rushed and premature ending. As it stands, this one is worth avoiding unless its on television and you are in a body cast and unable to reach the remote.
Home Movie
Writer-director Christopher Denham has a couple dozen acting credits to his name, but curiously, Home Movie is his only attempt at directing. I was left wanting to see more from Denham. He picked up a warranted Best Up And Coming Director award at the Sitges International Film Festival for Home Movie, but this is all we have seen come from this director.
The film works on several levels. It succeeds at building a mounting sense of tension throughout the first portion of the film and then rewards the viewers patience with a stunning finale. The effects, although nothing spectacular, serve their purpose well. Home Movie manages to be sufficiently disturbing without resorting to the over-the-top intestinal ripping antics of many of its contemporaries. This one rates towards the front of the pack of the found footage films weve examined. I would wholeheartedly suggest seeking this one out.
Cloverfield
Cloverfield is directed by Matt Reeves, known for his work on televisions Felicity. It was written by Drew Goddard who penned the script for The Cabin in the Woods. I have never been able to get in to this film. Ive watched it several times. Each time, I expect to like it and I try to enjoy it, but it never works for me. I find the pacing too sluggish and the characters impossible to warm up to or take any interest in. If anything, Cloverfield elicits an “Im glad theyre dead” kind of reaction from me when the characters are picked off by the giant monster. Speaking of the giant monster, I thought the monster effects were way too overdone. I realize that doing a giant monster movie with practical effects might be asking too much in the digital era, but I know Im not alone in wishing for a less computerized looking monster. I cant get behind recommending this one.
Quarantine
John Erick Dowdle, who brought us The Poughkeepsie Tapes, co-wrote and directed Quarantine. This one was just “okay,” for me. I didnt love or hate it. My enjoyment was marginal. I enjoyed Jennifer Carpenters performance. I also liked the claustrophobic feeling that the film achieves by setting nearly the entire film in one location. Quarantine didnt necessarily do it better than REC and it didnt really bring anything new to the table. It was a bit of an unnecessary reimagining. Its worth a look, but if you havent seen REC, check that out first. REC is definitely the superior film here.
Monster
This film was released direct-to-DVD three days before the theatrical release of Cloverfield. Monster is yet another Asylum “mockbuster.” The camerawork is extra shaky, even for a found footage film. The acting is laughably bad. The plot is an obvious attempt to capitalize on the hype surrounding Cloverfield. Theres nothing to see here. This one is bad, even for an Asylum release. Stay away. The end.
The Amityville Haunting
This is yet another failed attempt at movie making by Asylum. This looks like someone cut together a bunch of poorly-edited footage and called it a movie. The camera work is so bad I thought I was going to have a seizure. The acting is equally laughable. Its the kind of acting that would even be bad on a soap opera. Even the deaths are unintentionally funny. Its sad to see that this is what the Amityville franchise has digressed to. Stay away from this. This flaming pile of crap is not worth your time or money. This easily takes the cake for the worst found footage flick on the list.
To look at the future of found footage movies, check out this check list of what’s to come!
