[Fright Fest Feature] Rediscovering Found Footage

Over the years I had grown increasingly tired of the "found footage" sub genre of horror. Most will be familiar with the format; a team of investigators or film makers venture into some remote part of the world to look into a grisly event and disappear. Sometime later however their recording equipment is found intact complete with footage which is extracted, edited and presented to cinema audiences worldwide. What makes these films popular is the inference they are true stories and executed properly, contain a gritty realism as seen from the players' point of view drawing audiences into the unfolding scary events. It is an interesting format that works well but unfortunately has seen that market become somewhat over-saturated  Fright Fest features a bevy of such found footage films which seem to have breathed new life into the format.

Principally, found footage films such as Blair Witch Project and Cannibal Holocaust, are popular with studios as they are relatively cheap to make. It is usually best to feature unknown actors as more famous ones will increase the budget and take away any realistic element.  The actors can be included in the technical process and given cameras to film their own scenes as they did with Blair Witch. From a creative point of view however found footage films give scope for the actors to improvise and the filmmakers to create a real sense of atmosphere using a wide array of filming techniques. However with so many such films on the market it has been a case of there being more bad films than good, leaving many fans a little jaded. 

This year's Fright Fest screenings featured a number of found footage films that have challenged the audience perceptions of this sadly over used format. Titles that have impressed Fright Festers include Bobcat Goldthwait's Willow Creek about a couple who hope to catch sight of the infamous Big Foot, and Paranormal Diaries; Clophill, a film investigating witchcraft and satanic rituals. Here is a look at a selection of found footage films featured at Fright Fest.

The Dyatlov Pass Incident

Sitting in the wrong seat having sauntered in just as the movie started, where I expected disappointment I was pleasantly surprised, the best of which was the joy of watching a Renny Harlin film on the big screen again. As timely as my train journey into the big city all the cliches arrived on cue; the true story backdrop, five young camera wielding investigators, interviews with the yokels and a last hurrah before venturing out into the snow covered treacherous mountains, perhaps never to be seen again.

Watch enough found footage films and these aspects creep in and make you feel as if you are essentially watching the same film over again. However Harlin has plenty to work with in Vikram Weet's intriguing script. Despite the film quality being a little too crisp for "found footage" there is no absence of tension or atmosphere. The reveal at the end might leave some viewers disappointed but with a conservative running time, and some decent performances, Dyatlov Pass set a fair standard for raised expectations of what was to follow. 

Frankenstein's Army

Reading the synopsis of this wonderfully entertaining and eerie production that really pushes the boundaries of creativity, it is fair to say that the "real" story element was bundled up and thrown out of the window. The story again has the usual elements; a rag tag group (this time Russian soldiers) venturing into the wilderness in search of another rag tag group who have gone missing. Yes there is a filmmaker who accompanies them but if you are wondering why a Russian filmmaker during World War II is armed with a seemingly modern day camera, this is dealt with quite comically in the film. 

During the height of World War II, a team of Russian soldiers venture into enemy held territory in search of their comrades who went missing. Accompanying them is a filmmaker with orders to record the journey as part of a propaganda film. Their investigation leads them to a compound where Hitler had commissioned a certain mad scientist to build him the ultimate army. Dutch director Richard Raaphorst's film was entertaining and engaging on many fronts mainly the tensions between the soldiers as the film progresses, the setting and genuine sense of atmosphere and of course the wonderfully macabre creations that unleash some creative and bloody mayhem.  
 

The Conspiracy

Christopher MacBride's entry into the found footage cinematic battle draws the viewer into a world that many tend to dismiss but still can't help but be fascinated with; the world of the conspiracy theory. From Area 51 to the September 11 attacks the conspiracy theorist with a hazy combination of wild eyed paranoia and logical scientific examination has helped cast shadows of doubt on much of what goes on around the world. All the trademarks of found footage are there, investigators in search of a missing person delving into sinister goings on, hidden cameras and a terrifying revelation to the point of cheesy cliche. However it works eerily well in its execution and treatment of the subject matter. 

Where The Conspiracy works is in its documentary format giving a high level of authenticity that is lacking from many other films of this type. Using this eerie realistic feel, MacBride introduces the conspiracy theory elements in great detail and whether you believe in them or not, many of such theories have an air of truth and convincingness to make one stop and think. Unlike so many other found footage films, its scares do not lie in the supernatural but in the far more terrifying reality of greed and power. The ultimate reveal is a little far fetched but all in all The Conspiracy has tension and and atmosphere to boot and is almost a guaranteed conversation starter about the existence of secret societies and whether or not conspiracy theorists might just be right after all.  

v/h/s/ 2

Horror anthologies are back with a vengeance with some of the biggest names from independent cinema contributing a segment which combined launch an all out war on the human senses. The rapper story is that of two private investigators hired to search for a woman's missing son. They arrive at his apartment and find a pile of videotapes with a recorded instruction to play them in a specific order. As each horrifying segment is viewed the grisly nature of the young man's disappearance is revealed. 

Of all the found footage PoV (point of view) style films featured at Fright Fest v/h/s 2 is by far the most entertaining for light scares and lots of laughter, with Safe Haven, co-directed by The Raid's Gareth Evans being the star player. Dispensing with all the authentic documentary style with a story bogged down with facts, v/h/s 2 is out thrill from start to finish and succeeds. All the stories are told from a variety of recorded PoV films ranging from a prosthetic eye enabling its wearer to see dead people to a helmet cam of a zombie cyclist. The array of well known indie directors including Evans, Adam Wingard (You're Next) and the found footage master Eduardo Sanchez (Blair Witch Project) each bring their own brand of suspense and humour to their individual segments all linked together with the engaging underlining story. This is the perfect example of taking a familiar format and having lots of fun with it and still able to conjure the scares.

I can honestly say the Fright Fest has restored my faith in the found footage genre although there is still a barrage of awful titles to trawl before you get the to good stuff. Still, it just goes to show that a familiar formula can still be tinkered with to create something that is imaginative, filled with scares and humour aplenty.