10 Found Footage Horror Films That'll Make You Want to Turn the Lights On
People love to sleep on or overall write off found footage as the subgenre in which there’s too much shaky cam footage, horrible acting, or implausible reasoning as to why the cameras are still rolling. Meanwhile, there are plenty of found footage horror movies out there that don’t deserve to be thrown into the “let’s forget we watched this” bin. Just like with any subgenre in horror, it’s about finding the gems and, in this case, specifically finding the gems that may scare you enough to turn your lights on.
Yes, there are found footage films out there that could possibly scare you. Everyone’s scare meter is different, and what we all find scary or unsettling enough is subjective. However, at least one of the following films is guaranteed to do something to or for you upon watching it. Keeping an open mind is the best course of action here, folks.
The following films are found footage horror movies that may have you reaching for that light switch. You’ve been mostly warned!
GHOSTWATCH (1992)
Back in the ‘90s, nobody had the luxury of just grabbing their phone and looking up spoilers or even information. GHOSTWATCH aired on BBC One as part of a Halloween special, in which fooled people into believing that the paranormal investigation was legitimately unfolding. It’s a pseudo-documentary that scared the daylights out of people in the UK because of the effectiveness of the effects and the acting from everyone directly involved. Despite how we all know now that it wasn’t real, it still earns its place on this list for managing to be scary and for actually freaking people out back in the day.
NOROI: THE CURSE (2005)
A curious person filming a documentary? What could possibly go wrong, right? NOROI: THE CURSE follows the events and recordings that led up to the disappearance of a local paranormal investigator named Masafumi Kobayashi (Jin Muraki). The imagery throughout this film will make your eyes bug out, especially the ending, which features the utmost of dread and terror. And with the film having imperfect footage, it feels like we’re actually watching a failed documentary because of a disappearance.
THE TUNNEL (2011)
Sometimes what we don’t or what we see very little of proves to be just unsettling. THE TUNNEL follows a journalist and her crew who decide to make the mistake of exploring Sydney’s underground railway tunnel system. This isn’t a film that amps up the tension or the scares right away, it instead builds up to everything going entirely wrong. The scenes in the tunnels will make you wish they’d turn around and leave. Not to mention, when it’s revealed what’s down there - you’ll be grateful that it’s only a film.
HELL HOUSE LLC (2015)
Hauntings in found footage can be hit or miss, but this is genuinely one of the most effective found footage supernatural horror films to come out of the 2010s. HELL HOUSE LLC follows what happens leading up to and on a tragic night that took the lives of many people during opening night of a new haunted house attraction. There’s no explaining away props moving in the middle of the night, entities going into rooms, or brief moments of possession or supernatural influence. Yet the characters try their hardest to do so, until it’s too late, and what unfolds throughout is enough to make even a seasoned horror fan contemplate turning a light on.
GODFORSAKEN (2020)
Isolated location horror movies deserve a bit more appreciation, don’t they? GODFORSAKEN follows a man from a small Canadian town who makes the grave mistake of returning home and sticking around after a woman comes back to life during her own funeral. The madness and horrors that unravel are nothing short of chaotic. And considering how small and isolated the town is, there’s really no escaping what happens. Knowing that the characters can’t just easily drive to a nearby city for help is also a scary thought.
PARANORMAL ACTIVITY 3 (2011)
People are free to have their issues with the PARANORMAL ACTIVITY franchise at large, but this is by far one of the best films in it. PARANORMAL ACTIVITY 3 is set in the late ‘80s and is a prequel in which depicts what happened during young Kristi (Jessica Ray Brown) and young Katie’s (Chloe Csengery)’s household at the time. The final chunk of this film is nothing short of a horrible nightmare. Instead of rooting against the protagonist, Dennis (Chris Smith), you’ll be hoping that he doesn’t meet an undeserving fate. The scares in this actually work, and you’ll be grateful that you’re not having to experience them in real life.
GONJIAM: HAUNTED ASYLUM (2018)
Sticking around for what the film is building up to is quite wise in the case of this one. GONJIAM: HAUNTED ASYLUM follows a YouTube horror web series crew who decide to visit a haunted asylum in hopes of going viral. As far as South Korean horror goes, this is one that’s regarded highly for the moment everything goes from fun and games to serious. You’ll find yourself wondering what you’d even do in a situation like that. And that ultimately makes it all the more creepy and unsettling to picture.
AS ABOVE, SO BELOW (2014)
What would you do if you managed to briefly travel to hell? AS ABOVE, SO BELOW follows a woman named Scarlett (Perdita Weeks) and her documentary crew who travel down to the Paris Catacombs in hopes of finding the infamous philosopher’s stone, only to get more than they ever bargained for. The film is suffocating, nerve-wracking, and that’s not even just from the overall atmosphere the characters are stuck in. As a whole, this film is nightmarish, especially as they venture further into the catacombs.
DON’T PEEK (2025)
Moving into and continuing to stay in a serial killer’s former home is a disaster in of itself, obviously. DON’T PEEK follows a married couple who run a YouTube channel and get in over their heads when they realize their home was inhabited by a serial killer. Instead of being just about the serial killer, the film includes supernatural elements, and some of this will make you want to lock your bedroom door and turn on the light. Don’t let this being very unknown fool you into thinking it’s horrible, you may find yourself surprised if you pop this on.
LOOKY-LOO (2025) + LOOKY-LOO PART II (2026)
A regular and very deranged man entering homes, usually where women reside, to kill them for his own pleasure is unfortunately realistic. LOOKY-LOO introduces us to the killer, and LOOKY-LOO PART II explores what he gets up to after the events of the first film. The way the films are shot makes it feel more like you’re watching actual footage. And that’s somewhat scary, isn’t it? Especially as this man loves to break into people’s houses and kill as he pleases.
