“Blair Witch this, brothers and sisters.”
On the surface, the ‘found footage’ subgenre doesn’t sound like it would make for a good fit for the world of reading. After all, so much of the scare factor in television or film comes from the subtle things that are seen, rather than said. Despite this, there is an abundance of horror books that have either tapped into or redefined aspects of the found footage formula to create some of the most innovative and memorable reads in recent times. Join us at What We Reading as we explore some of the freakiest found footage horror books that utilize everything from shaky camera recordings to unearthed diary entries, letters, and bone-chilling manuscripts!
We Eat Our Own – Kera Wilson
First up on our list of the freakiest found footage horror books is Kera Wilson’s We Eat Our Own. The book begins when our unnamed protagonist, a struggling actor in 1970s New York, receives a call saying that an enigmatic director wants him for a movie set in the Amazon. He flies to South America, no questions asked, but soon realizes he has made a terrible mistake.
The previous lead has already quit, the production team is seemingly on the verge of a breakdown, and the air is so humid that the celluloid film disintegrates. But, unbeknownst to our lead, the true danger may just be from the town and its locals. Based on the infamous Italian found footage horror film, We Eat Our Own is a behind-the-scenes look at a shocking film and a profound commentary on violence and its consequences.
Last Days – Adam Nevill
Last Days is a 2012 found footage horror book by Adam Nevill, author of The Ritual. This winner of the British Fantasy Award for Best Horror Novel of the Year is a homage to flicks like The Blair Witch Project, following a filmmaker and his investigations into a mysterious cult – with chilling repercussions.
The Temple of the Last Days cult rose to infamy in 1975 following a massacre that also led to the death of its leader, Sister Katherine. When he is offered the opportunity to make a film on the cult, guerrilla documentary-maker Kyle Freeman can’t believe his luck. His investigation takes him across the cult’s original temple in London, an abandoned farm in France, and finally, a copper mine in Arizona where the group met its demise. Along the way, he is immersed in the enduring paranoia, occult rituals, and murderous rage that make the group a phenomenon. And when a series of strange goings-on begin to disrupt the shoot, he begins to finally grasp the power this one cult once held.
The Troop – Nick Cutter
Author Nick Cutter claimed that Carrie heavily influenced the writing of The Troop, but the smattering of interview tapes, newspaper articles, and scientific records make this gruesome horror book feel much more like a work of found footage than the Stephen King classic.
Set in the Canadian wilderness, readers follow Scoutmaster Tim Riggs and his group of Boy Scouts on a three-day trek. Their idyllic weekend away is disturbed, however, by the arrival of an ill-looking man, shockingly thin and voraciously hungry. Before they know it, Tim and the boys are exposed to something far more terrifying than any campfire tale – a bioengineered nightmare that spreads faster than fear. The group is thrown into a harrowing battle for survival against this terror, the elements, and, most terrifyingly of all, one another.
Check Out The Best Horror Books Like The Troop
Rules For Vanishing – Kate Alice Marshall
Another found footage horror book like The Blair Witch Project that does its storytelling through a faux-documentary style, Kate Alice Marshall’s Rules for Vanishing is the tale of a missing girl, a vengeful ghost, and the woman who will stop at nothing to bring her sister back.
Once a year, the path appears in the forest, and the ghost Lucy Gallows beckons. It’s been a year since Sara’s sister, Becca, disappeared. When she receives a mysterious invite to ‘play the game’ with her estranged friends and find the ghost of Lucy, Sara is certain it’s the only way to find her sister. Armed only with their cameras and each other, they soon find themselves walking the path and surrounded by the dark. The rules of this game are severe, and even for those who make it through to the other side, survival will never mean the same again.
Night Film – Marisha Pessl
Told in part through newspaper clippings, website screenshots, and transcripts, Marisha Pessl’s Night Film is a found footage horror book following journalist Scott McGrath and his investigations into the life, and death, of twenty-four-year-old Ashley Cordova.
His investigations lead him into the murky legacy of Ashley’s father, the reclusive horror film director, Stanislaus Cordova. When another death occurs, seemingly connected to this cursed family, Scott wagers it is more than a coincidence. Though plenty has been said of Stanislaus’ sordid and unsettling films, very little is known of the man himself. Driven in his pursuit of the truth, Scott and readers are pulled deeper and deeper into the eerie and hypnotic world of a filmmaker, with potentially deadly results.
Episode Thirteen – Craig DiLouie
Bram Stoker Award-nominated author Craig DiLouie delivers a freakish tale of a ghost-hunting reality TV crew being hauled into a nightmare they could have never imagined possible in his 2023 book, Episode Thirteen.
Led by the married duo Matt and Claire Kirklin, Fade to Black delivers weekly ghost huntings conducted by passionate paranormal experts. Their thirteenth episode takes them to Paranormal Research Foundation, a brooding gothic mansion housing all manner of secrets regarding experiments conducted in the 1970s. Told via tapes, journals, and correspondence, Episode Thirteen documents how this chilling locale slowly reveals itself to the crew and how the filming of one episode went terribly, terribly wrong.
Experimental Film – Gemma Files
Gemma Files’ Experimental Film is a contemporary ghost story following Canadian film history teacher Lois Cairns and her uncovering of the truth behind the disappearance of Mrs. A. Macalla Whitcomb, the country’s first female director.
Deciding to dig deeper into what may have led to her disappearance off the face of the Earth, Lois delves into the traces of her short films, all of which depict the legend of Lady Midday. According to the Slavic myth, Midday would tempt workers at noon with water and rest, only to impart something far more nefarious onto those foolish enough to accept. A fictionalized memoir that pays homage to the real-world history of Canadian film and early movie history, Experimental Film is an innovative found footage horror book that more than packs a punch with its rising sense of dread and painful character detailing.
Part-time reader, part-time rambler, and full-time Horror enthusiast, James has been writing for What We Reading since 2022. His earliest reading memories involved Historical Fiction, Fantasy and Horror tales, which he has continued to take with him to this day. James’ favourite books include The Last (Hanna Jameson), The Troop (Nick Cutter) and Chasing The Boogeyman (Richard Chizmar).
