Summary

• The found footage subgenre in horror films has been overused since the success of The Blair Witch Project and Paranormal Activity.
• Netflix offers a range of recent found footage movies, including Taiwanese horror Incantation and Turkish horror Dabbe: The Possession.
• Creep and Cam are standout films in the found footage genre, offering a balance of satire, comedy, and real-world terror.

The found footage subgenre has been used (or rather overused) in horror flicks since the success of The Blair Witch Project and the Paranormal Activity franchise, but some of the best recent found footage movies are now on Netflix. Found footage movies most often fall under the horror or thriller umbrella because the "found footage" meant to simulate hand-held cameras used by amateurs or phone footage cobbled together allows filmmakers to slowly parse out clues for the audience in a unique way.

2022's Taiwanese found footage horror, Incantation, is a recent example on Netflix. While Incantation has drawn positive acclaim, the streaming service also offers some other picks that incorporate even comedic and action overtones apart from the horror conventions. The recommendations can range from paranormal investigative stories to a satirical true crime duology by Mark Duplass.

The Bridge Curse (2020)

Directed by Lester Hsi

The Taiwanese thriller is a ghost story that features a prank gone wrong in the past and an investigative reporter trying to follow the route of the urban legend that inspired the prank in the present. There’s an effective use of found footage to document the creepiness of the location at the center of the story.

The bridge itself is in an isolated part of a school campus where students use the urban legend of a young woman who died there after being rejected by her boyfriend to play pranks on new students. Upperclassmen urge younger students to visit the bridge with the intention of scaring them into believing the bridge is haunted, but as the reporter discovers, there might be truth to the hauntings - and the disappearances of students. Horror fans looking for something new in the found footage arena likely won’t find it here, but the story is an enjoyable one.

Dabbe: The Possession (2013)

Directed by Hasan Karacadag

One of the better installments of the Dabbe franchise, this Turkish found-footage horror delves into a paranormal investigator and an exorcist's efforts to free a woman from supernatural control. The low-budget production design and shaky camera might not offer the most comfortable viewing experience, but the local setting offers a break from the usual exorcism tropes of Hollywood.

Instead of the familiar Catholic chants, viewers get insight into Islamic folk traditions. Given that one of the protagonists is a firm believer and the other is a cynic, the duo's clash of ideals makes for an interesting plot point. Apart from the exorcism scenes, there is also plenty of gory body horror to add to the scares.

The low-budget production design and shaky camera might not offer the most comfortable viewing experience, but the local setting offers a break from the usual exorcism tropes of Hollywood.

Paranormal Investigation (2018)

Directed by Franck Phelizon

Paranormal Activity inspired an entire pantheon of found-footage horror movies, with some even sporting similar-sounding names. Paranormal Investigation is, by no means, a cinematic masterpiece, but is still engaging enough for Netflix s searching for a quick watch.

Still, despite all the dated gags, there is an effort to create an authentic feel to the investigation, especially in scenes that focus more on the atmospheric terror than the actual spirits.

It ticks off all the common clichés as a boy gets possessed by a spirit after an encounter with an Ouija board. Now, it is up to a ghost hunter and his camera to unravel the mystery. Still, despite all the dated gags, there is an effort to create an authentic feel to the investigation, especially in scenes that focus more on the atmospheric terror than the actual spirits.

Franck Phelizon also directed Louise's Diary 1942 (2010)

Creep (2014)

Directed by Patrick Brice

One of the best Blumhouse films of the 2010s, Creep stars Mark Duplass as an eccentric rich man who invites a documentary filmmaker over for a paid project to his house. Asking him to just record his day-to-day activities, the titular creep exhibits behavior that turns from downright strange to straightforwardly sociopathic.

The film's biggest strength lies in its balance of satirical comedy and real-world terror. With zero special effects, most of Creep's camcorder-recorded footage utilizes normal everyday objects and Duplass' twisted, over-the-top theatrics as the lead character. Just the scene of a man popping up in a wolf mask is enough to send chills down viewers' spines.

Missing (2023)

Directed by Nicholas D. Johnson and Will Merrick

Missing is the sequel to Searching, which starred John Cho on a quest to find his missing daughter. This time around, Storm Reid stars as a daughter whose mother goes missing while on vacation. The trouble is that her mother has gone missing in a completely different country, which means there’s a lot of legal red tape that prevents her from getting information about her mother while she’s thousands of miles away.

June (Reid) uses living in the digital age to her advantage. The movie makes use of social media footage, video calls, and computer cameras to craft its story and lay out clues. It’s a great way to highlight how different it is when someone goes missing in the modern day compared to someone going missing even just 30 years ago. Reid also gives a stellar performance, just like John Cho before her.

The Missing (2023) serves as a spiritual sequel to Run (2020).

Incantation (2022)

Directed by Kevin Ko

Incantation is a Taiwanese horror that is perhaps one of the few found-footage films in recent years to garner largely positive critical acclaim. Released as a Netflix original, Incantation deals with a woman breaking a religious taboo after she recorded a ritual with a camera.

Right from this recording to the rest of the movie's found footage, chaos is unfurled as the repercussions of the protagonist's actions must now be faced by her daughter. Delving into occult practices and transmittable curses, the narrative's non-linear format interspersed makes Incantation a terrifying watch suited for a late-night horror binge.

Creep 2 (2017)

Directed by Patrick Brice

Mark Duplass returns as the titular antagonist in Creep 2, a sequel that ups the scale of its predecessor's thrills by pitting the creep against an equally deranged woman who looks up to his skills at executing high-level pranks and jump scares.

With both sides getting recorded from all sorts of camera angles, Creep 2 is a delightful if not chaotic mockumentary-style found-footage horror

With both sides getting recorded from all sorts of camera angles, Creep 2 is a delightful if not chaotic mockumentary-style found-footage horror that feels as real as it is absurd. With a third movie planned for the future, Creep 2 is a must-watch for fans of offbeat and satirical found-footage movies.

Cam (2018)

Directed by Daniel Goldhaber

Delving into the troubled life of a camgirl, Cam switches between widescreen and found-footage screen settings to narrate a deeply unsettling tale of psychological horror. The conventional route would be to just add some glitchy webcam effects in such a premise, but a Kafkaesque touch is added when the protagonist must deal with an exact replica of herself in her cam shows.

The Blumhouse production is a tasteful take on both psychological and found-footage horror tropes with an ending that is bound to stay with audiences. Madeline Brewer's terrific dual performance is the cherry on top in Cam, one of Netflix's best found footage movies.