4. The Blair Witch Project And Safe Haven From VHS 2
Theme: The ill-fated documentary makers. If you like your horror movies to come with an added personal touch then the found footage genre is right up your street. Okay, so a lot of found footage isn't good for much more than going straight in the bin, but there are a few exceptions, and this double bills demonstrates an early success and a more recent excellent entry to the genre. The Blair Witch Project is often seen as the film which really introduced horror fans to found footage - Cannibal Holocaust may have employed this technique to some degree back in 1980 but here for the first time an entire film was constructed with retrieved footage from an ill-fated documentary team. Ultra low budget and shot with a cast of three in some woods, it's an exercise in getting the most out of what you have at your disposal and is still eerie and unnerving even today, putting off even the most fearless adventurer from that late night stroll in the woods. A far more recent addition to the found footage stable came with the second installment of the VHS franchise - the short film Safe Haven is undoubtedly one of the best of the genre in recent years. Directed by Gareth Evans, the man who brought The Raid movies to our screens, this is initially a slow burner, as a team of documentary makers attempt to expose a secretive cult, but soon explodes into one of the most insane horror flicks you're likely to see. All Hell breaks loose by the final reel leaving the audience reeling from the excesses they've just witnessed.
