I got around to watching Cloverfield, the surprise Sci-Fi/Horror hit of 2008. And while I enjoyed the movie very much, though it was a little bleak, it got me thinking about the genre of "Lost Footage", or "Found Footage", a genre of filmaking often used in horror, in which the movie is presented as recovered footage made by the poor schmucks who are going through what you see on screen, giving the film a touch of realism. This has been used not only in Cloverfield (the note at the start of the footage states that it was found in the area 'formerly known as Central Park'; well that can't be good), but in movies like The Blair Witch Project, Paranormal Activity and The Last Exorcism. It's use dates all the way back to 1980 with Cannibal Holocaust.
The real question is this; is this an effective form of filmaking? Does a movie seem scarier when it looks like it actually happened? I found it particularly effective for Paranormal Activity. But, considering how some people just can't watch the shaky camera films without feeling queasy, is it always the way to go?. Sound off below on if you feel this ramps up the fear factor, or if it's just a gimmick.
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