REC (Spain, 2007)
No found footage list would be complete without mentioning this Spanish gem co-directed by Jaume Balagueró and Paco Plaza. A news reporter and camera operator tag along on an emergency service run when they find themselves locked in a building that has been surrounded by the military. Sound familiar? The film was remade for American audiences as Quarantine a year after it came out. Though John Erick Dowdle’s remake is excellent, the original is actually bleaker and scarier and went on to spawn its own franchise with several sequels.
Trollhunter (Norway, 2010)
This movie is insane! Some meddling kids with a camera go deep into the forests of Norway to investigate some mysterious bear deaths. Instead they find a hunter, who is secretly working for the government to curtail a completely different threat. Directed by André Øvredal, Trollhunter features unpredictable plot turns and excellent special effects. No matter how unbelievable it gets, you’ll believe it and hang on to every sequence at the edge of your seat.
