Reel Fear: The Evolution of Found Footage Horror
From grainy videotapes to smartphone screens, found footage horror has evolved alongside how we record and share our lives. In this lecture, author and co-host of the Faculty of Horror podcast, Alex West, traces the genre's evolution through landmark films including Cannibal Holocaust (1980), The Blair Witch Project (1999), Paranormal Activity (2007), REC (2007), Unfriended (2014), Host (2020), and Backrooms (2026).
Exploring the genre through the lens of cultural anxiety, our growing dependence on technology, and shifting trends in mainstream filmmaking, the lecture examines why found footage continues to captivate and terrify audiences decades after its emergence. (ALEX WEST)