The Found Footage Phenomenon Review

3 star feature length in-depth documentary.

The Found Footage Phenomenon is a 2022 Shudder Original documentary, written, directed and produced by Sarah Appleton (The Brains Behind the Nightmare) and Phillip Escott (3 Days on Planet Earth).

It is available to stream now on Shudder.

“When found footage is done well it feels like you’re watching real people in real situations and that means that there’s real stakes.”

This new documentary looking at the found footage genre explores it’s roots, as far back as epistolary novels such as Frankenstein and Dracula, which presented the story in the form of letters.

We then move on into film making, with films in the sixties which featured a visible camera within the film itself, and then the first film to pretend that events were real, Cannibal Holocaust by Ruggero Deodato (Cursed Films II).

As we travel through the decades towards the present day, numerous directors, producers and experts in the field examine the evolution of the genre through the decades and how it is likely to continue moving forwards.

They also examine the impact that this sub genre has had on both the horror genre and filmmaking in general, as well as the way in which it has changed the viewing habits and expectations of the cinema goers/viewers.

We hear from Dean Alioto (The McPherson Tape), regarded by some as the Godfather of found footage, Eduardo Sanchez (The Blair Witch Project), Stefan Avalos (The Last Broadcast) and Steven DeGennaro (Found Footage 3D) as well as many others.

“The Internet became where footage could be found for a lot of people in real life.”

The Found Footage Phenomenon is an interesting documentary which will certainly appeal to fans of the genre. Those who are not so keen will probably find it as exasperating as the genre about which they are talking. They over explain quite a lot and most of the people interviewed say the same things, just phrased differently, much like many of the found footage films that have been made.

It’s a good watch and interesting to see how it all started, but it would have benefitted from being considerably shorter and more concise. Worth a watch if you are into found footage horror, but unlikely to change your mind if you are not.

“Found footage now is an absolutely legitimate genre, because the grammar of cinema has changed so dramatically.”