10 Weird Found Footage Movies That Will Blow Your Mind
The found footage life is not for everyone. Like any other subgenre, it has its diehards and its doubters. It also has people who check in just for the chaos and confusion. Whatever makes you return to this arena, you know you’ll see some weird stuff, and there is a bizarre comfort in that. Sure, there are divisive projects like Skinamarink and titles that take you directly to hell à la As Above, So Below. However, there are also some understated titles that march to the beat of their own unique drummer. These are the projects that, even if you don’t like them, you cannot help but respect them.
This is why I am here to wreck your week with some stressful recommendations guaranteed to leave you whisper-yelling, “WTF, dude?!” Put your most supportive friends on standby and check out these 10 weird found footage features streaming now!
The Andy Baker Tape (dir. Bret Lada)
Where You Can Watch: Fandango At Home, The Roku Channel, and Tubi
A food blogger and his half-brother hit the road for a food tour and were never seen again. I was stressed when I thought it was a horror movie about two siblings working through family drama. So, when things got weird, and I realized these brothers had different goals for this road trip, I knew things would get worse. I just had no idea how bad they were going to get. The Andy Baker Tapes has hints of Creep and Joy Ride, with some food porn. It is a surprisingly effective little gem.
Butterfly Kisses (dir. Erik Kristopher Myers)
Where You Can Watch: Pluto TV, Prime Video, The Roku Channel, and Tubi
A filmmaker stumbles upon a disturbing student film project investigating an urban legend. He immediately sets out to prove the footage is real, leading him and his crew on a weird and obsessive spiral. You know that any found footage movie heavily featuring a box of VHS tapes is going to deliver some strange shit. The more I learned about the urban legend known as Peeping Tom, the more I wished I hadn’t gotten on this upsetting ride. If you want some creepy visuals, mind fuckery, and anxiety, then this is your movie.
Be My Cat: A Film for Anne (dir. Adrian Țofei)
Where You Can Watch: Fandango At Home, The Roku Channel, and Tubi
An aspiring filmmaker attempts to get Anne Hathaway to appear in his film by making disturbing movies. Adrian (Adrian Țofei) is an offputting man with an offputting plan. So off-putting that it makes this Romanian psychological horror movie one of the weirdest on the list. This movie will ruin your day long before the first kill and is one of the most uncomfortable movies I’ve ever seen. When I discovered this was the first film in a trilogy, I closed my computer and went outside. I had to put the friend who recommended this one in recommendation jail. I want to go back to the person I was before I watched Be My Cat.
Capture Kill Release (dir. Nick McAnulty and Brian Stewart)
Where You Can Watch: Tubi
A couple decides to spice things up by murdering strangers, but one of them is way more into it than the other. This couple is strange, this movie was weird, and the entire vibe of the project is bizarre. A part of me is still screaming even though I watched this months ago. Capture Kill Release is not for the faint of heart and has an animal death so awful even my jaded ass almost looked away. This film might be the hardest watch on the list now that I think about it. I need a shower just writing about it, to be honest.
Creep (dir. Patrick Brice)
Where You Can Watch: Netflix
A videographer seeking work answers an online ad that leads him to have a chaotic day with a bizarre stranger. Mark Duplass infuses his character, Josef, with big Christian camp counselor energy and notes of the weird uncle who thinks he’s fun. From the second Josef appears on screen, a fight or flight response kicks in, and we all know we don’t want to be here. This is why the horror community does not play when it comes to Duplass or Peachfuzz. Whenever I watch this weird little gem, I find myself wanting to hit the panic button every two minutes. Creep has quickly become one of my favorite found footage franchises. I encourage you to watch Creep 2, which is also on Netflix. If you hurry, you can catch up before The Creep Tapes hits Shudder later this month.
Frogman (dir. Anthony Cousins)
Where You Can Watch: Fandango At Home and Sling TV
In 1999, a 12-year-old captures footage of Frogman but can’t get anyone to believe his story. So, 20 years later, he returns to the same place for more proof. I knew Frogman would be weird because of the title. More importantly, all my friends became obsessed with it. However, I never would have guessed it would be a silly body horror lo-fi WTF moment. I might never know if I like this movie or not. But, it spent plenty of time hopping around my brain with its man-sized frog legs. So, it clearly did something right, and I need other people to experience this title immediately.
Incantation (dir. Kevin Ko)
Where You Can Watch: Netflix
A woman is cursed for breaking a religious taboo, and six years later, she must protect her daughter from paying for her actions. This movie had me messed up immediately when it opened with optical illusions and mind games. Kevin Ko throws so many sick visuals at us while cranking up the creepy kid energy that it’s hard to catch your breath long enough to figure out where this movie is going. This weird train jumps off the tracks and never looks back. This is one of the reasons I love it so much and am forever telling people to hit play on Incantation.
Milk & Serial (dir. Curry Barker)
Where You Can Watch: YouTube (Link below)
Two friends who pull pranks on each other on their popular YouTube Channel take things too far. This movie revels in being weird and peeling back upsetting layers until the deadly end. Milk & Serial is one of those titles that forces you to call a friend after viewing because you have to unpack everything you just witnessed. The film is basically three deadly shenanigans wrapped in a chaotic trench coat. It’s unbelievable that this indie movie is free to watch on the internet because it’s one of the best found footage movies of 2024 thus far.
Noroi: The Curse (dir. Kōji Shiraishi)
Where You Can Watch: AMC+ and Shudder
After completing a documentary, a prominent journalist goes missing, and a demonic entity known as Kagutaba might be responsible. Japanese horror excels at dread and nightmare fuel. Let me tell you, this weird beauty is no exception. This movie has some of the most unsettling death sequences and batshit reveals. It left me silently screaming in my seat more often than I would like to admit. If you’ve endured this film, then you know it feels like running a haunted marathon through the fiery circles of hell. I do not believe weird is a big enough word to encompass what the hell I saw.
Willow Creek (dir. Bobcat Goldthwait)
Where You Can Watch: Fandango At Home, Peacock, Plex, Prime Video, Sling TV, and Tubi
When a couple heads to the woods to get footage of Bigfoot, shit gets weird. Comedian Bobcat Goldthwait churned out a creepy movie about a couple camping in the woods searching for an urban legend. The guerilla-style approach to filming makes Willow Creek stressful even before Kelly (Alexie Gilmore) and Jim (Bryce Johnson) get woken in the night by the sounds of something terrifying. I thought that scene went on too long, but I must admit the sound design went hard. I was so distressed!
Are your favorite weird found footage films on the list? Did I miss any? Let me know at @misssharai.
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