3. Main Characters Almost Always Die
The footage has to be found somehow, right? Usually that means that whoever were following for the bulk of the film is gonna be dead by the end of it. This isnt a problem thats exclusive to found footage films, but it does seem to be more prevalent here than in other horror movies. More than that, the audience is oftentimes alerted before the film The issue isnt killing off your main characters. Thats been happening more and more in American horror over the years. No one gets away safe anymore. The issue with found footage movies is that we know the main characters are going to die before the film begins. Rather then creating suspense in the films final act, wondering not only whats going to happen but also how the characters might escape it, were left with a sort of countdown until they are inevitably exterminated. Granted, that still leaves plenty of room for some surprises and scares, but it misses a crucial opportunity to make us sweat out whether theyre going to live or die.