20 Best Found Footage Horror Movies Ever

Second only to The Blair Witch Project in terms of influence, Paranormal Activity differentiated itself from other DIY found footage films by establishing a stylistic format that became instantly iconic.

For horror fans, it's practically impossible to hear the words "Paranormal Activity" and not immediately picture grainy, light blue camera footage surveying the rooms of a house. Armed with just $15,000, director Oren Peli understood the primal fear of things that go bump in the night, and so with the help of eerie sound design, some clever practical effects tricks, and persuasive performances from Katie Featherston and Micah Sloat, he crafted a found footage masterpiece that felt genuinely too close to home.

After it earned buzz from film festivals in 2007, Paramount picked Paranormal Activity up for a theatrical release, where it went on to gross almost $200 million worldwide and create a franchise whose eighth(!) installment is currently in the works. None of the follow-ups have gotten close to the elegant simplicity of the original, though, which remains supremely effective today.