5 Found Footage Movies That Came Before The Blair Witch Project (& 5 That Ripped It Off)

5 Found Footage Movies That Came Before The Blair Witch Project (& 5 That Ripped It Off)

Without The Blair Witch Project, numerous other excellent horror films wouldn’t exist. Then there are those movies, horror or not, that preceded it.

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The Blair Witch Project is often considered a revolutionary horror film as it popularized the art of the found footage subgenre. However, the key word there is popularized, as it didn’t actually create the genre. In fact, the found footage genre stretches all the way back to the ’60s, albeit not in a horror capacity.

That said, The Blair Witch Project is undeniably important, as it helped legitimize the genre and turn it into a mainstream moneymaker. Without The Blair Witch Project, numerous other excellent horror films wouldn’t exist. Then, there are those movies that clearly ripped it off.

10 Came Before: The Connection (1961)

The Connection is often regarded as the first found footage film, although it’s not a horror – it’s actually a glimpse into drug addicts. The movie concerns a filmmaker named Jim Dunn who agrees to finance drugs for a group of addicts in exchange for permission to film them for his documentary. What begins as a sobering glimpse into the lives of drug addicts spirals into tragedy as Jim tries the drugs firsthand.

9 Ripped It Off: The St. Francisville Experiment (2000)

The St. Francisville Experiment was one of the first films to directly rip off The Blair Witch Project, released just nine months later. Like Blair Witch, The St. Francisville Experiment was made on a minuscule budget of $250,000. This one concerns a group of paranormal researchers and investigators who visit a reportedly haunted house and begin experiencing creepy occurrences. It’s essentially Blair Witch in a haunted mansion.

8 Came Before: Cannibal Holocaust (1980)

While The Connection was released two decades earlier, Cannibal Holocaust is often considered the first “true” found footage movie. Part of that has to do with the framing narrative, as “the footage” was actually reported to be found in the Amazon rainforest. It was so graphic and realistic that many people believed it to be real, and director Ruggero Deodato was brought up on obscenity and murder charges. In many territories, the movie was banned.

7 Ripped It Off: August Underground (2001)

August Underground is provocative for provocative’s sake. Essentially just “The Blair Witch Project but with serial killers,” August Underground follows the violent exploits of two deranged serial killers. One does the graphic killing while the other films the action.

Like Cannibal Holocaust, director Fred Vogel spent ten hours in customs while traveling to Canada, as the Canadian government charged him with transporting obscene material into the country.

6 Came Before: Guinea Pig 2: Flower Of Flesh And Blood (1985)

Japanese horror Guinea Pig 2 is just as awful and detestable as August Underground, only it came over a decade before The Blair Witch Project. Like August Underground, this movie involves a psychopath filming atrocious actions, as he kidnaps a woman and proceeds to film himself dismembering and killing her. The movie was enormously controversial, and famous actor Charlie Sheen even took it to the police, believing the footage to be real.

5 Ripped It Off: The Last Horror Movie (2003)

The Last Horror Movie is another film directly influenced by both The Blair Witch Project and August Underground. Perhaps it’s even more influenced by the latter, as it too concerns a serial killer filming their grisly actions. Unlike the other two films of its kind so-far mentioned on this list, The Last Horror Movie actually received somewhat positive reviews, scoring a decent 56% on Rotten Tomatoes.

4 Came Before: 84 Charlie MoPic (1989)

This movie is often referred to as 84C MoPic, and it’s a found footage war drama concerning the Vietnam War.

It’s often heralded as one of the most realistic depictions of war ever captured on camera, which of course helps make the “found footage” seem all the more genuine. Roger Ebert even claimed, “I’ve never seen a combat movie that seemed this close to actual experience.” It’s deemed one of the greatest found footage films ever released.

3 Ripped It Off: The Hunt (2006)

The Blair Witch Project inspired many ripoffs. “Blair Witch in a haunted house,” “Blair Witch but with serial killers,” and, in this case, “Blair Witch with aliens.” In fact, The Hunt may be the most direct rip-off of The Blair Witch Project, as it too takes place in the woods. The Hunt concerns three people – a hunter, his stepson, and his camera man – who go hunting in the woods and discover aliens.

2 Came Before: The Last Broadcast (1998)

Coming just one year before The Blair Witch Project was low-budget horror The Last Broadcast, which is often credited as being the first movie shot on cheap, consumer-level digital equipment. The Last Broadcast concerns local access TV producers who venture into the woods to search for the mythical Jersey Devil. The only survivor of the expedition then becomes the prime suspect in their disappearances/deaths.

1 Ripped It Off: Welcome To The Jungle (2007)

Welcome To The Jungle is equal parts Blair Witch Project and Cannibal Holocaust, only not nearly as good as either of them. This one involves a group venturing into New Guinea wilderness to locate the heir of the Rockefeller wealth, Michael Rockefeller. Along the way, they get caught up with a bloodthirsty cannibal tribe. It’s more Cannibal Holocaust than Blair Witch Project, but it undoubtedly took inspiration from the former.

Link Source : https://screenrant.com/found-footage-movies-came-before-blair-witch-project-rip-offs/

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