Horror cinema has a strange tendency to go through phases. It's possession movies one year, then torture movies the next, then folk horror the year after that. One of the most interesting trends that reached a peak but never went away was found footage, but other nations have unique contributions to the concept.
Foreign language films have gradually become more popular in the United States, as more audiences open up to the idea of enjoying a film with subtitles. So many great films happen to be made in another language that anyone unwilling to do the reading will find themselves missing out, even in the realm of found footage horror.
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Found footage and zombies are both trends that have fallen out of fashion since this film's 2007 release date. Jaume Balagueró and Paco Plaza's iconic Spanish franchise is one of the best found footage series. The original defined the format in many ways, despite being far from the first entry in the subgenre. It follows a team of journalists and cameramen as they document the sudden outbreak of a nightmarish infection in an apartment complex. It's everything fans want in a found footage film. The gimmick puts the audience right in the action, the limited budget lends greater authenticity, and the scares are perfectly executed. An American remake was attempted the following year, and the disastrous lack of quality is a clear sign that the film's identity was part of its charm.
Trollhunter
Known as Trolljegeren in the original Norwegian, André Øvredal's first worldwide success was this 2010 monster movie. The film is presented in a sort of mockumentary style and lands with the writing of a dark horror comedy. It follows a trio of university students who seek to shoot a film for college credit. They set out into the woods to record evidence of a suspected bear poacher named Hans. As the title helpfully spoils, Hans is actually a workmanlike hunter of massive deadly creatures that were long thought to be the stuff of legend. The cast is composed mainly of unknown talents and Norwegian comedians. The sense of humor is dry and routinely on point. This film has solid scares and a ton of good jokes. An English dub of the film does exist, but it's frankly much better in its native Norwegian. Trollhunter is a great concept executed extremely well, and it deserves a higher profile than it has.
Cult
Kōji Shiraishi is one of the most unique and visionary directors in the world of Japanese horror cinema. His best-known film is a found footage ghost story called Noroi: The Curse. Though that film is excellent, it's also much more publicized than his 2013 production Cult. Cult is a bizarre piece of cinema. It stars a handful of idols who play themselves as they're sent into a haunted house to investigate for a TV show. The real draw of Cult is its incredibly unique ghost design. The typical sheets and black-haired girls are nowhere to be found, Shiraishi prefers far more disturbing specters. This tight 84-minute film manages to pack in so much unique content that it's a genuinely jarring experience. Shiraishi's entire catalog is packed with solid films, but Cult is an absolutely singular experience that's well worth tracking down.
Gonjiam: Haunted Asylum
This South Korean horror film is named after one of the most reportedly haunted spots in the entire country. The then-owners of the Gonjiam Psychiatric Hospital actually sued the production because they feared the film's theatrical release would hurt their ability to sell the building. It's since been demolished. The film follows a crew of YouTube horror content creators who seek to document the paranormal happenings at Gonjiam, only to discover more than they could've imagined. It's a classic haunted hospital story, but the found footage gimmick makes it much more powerful. In its home country, it's the third most popular horror film of all time. In the US, however, it's very well received by the limited critical presence who've weighed in. Grounding a found footage film in a place that many believe to actually be haunted is an ingenious hook that still translates in other cultures.
Incantation
When Kevin Ko's Taiwanese found footage horror film dropped on Netflix internationally earlier this year, it was immediately clear that the film was something special. It's now the highest-grossing horror film in the nation's history. The tale of a 2005 outbreak of mass hysteria provides the background for the film. Tsai Hsuan-yen stars as a young mother who descends into madness while trying to break the curse that befell her daughter. It's a gripping and nightmarish horror experience that has mastered the immediacy of found footage perhaps more than anything that came before it. Incantation is a wild ride. It demands the full attention of its audience and leaves them unable to shut their eyes. It's still available on Netflix and still well worth checking out.