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When done well, found footage horror can take you on an immersive journey through terror. Memorable films can use their limitations and scope to create an unsettling atmosphere and potent scares, but avoiding the subgenre’s pitfalls, like explaining the found footage itself, can be tricky. Never mind that the digital age has complicated the definition of “found footage,” incorporating everything POV from livestreams to Zoom meetings.
In other words, compelling found footage isn’t as easy to execute as it may seem, but plenty of blood-curdling horrors are still left to be mined from the subgenre.
This week’s streaming picks are dedicated to found footage horror with a twist; it’s Halloween season, after all. These five found footage gems bring the scares and Halloween spirit.
Here’s where you can stream them.
For more Stay Home, Watch Horror picks, click here.
The Blair Witch Project – HBO Max, Hulu, Paramount+, Pluto TV
In October 1994, a trio of film students set off into the woods near Burkittsville, Maryland, to film a documentary about the local urban legend of the Blair Witch. Only their found footage is left to tell their tale of horror. This formative found footage horror movie is a perfectly spooky Halloween tale and now makes for the perfect time to watch if you haven’t yet. It may not take place on Halloween proper, but its October setting is close enough.
The Collingswood Story – AMC+, Shudder
Director Michael Costanza’s 2002 found footage movie was among the first, if not the first, to explore webcam usage. When Rebecca leaves home to attend college in Collingswood, New Jersey, her boyfriend gifts her with a webcam so that they can maintain their long-distance relationship. Told through the webcam over the days leading up to Halloween, it becomes clear something is seriously wrong with Rebecca’s new living quarters. It’s a brisk 80-minute story that sees spooky things happen when a couple tries their hand at a long-distance relationship through technology. While not the scariest, this time capsule horror movie presents an interesting glimpse into the era while spinning a lean and fun ghost story.
Hell House LLC – Plex, Prime Video, Shudder, Roku, Tubi, Vudu
A group of friends works to transform an old hotel into a Halloween haunt attraction in time for the season. An unexplained accident on their first night in business resulted in the tragic deaths of 15 attendees and staff members. Over a decade later, a documentary crew ventures there to answer what happened on that fateful night. Written and directed by Stephen Cognetti, this faux-documentary-style horror movie brings many thrills and chills. The maze-like setup of the home and the subtle details enhance the spooky tone. This place is haunted and will instill a deep fear of clowns.
V/H/S – Crackle, Hulu, Kanopy, Plex, Pluto TV
With V/H/S/99 heading to Shudder very soon, now’s a great time to revisit the original. The Bloody Disgusting-produced anthology assembles five tales of terror, but the final segment of this horror anthology is set on Halloween. In Radio Silence’s “10/31/98,” four friends in costume head out to a Halloween bash, only they wind up at the wrong address. The house they’ve stumbled into happens to be dealing with a very real haunting.
Deadstream – AMC+, Shudder
The feature directorial debut from husband-and-wife filmmaking couple Vanessa and Joseph Winter follows a disgraced internet personality who attempts to win back his followers by livestreaming one night alone in a haunted house. It’s perfect for Halloween; disgraced YouTuber Shawn (Joseph Winters) gets decked out in holiday gear as he introduces his latest stunt as a Halloween event. Messing with the supernatural during their most threatening time of year? Whatever could go wrong? The Winters channel Sam Raimi in their delightfully gonzo horror-comedy full of bodily fluids, gore, and ghostly creatures. Seriously, it’s a 2022 highlight you won’t want to miss.