Well, well - in the first part of this series - you guys had a lot to say about the found
footage genre as a whole - and it’s safe to say that the vast majority of you are pretty
well seasoned when it comes to horror cinema of the handheld variety.
I guess that means we better do a part two, then.
Hello horror fans - and welcome back to the scariest channel on YouTube - Top 5 Scary
Videos - your go to guide for everything worth fueling your own nightmares.
As always, I’ll be your horror host Jack Finch - as we once again fire up the dusty
old projector - and take a look at the Top 5 Scary Horror Movies That Were Found Footage
- Part 2.
Roll the clip.
Before we willingly dive into the frightful world of found footage horror - we’ve gotta
get it out of the way - you know the rules of the house by now horror fans - if you’re
a fan of this video, found footage horror cinema - or just Top 5 Scary Videos in general,
then please - be a dear and hit that thumbs up button as well as that subscribe bell so
you can stay updated with our latest and greatest uploads.
Also, make sure to stick around right up until the end - as I’ll be reading out some of
your more awesome comments from the past few days.
On with the show.
Kicking off at Number 5 - Grave Encounters
Now you guys had a lot to say about this particular film in the first part of this series - and
rightly so, because put it this way - if every episode of Most Haunted was as awesome as
this - then we’d have enough content to keep us going for the next few decades.
Written and directed by The Vicious Brothers AKA Colin Minihan and Stuart Ortiz - Grave
Encounters is a 2011 Canadian supernatural horror film that strikes at the vein of paranormal
reality TV.
Which - as I mentioned previously, is a much needed antidote to the found footage genre
as a whole.
We, as an audience, need to be able to suspend our disbelief when faced with such a personal
depiction of horror - again, it strikes the question - why are they still filming?
Well - the film follows Lance Preston - the charismatic host of Grave Encounters - an
infamous ghost investigation TV series, and his crew as they make their way through the
abandoned mental asylum, Collingwood Psychiatric Hospital.
What plays out is a genuinely nerve wracking classic ghost story.
I’m not going to sugar coat it - there’s not much more to the plot other than the pursuit
of the paranormal - and the pains that come with it - but as far as that goes, Grave Encounters
does it very convincingly - and it’s jammed with some genuinely uneasy moments.
So much so, that the Vicious Brothers have extended the Grave Encounters series, and
developed quite the cult following in the process.
Coming in next at Number 4 - Devil’s Pass
Now if you’re aware of the Dyatlov Pass Incident - then this film will definitely
strike a chord as a terrifying adaptation of the notorious unexplained mystery.
For those of you not aware with the mystery, the Dyatlov Pass incident was the unsolved
deaths of nine ski hikers in the northern Ural Mountains in 1959 - in the former Soviet
Union.
To this date, their cause of death is still undetermined - and the strange occurrences
surrounding the Dyatlov Pass Incident have been the imaginative spark for dozens of conspiracy
theories and paranormal tales.
So, as far as a horror movie goes - Devil’s Pass draws from some pretty impressive source
material.
Directed by Renny Harlin, the man responsible for A Nightmare on Elm Street 4 - Devil’s
Pass follows the story of five college students who are determined to make a film about the
Dyatlov mystery - and what plays out is an unnerving interpretation of the events that
transpired.
To be honest, if you’re not a fan of conspiracy theories and government cover ups - you might
feel a bit bogged down with this film - but if you are, then Devil’s Pass is a sci-fi-horror
heart-pounding ride through the found footage genre, that’s smartly made - and surprisingly,
hilarious in parts.
Next up at Number 3 - Hell House LLC I went into this film with zero expectations
- and was terrifyingly surprised at how bloody good it was.
If you’re a fan of The Houses October Built - which was featured on our first list - then
you’ll find all of the same tropes in Hell House - but with more emphasis on the documentary
style meta-world building that found footage is so well built for.
This film kind of went under the radar for most people - and was shipped directly to
on demand services - but what’s surprising about this film is how well made it is for
something that was never intended to be seen on the big screen.
To be honest, Hell House never really strays too far from its driving paranormal mystery
- and we’re never fully given an explanation that diverges from the main casts perspective
- but that’s also why it kind of works.
There’s no exposition in this film at all - and that’s the way it should be - and
it convincingly captures that feeling of the unknown.
By playing out as a slow crawl that gradually unravels in media res - what we get is a genuinely
terrifying paranormal mystery, that if we suspend our disbelief - could just as well
be real.
Swinging in at Number 2 - The Taking of Deborah Logan
To be honest, this film could get on this list just for one scene in particular - and
if you’ve seen The Taking of Deborah Logan - then you’ll know exactly what scene I
mean.
If you’ve never seen this film, you’ve probably already seen the gif of it - because
holy moly, that ones messed up.
I don’t say this lightly - The Taking of Deborah Logan is a really, really good horror
flick - irregardless of the found footage genre.
I think then, that’s part of the reason why it was dismissed - people were tired of
the same old, same old - and as soon as they heard the phrase found footage slapped onto
it, they didn’t give it the chance it deserved.
But - what they would've found is a convincing display of found footage horror at its best.
Directed and co-written by Adam Robitel - The Taking of Deborah Logan follows a documentary
crew who are making a research film on patients suffering from Alzheimer's.
Their subject is Deborah Logan, an elderly woman with an aggressive form of the disease
- but as the crew quickly realises, that prognosis is pretty far from being correct - and there’s
something much more sinister at work.
One of my favourite parts of this film is Gavin - who after finding out that there’s
ritualistic murders involved in the case - just straight up quits on the spot and leaves.
I love it, and we never see him again - he’s just straight up gone, living his best life.
Remember guys, if you ever find yourself in a horror movie situation - be more Gavin!
And finally - at our Number 1 spot - The Tunnel Ahhh - holy moly.
This film is ridiculously good.
Equal parts thoroughly entertaining, convincingly made - and just straight up terrifying.
Which makes it so much more impressive then - that this is essentially a fan made film
- crowd funded by selling individual digital frames for a dollar a piece.
Now - I will forgive most criticisms with this film - and to be honest, if you weren’t
a fan of The Blair Witch Project - then in all likelihood, you won’t enjoy this.
It is very unforgiving with it’s handheld sequences - there’s a lot of disorientating
shots - but I don’t know about you, that’s exactly what I want in found footage horror.
I want to feel like I’ve stumbled upon a tape that shouldn’t be seen.
It’s the reason why I believe found footage horror can be so effective when it’s done
right.
It’s not entirely WHAT we see - it’s the small moments of chaos that force our imagination
to fill in the gaps.
On top of that, we have an extra layer of exposition from the documentary sequence - allowing
us to witness how the imminent threat ahead has affected the survivors.
What we get is a terrifying display of claustrophobic horror - that seriously is edge of your seat
stuff.
Give this one a watch - and then let me know your thoughts in the comment box down below,
and maybe we’ll have enough traction to pull off a Part 3.
Well - there we have it folks - but before we depart, let’s read some of your most
awesome comments from the past few days.
John O’Connor says - Would the Quarantine series fall under this genre?
And Jack is definitely the man and the only reason that I keep coming back to this channel.
Well John my dude, thanks for the kind words - and I would definitely say that the Quarantine
series falls under this genre - although I’d recommend the REC series, the original Spanish
versions too - which would’ve made this list, but we’ve covered it a bunch of times
in other videos.
Still - it’s awesome!
Next up - Mr. Nobody says, Why doesn’t anybody ever mention The Poughkeepsie Tapes?
I found that movie to be an incredibly terrifying found footage film, but nobody ever really
talks about it.
Well buddy - you’ve got great taste, and the Poughkeepsie Tapes actually made one of
my more recent lists - Top 5 Horror Movies That You Missed - which may, or may not be
released by the time of this videos upload.
Spooky, eh?
Well, unfortunately folks that’s all we’ve got time for in today’s video - cheers for
sticking around all the way to the end - as always, I’ve been your host Jack Finch - you’ve
been watching Top 5 Scary Videos - and until next time, you take it easy.