Horroris a genre that pushes the envelope of shock, gore, suspense, violence, and tension. Many horror junkies say they’re addicted to the adrenaline rush of a good scare, which keeps them coming back for even scarier films. Like any addiction, eventually, the feeling will wear off, which means horror movies have had to innovate to keep surprising and frightening devotees of the genre. Many filmmakers have chosen to make their horror fiction seem real in an effort to get the frights back on track.
Throughout the years, many scary movies have left audiences with an unsettling question: was what they just watched real? This reaction may be for a few different reasons. Sometimes audiences see that a filmis based on a true storyand wonder if the horrific happenings they just witnessed are true to life or exaggerated. Other times, a horror movie gets presented as a documentary with low-quality or analog footage that makes the experience seem all too realistic. Sometimes genius marketing tactics shroud a horror film in secrecy so that audiences have difficulty searching for the true story behind the production. There have even been a few films so suspect that the filmmakers were investigated to ensure everyone on set was safe!
For better or worse, these films scared audiences to the bone and left them questioning whether what they were watching was actually real.
Updated July 2023: If you’re a fan of ultra-realistic horror, then you’ll be glad to know this article was recently updated byAmanda Minchinwith even more content.
25Cannibal Holocaust
In the 1980s, Italian horror captivated audiences worldwide. Still, nothing was quite as shocking asCannibal Holocaust, believed to be the first film that used “found footage” to tell the story.Cannibal Holocaustmay not have used real found footage, but the film wasmired in controversyall the same.
The movie depicts a group of people that have a run-in with a jungle-dwelling tribe that performs ritual sacrifice of both people and animals. The visuals of animal sacrifice were authentic and required the deaths of two monkeys and a turtle. This shocking display would certainly violate today’s animal cruelty laws.
Not surprisingly, the film was banned in multiple countries. After one French magazine claimed that some of the on-screen murders were real, director Ruggero Deodato had to testify in court, explaining how he achieved the violent effects.
24The Blair Witch Project
The Blair Witch Projectbrought found footage films into the mainstream in the ’90s with the help of a burgeoning social media culture. This low-budget indie used clever filming techniques and brilliant marketing tactics to sell the supposedly true story of the demise of a group of friends in the woods at the hands of a supernatural force.
Related:The Best Found Footage Movies, Ranked
The Internet was more widely known and less widely scrutinized at the time, so when the team presented the film as a factual documentary on the web, no one batted an eye. And things only seemed to spread from there. Filmmakers even produced missing posters of the actors and handed them out at screenings. All of this added to the audience’s impression that it was an actual film. There’s no doubt thisfilm was a success. It gave horror fans a hunger for more found footage films while terrifying audiences in new ways.
Snuff, originally titledThe Slaughter,utilizes the term used for footage of an actual murder, or, at the very least, the depiction of a heinous crime. They are illegal to produce and distribute for obvious reasons, but in the 1970s, not many people knew that… let alone heard of one. The directors, Roberta and Michael Findlay, decided to capitalize on the horrific real-life Manson family murders and created a film with a similar story and a lot of gore for the standards of the time.
Upon its release, the film didn’t gain traction and was shelved until distributor Allan Shackleton decided to re-release and rebrand the movie under the nameSnuff(partly in reaction to rumors that such films were made in South America). For his part, Shackleton had no qualms about claiming that the film’s final murder really happened.
The film attracted much more attention this time around. Curious movie-goers were left shocked. This taboo form of art scandalized newspapers. It didn’t take long for the film’s realness to get debunked, but it did fool plenty of people before that time. Even more were left with a troubling question: Do real snuff films exist?
22Quarantine
Right before the technique burnt out of fashion, the filmQuarantinemade a splash in the horror scene using “shakey-cam” footage. The film follows a reporter tasked with creating a story about an LA fire department. But when the crew is called out on an emergency at an apartment building, they’re sealed inside by the CDC.
While the movie is no horror masterclass by any means, the film did leave many to wonder whether it was based on a true story. Between the “it could happen to you” premiseand the found footage style, it’s no wonder viewers thought it was the true tale of a fluff piece gone wrong. Interestingly enough, however,Quarantinewas actually a remake of the next feature on our list.
The Spanish horror filmRecis similar in plot to that ofQuarantine, the only difference being this film takes place in Paco Plaza apartments. In fact, no pre-fabed sets were used at all during filming. Even Manuela Velasco, who plays Ángela in the film, is a TV presenter in Spain in real life. Interestingly enough, most of the actors weren’t given a full script, and many had no idea as to their character’s fate until the day of the shoot.
The film was a massive smash in Europe. Its success only increased interest in the found footage genre. Fans claim that its American counterpart was unnecessary and that it didn’t live up to the Spanish original.
20Paranormal Activity
When the movieParanormal Activitywas released, many said it was the scariest film they’d ever seen to date. Shot in the vein of a first-person POV film or a found footage movie, it presents as footage gathered for a paranormal investigation, complete with murky night vision. Imagine the showGhost Hunters,but with way more jump scares. After watching the protagonists sleep for a while, they’re suddenly awoken by paranormal terror. The effect feels voyeuristic and a little too real, and exactly like watching actual footage. Trailers for the film even included footage of terrified audience members cowering behind their hands.
Great marketingshot this low-budget film up the chartsand made people question whether this movie was based on a true story since many people can relate to strange noises interrupting their peaceful sleep.
19Open Water
Many films like to mislead audiences into thinking it’s based on a true story.Open Water, however, is not one of them. Instead, it has a hefty dose of truth.
The film follows two divers who were abandoned in the open water while diving at a reef in Queensland, Australia. This premise is based on the disappearance of Tom and Eileen Lonergan. The couple were experienced divers, but on day three of their trip to the reefs, the boat mistakenly went to shore without the couple. The diving company realized their mistake days later, and a search began. The Longergan’s bodies were never discovered though much of their gear was found. There was even a chilling note from Tom begging for rescue before they died. Their disappearances have been shrouded in mystery ever since.
Related:Open Water is the Blair Witch Project of Shark Movies
Filmmaker Chris Kentis decided a few things are more terrifying than getting abandoned in open water. He based the film on this story, leaving audiences questioning how much of what they saw was true. In reality, he didn’t want the movie to hurt surviving Lonergan family members, and he didn’t intend for his characters to mimic the unfortunate couple.
18Ghostwatch
The BBC mockumentaryGhostwatchaired on Halloween night of 1992.Ghostwatchshowed paranormal investigators exploring “the most haunted house in Britain,” and included footage of a poltergeist named Pipes.
The special was cleverly made to resemble a BBC live broadcast. They even asked viewers to phone in with their ghost-sighting stories. The calls that ensued overwhelmed the five operators. Imaginations ran wild over this special, which led many people to complain to the BBC, saying the film should have come with a better warning.
17Guinea Pig 2: Flower of Flesh and Blood
Guinea Pig 2: Flower of Flesh and Bloodis a Japanese horror film. It’s one of a series of scary movies that are based on a Manga about a samurai that drugs, kidnaps, and dismembers women.
Many considered the film too realistic, leading people likeCharlie Sheen into reporting the filmto the FBI. The film’s most damning quality is that it’s said to have inspired real-life serial killer Tsutomu Miyazaki, who went on to commit an all too similar series of crimes.
16A Lizard in a Woman’s Skin
In the 1970s, a booming sub-genre of Italian films called “Giallo” were produced involving mysteries laden with lots of sex and horror. As Giallo films caught on, they kept pushing the envelope and releasing more shocking titles. This arguably culminated in Lucio Fulci’sA Lizard in Woman’s Skin.
The film would go on to become the first film that forced its special effects artist to testify in court. One shocking moment showed a series of disemboweled dogs that many believed were real animals. Luckily, the poor canines are just the work of a talented effects artist, who was, thankfully, able to testify to that fact.
