1. Handheld Camera Horror - The Blair Witch Project (1999)
Annoying Examples: Paranormal Activity, The Last Exorcism, Apollo 18, The Devil Inside, V/H/S, Megan Is MissingThe Blair Witch Project is responsible for what is without a doubt the most annoying cinematic trend of all time - what's remarkable, of course, is that so very few movies (and it's been 14 years since, mind) have managed to emulate its style with any real success. And there have been hundreds and hundreds of ventures into this sub-genre, of course, the most famous of which - currently, anyway - is the Paranormal Activity series. The reason these are so popular, though? Because they're ultimately cheap and easy to make. But haven't we seen it all now? The original Blair Witch Project was a true cultural phenomenon at the time of its release. Given the handheld camera format, and how real the movie looked as a result, much of the world pondered whether or not what they were seeing had actually happened somewhere, and look... here'sthe footage they found! It was the right movie for the time, of course, but its legacy has been sorely damaged by an onslaught of copycats that exist simply to reprise the same beats and plots over and over, dealing with dull storylines about hauntings and exorcisms. As far as I'm concerned, this subgenre is ready to be buried, although I have a sneaking suspicion that even when it finally does go away, somebody, somewhere will dig it up again. And we, as movie-goers, aren't helping the cause: there's some weird collective mentality that constantly has us buying into the found footage genre. "Have you seen Paranormal Exorcism 4? Oh, man, you gotta see Paranormal Exorcism 4!" Worst of all, though, we've betrayed the origins of the sub-genre entirely: most handheld camera movies make no logical sense. There's no reason as to why they're being "filmed on cameras." It's just an excuse to make a cheap flick. Like this article? Let us know in the comments section below.