My thoughts on “Found Footage” type movies: It only really works once, and is dependent on spoilers not being leaked. Blair Witch had a great set up – but this was before we had the tsunami of internet spoilers of today. When Blair Witch came out, my roommate was following all the viral stories and fake interviews and when she finally saw the movie she was so scared she locked the deadbolt on our apartment so I couldn’t get in after a night out. I pounded on her window but she was convinced I was the Blair Witch coming to get her so she didn’t answer me for long enough that I was soaked by the rain when she finally did. My date was laughing his ass off. Good times.
It was really the first big success of it’s kind, but once the cat was out of the bag, it was over. No one ever really recaptured that War-of-the-Worlds type magic with Found Footage movies – the closest may have been Paranormal Activity. Without the general population *believing* that this is real, found footage, it just becomes a poorly filmed, usually kinda boring, movie. I think it has it’s place, but it works much better as something that is supporting the main feature. Like The Ring tape – it’s a film within the film. Found Footage also works as extra stuff for the credits, cut scenes, and bonus features for the DVD, but ultimately, I think it’s going to be really hard to ever make another successful Found Footage full-length feature film.
Hauntcadia 