5 found footage horror movies you may not have seen (and where to stream them)

Found footage is one of those horror sub-genres that fans seem to either love or hate, there is very little “in between.” Those who dislike found footage often say they can’t handle the shaky camera work, or they don’t think the actors are very good.

While it is true that found footage horror movies are often low budget, I don’t think that’s a bad thing. For me, it’s what makes them seem real and raw, and I have felt that way since I fell in love with The Blair Witch Project back in 1999.

Of course, everyone is familiar with The Blair Witch Project, so I am not including it on this list of recommendations; instead, I am focusing on lesser known gems in the genre. Let’s dig in!

Butterfly Kisses – For me, this is honestly one of the best found footage films out there. Years ago, I wrote up an anniversary article for The Blair Witch Project and posted it on Twitter. Erik Kristopher Myers commented, saying I might like his little movie, called Butterfly Kisses. So, I watched it, and did indeed like it.

A struggling aspiring filmmaker named Gavin finds a box in his in-laws’ basement, marked “Don’t Watch”, and in the box are some tapes. Of course, he watches them, discovering a documentary made by film students Sophia and Feldman. In the doc, the two investigate a local urban legend concerning The Peeping Tom, who is said to appear at midnight when a person stares down the Ilchester tunnel for a full hour without blinking.

As the story goes, each time you blink, Peeping Tom gets closer until he is close enough to touch you with his abnormally long eyelashes, after which you die. Sophia and Feldman decide to set up a camera at the end of the tunnel, figuring it will count as an unblinking eye. But of course, things don’t go as planned. As Gavin becomes more obsessed with the tapes, his life begins to unravel.

Butterfly Kisses is streaming on Tubi.

Deadstream – Found footage doesn’t always have to be deadly serious, and Deadstream is a great example of how horror and comedy can be perfectly mashed up in the hands of the right filmmaker.

Our main character is Shawn, a disgraced internet live streamer who is trying desperately to gain back his followers. His MO has always been to record himself live while performing crazy stunts such as the Baby Moses Challenge, during which he went down some rapids in a baby bassinette with a pacifier in his mouth. He thinks his newest idea is his greatest yet. He plans to investigate Death Manor, a fairly well-known haunted house in the woods, all while livestreaming everything that happens.

What makes all of this crazy (and funny) is that Shawn is a total chicken s**t, so he spends a lot of time screaming and running away. But make no mistake about it, some of the stuff that goes down in Death Manor is genuinely frightening, so Deadstream keeps you on your toes throughout.

Fun fact: Joseph and Vanessa Winter wrote, directed, and produced Deadstream, and Joseph stars in the film as the lead character Shawn.

Deadstream can be streamed on Shudder and Tubi

Incantation – This Taiwanese film made a big splash on Netflix when it first debuted, but it’s still fairly unknown. In the first minutes of Incantation, we are introduced to Ronan, who speaks directly to the camera. She tells us that her little girl Dodo has been cursed, and that we, the viewers, can help lift the curse by reciting an incantation.

When then go back six years, when Ronan and her friends had an internet channel where they called themselves Ghost Busters. They were investigating a cult that followed a being known as Buddha Mother, and began secretly filming the cult as they performed their creepy rituals.

Of course, the sneaky filming doesn’t go over well, and thus Ronan’s unborn child is cursed. Everything is not as it seems in Incantation, and there is a pretty great twist at the end.

Incantation can be streamed on Netflix

The Houses October Built – What horror lover wouldn’t jump at the chance to tour across the country visiting seasonal haunted house attractions? Sounds like a dream vacation to me. Brandy, Zack, Jeff, Bobby, and Mikey are doing just that on the days leading up to Halloween. They visit the attractions, chat with the people who work there, and film their experiences.

Their dream location is a mysterious extreme haunt referred to as Blue Skeleton, but it’s hard to track down, because they move around. Blue Skeleton has a reputation for performing real acts of torture on guests.

As the group moves along, they begin to antagonize haunt employees, and find themselves being stalked by people in costumes, and eventually end up with an invitation to Blue Skeleton. The moral of the story is to be careful what you wish for.

The Houses October Built can be streamed on Tubi

The Last Broadcast – Filmmaker David Leigh starts an investigation into the odd case of two hosts from a cable series called Fact or Fiction. Hosts Johnny and Locus, along with soundman Rein, and psychic Jim went to the Pine Barrens in search of the legendary Jersey Devil. The plan was to broadcast their show live.

All four men went to the Barrens, but the only man who walked out alive was Jim. Two of the other men were found slaughtered, and Johnny was not found dead or alive. Jim was convicted of the murders, and later died in prison.

Leigh begins to look into all of the details, and is sent a mysterious videotape that is severely damaged. He hires an expert to reconstruct the tape, and some very unexpected events happen. The Last Broadcast was the very first feature film that was shot entirely on consumer-level digital.

The Last Broadcast is streaming on Tubi