Nerds That Geek Documentary Review: ‘The Found Footage Phenomenon’

Written by John Edward Betancourt

Caution: This article contains spoilers for the documentary film, ‘The Found Footage Phenomenon’.
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There was a time, where found footage horror movies… were nothing but an afterthought to the casual and hardcore horror fan. For they seemed like nothing more than low-budget outliers, the kind of thing handled by a group of friends on the weekend, so they deserved little attention and little mind. But somewhere along the line, that changed, and this particular format of storytelling became wildly popular amongst the masses. To the point where people were suddenly flocking to see them in theaters, since the studios were getting in on the game as well and just like that... they were everywhere and now they’re beloved and that is quite the incredible journey for this type of film to go upon.
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But it does beg some questions… in that… what were the turning points that allowed for these movies to be accepted by audiences everywhere? Not to mention… what are their humble origins? Because a concept like this doesn’t just pop up overnight and it just so happens, that Shudder is now host to a powerful documentary about the found footage film called, The Found Footage Phenomenon. Which takes the time to answer those all-important questions by exploring the illustrious history of this subgenre of horror, starting with its surprisingly ancient humble beginnings. Because believe it or not, found footage horror films didn’t start in the 1990s with The Last Broadcast and The Blair Witch Project, their origin came about by way of the 1960 film, Peeping Tom.

Which is a motion picture that used first person perspective with the camera, to plunge the viewer into dark moments. The kind that would set the tone for the genre, and while it didn’t influence the studios to make waves of found footage movies, its originality and gravity definitely opened doors for more of these types of movies to come forth and many eventually did, and one of note… would be Cannibal Holocaust. Because that too was a pioneering found footage flick, one that definitely cooled the genre for a bit with its excessive and wanton and unfortunately real violence. But this is a subgenre that cannot stay dormant forever and the arrival of the internet and concerns about it, allowed for two critical movies to come to life.

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For the late 1990s were host to the release of The Last Broadcast and The Blair Witch Project and their raw look at humanity’s future struggle to discern truth from fiction and use of viral marketing (before that was a term), respectively, allowed for these motion pictures to take the world by storm and wow everyone with their ability to scare audiences and they of course, inspired others to make these types of films as well before another dip in their popularity took place. Which ended in 2007 when YouTube and viral marketing became a regular thing… allowing for these films to become a fixture at last and for the classics to find a new audience and it really was quite incredible to learn about how moments in time made this type of movie so popular and how far back this subgenre goes.

But where this documentary truly shines, is in its comprehensive examinationof what makes these films popular, and how they continue to resonate when it seems as though they’ve reached a plateau and that relates to the fact that these movies… touch something primal in all of us. Because they in essence latch onto our darkest fears, courtesy of the realism they ground themselves within. For these movies use that realism to bring our worst fears to life and seeing them in front of us and forcing us to face them… is a powerful experience for certain. Plus, it doesn’t hurt that these motion pictures, are often timely and reflective of the zeitgeist of the times, allowing for them to really relate to the audience when they arrive.

If anything, it is best to just call this documentary, the definitive exploration of the found footage film. Since it picks the brain of so many of the pioneers that helped to bring this subgenre into the limelight, and it offers such incredible insight into this type of movie and what they mean to fans and how they stay relevant. Not to mention, it features clips and vignettes and stories from a bevy of movies from across the found footage spectrum. A decision that should motivate a great deal of the viewers that tune in to seek out the ones they haven’t seen, to enjoy something fresh and exciting, and new. But the best news of all, is that if you’ve swung by this review to get an idea of what this documentary is all about… and we’ve done enough to pique your curiosity… you can see The Found Footage Phenomenon on Shudder right now and we certainly hope you do. Because this really is a fascinating documentary about a subgenre of horror that deserves its day in the sun.

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