Lost in Found Footage

This seems to be the summer of revisionist history, as a number of blockbusters attempt to give their preposterous plotlines a little extra credibility by merging them with key moments that defined the twentieth century. X-Men: First Class managed to embroil its cast of youthful mutants in the Cuban missile crisis, whereas the latest instalment in the Transformers franchise suggests that loveable old Buzz Aldrin (who even makes a cameo appearance) explored a crashed alien spaceship when he and Neil first landed on the moon in 1969.

Up next is low-budget sci-fi horror Apollo 18, which details the exploits of a supposedly abandoned NASA expedition to the moon, and the shocking fate which befell its astronauts. Rather than using costly CGI to drop its cast into historically accurate footage, Apollo 18 is the latest addition to the burgeoning sub-genre of 'found footage'. 

Often unfairly dismissed as an amateurish way of making a horror film on the cheap, this relatively recent addition to the canon has been responsible for a number of genuinely unnerving movies over the last decade or so. It's interesting to note that the growing popularity of the sub-genre directly correlates with the impact of YouTube on popular culture. Think back to the major tragedies and disasters of the last decade - chances are, your recollections of them take the form of grainy hand-held smartphone footage, captured on the fly by would-be documentarians, even as they ran for their lives.

At first, this was seen to be the biggest flaw in any 'found footage' scenario - surely the moment we encountered danger or threat, the lens cap would be replaced and we'd run for our lives? But the reality is very different - fight or flight has become a triptych, with 'film' now the third, preferred option. Many people have attested to the fact that, when confronted with real-life horror, the view-finder offers the witness a comforting distance, as well as the illusion of control over the terrors that are unfolding. To paraphrase the strapline for Wes Craven's seminal exploitation film 'The Last House On The Left' - leaving the cameras rolling allows us to keep telling ourselves it's only a movie. Only a movie. Only a movie...

These films are not to everyone's taste, and certainly unsuitable for anyone who loves an artfully composed mise-en-scène. But if you can handle the occasional bout of motion sickness, and dialogue that wouldn't feel out of place on Made In Chelsea, there are some gems out there worth revisiting.

The Blair Witch Project

Filmed in eight days for around $25,000, The Blair Witch Project was a genuine phenomenon. Featuring an unknown cast of three, who were all listed on IMDB at the time as 'deceased', the film's greatest strength was the sophistication of its marketing. Its creators, Eduardo Sanchez and Daniel Myrick, created an entire mythology around the town of Burkittsville, and pioneered the use of the internet to drive word-of-mouth.

Although the film went on to gross almost a quarter of a billion dollars, it was in many ways a victim of its own success. Promised one of the most terrifying movie-going experiences of all time, audiences were disappointed to find themselves watching a trio of unlikable students stumbling around in the dark and getting freaked out by a pile of twigs. They could get that at Glastonbury. More than a decade after its release, the film itself still stands up to repeated viewing, particularly the closing scene set in the ruins of a house that belonged to child killer Rustin Parr. Even now, the final shot of Mike standing in the corner, facing the wall and awaiting his fate, is enough to send chills down the most cynical of spines. Heather's still an annoying bitch though.

REC

In the last few years, Spain has replaced Japan as the source of some of the best modern horror films. And Hollywood has responded by dutifully buying up all of the most interesting properties and remaking them for audiences who have an issue with reading. Remade the following year as 'Quarantine', 2007's REC is a nerve-shredding twist on Night of the Living Dead, only this time our protagonists are stuck inside the building with the zombies. OK, technically they may not be zombies, but they're definitely infected with something that gives them a taste for human flesh.

What starts out as a late night news segment following an inner city fire crew, becomes a battle for survival as a reporter and her colleagues are locked inside a tenement block that's placed under quarantine by the military. To be fair, the mid-section of the film becomes rather predictable and repetitive as the background characters are gradually chomped and infected. But by the time our plucky heroine finds herself switching on the night-vision in a locked apartment, you'll be chewing your nails down to the wrist. 

Cloverfield

Not all found-footage movies are low budget, they're just designed to look that way. Cloverfield, for instance, applied the techniques of the format to a much larger-scale story, as it attempted to depict the impact of a Godzilla-style attack from an everyman perspective. It doesn't get off to the most auspicious start, as we're introduced to the main characters at a party thrown for the most obnoxious person in their social circle.

Thankfully, just as you find yourself wishing a gruesome fate to befall all of them, the attack comes without warning. Appropriating the clouds of dust and debris, as well as the blind panic, of 9/11, the film cleverly puts your preconceptions on hold. Witnessing the chaos through the viewfinder of a video-camera, the viewer is caught up in the action. You might not care about the characters you're with, you just want to be able to turn a corner without staring into the dripping mandibles of the inscrutable sea monster laying waste to Manhattan. 

Diary of the Dead

For over forty years, George Romero has used his zombie cohorts to address every major cultural and philosophical issue facing society. Racism, consumerism, military aggression - they've all been slowly disemboweled by his lumbering, unblinking hordes. So it was probably only a matter of time before he turned the cameras on, well, the cameras themselves.

Skewering the YouTube generation, as well as the fine line between news and propaganda, Diary of the Dead offered him the chance to reboot his entire series and start back at day one of the undead outbreak. Although far from a masterpiece, the film shows that George still knows how to push society's buttons and give us something meaty to chew on, as his grey-faced army does exactly the same thing. 

Paranormal Activity

On the surface, Oren Peli's breakout hit is as dull as it sounds - 90 minutes of watching CCTV footage. If that's how I wanted to spend my free time I'd get a job as a security guard. Another low budget triumph of ingenuity over expertise, Paranormal Activity once again presents us with an unlikeable pair of protagonists, who set up a video camera to try and capture the weird goings-on that take place whenever they go to sleep.

The filmic equivalent of a spot-the-difference competition, Peli's movie invites us to scrutinise every inch of the screen looking for something out of place or unusual. It's the classic magician's trick of misdirection - the moment we take things for granted, he presents us with something new and it shocks us out of our complacency. Ordinarily, the idea of a door opening of its own accord would be about as terrifying as Saturday Kitchen. But once the film has drawn you into its static, wall-mounted world, the slightest movement might just launch you from your seat.

Me and my shadows

If you've ever laid in bed and listened to the disquieting creak of a relaxing floorboard, or questioned why you hadn't previously noticed that the wardrobe door was ajar, you'll understand why the haunted house movie continues to be the sub-genre that refuses to die. Unlike torture porn, slashers or monster movies, these films don't necessarily require any special effects. Just a handful of believable actors and a production crew willing to double as the Pickfords men, whenever the camera looks away.

Last week saw the release of Insidious, which brought together the underwear-soiling maestros responsible for the Paranormal Activity and Saw franchises. More like the former, this is a low-key, low-budget spooker that manages to unsettle and upset, without looking like a butcher's apron.

Like the vengeful spectres synonymous with the genre, Insidious is happy to revisit its own history, piecing together the best bits from a host of unnerving classics. So rather than writing a conventional review, here's a countdown of the best haunted house movies ever made, and the scenes that Insidious has cleverly repurposed for its own demonic ends.

The Amityville Horror (1978)

Supposedly based on a true story, this tale of luckless real-estate chancers could act as a post-meltdown cautionary tale for the mortgage-impaired. Overstretch yourself on your dream property and you'll be harassed by floating pigs, booming voices and Lois Lane's tits. The walls drip blood, doors get ripped off their hinges and every conceivable surface is covered in garish floral prints. This is what nightmares look like. The Lutz family were famously discredited for having participated in one of the most notorious supernatural hoaxes of all-time, and yet Rod Steiger walked away relatively scott-free, despite committing his own scandalous crimes against subtlety.

Insidious theft: A cautionary tale about the perils of moving house, and a troubled wife who calls in the god-botherers to cleanse their troubled new home.

The trailer can't be embedded, so here's the link instead.

The Changeling (1980)

Perhaps the least known of Insidious' influences, this slow-burning and relentless creepy ghost story has Oscar-rejecting George C Scott as a grief-stricken composer moving into a vast mansion. Is he imagining the paranormal incidents, or is he going mad following the needlessly spectacular death of his wife and child? Instilling a life-long fear of bathtubs, wheelchairs and tennis balls in anyone who sees it, this film also boasts the definitive 'medium channels spirits with a pencil and stack of A3 notepaper' scene in cinema history.

Insidious theft: The creepy seance and a lead character who makes music. Although it didn't sound like George's compositions were destined to end up as Miley Cyrus album tracks.



The Haunting (1963)

Based on Shirley Jackson's bestseller The Haunting of Hill House (not to be confused with similarly titled The House On Haunted Hill or The Legend of Hell House) Robert Wise's black and white classic proved once-and-for-all that the imagination is the greatest tool in the film-maker's kitbag. Whereas Jan DeBont proved, with his effect-heavy remake in 1999, that he was simply the greatest tool. In The Haunting, nothing is more powerful than some compelling sound design and the power of suggestion.

For most people, one scene lives on as the most terrifying ever filmed. Eleanor and Theo, two women taking part in a paranormal experiment in this most haunted of houses, are disturbed in the night by terrifying banging and disembodied voices. Tremulous Eleanor asks Theo to take her hand in the dark, only to complain "Theo, you're breaking my hand!" as the grip grows tighter. It's only when we hear Theo stir and wake up across the room that we, and Eleanor, realise that something else was holding her in bed. Trust me, it works better than a Senokot sandwich.

Insidious theft: Disembodied voices, mysterious back-stories and the threat of inexplicable footsteps in the hallway.



The Shining (1980)

Stephen King always hated Stanley Kubrick's take on his third novel, possibly since the notoriously finicky film-maker changed most of the source material in order to fashion a fairy tale out of the material. It also didn't help that he cast Jack Nicholson in the lead - it's hard to portray a descent into madness when 'batshit crazy' is your default setting. Nonetheless, the rivers of blood, the perma-grinning twins and Shelly Duvall's teeth are all enough to keep audiences peering nervously from behind the couch.

Insidious theft: A gifted child who knows more than he lets on, and a pair of twins more terrifying than Jedward.



Poltergeist (1982)

For most people my age, Poltergeist is the definitive haunted house movie, gradually building from wonder to terror without missing a beat. The kids are cute, the parents are realistic and the tone successfully balances humour with horror to create a genuine ghost train experience. Despite rumours of directorial wrangles between Tobe Hooper and his all-powerful writer-producer Steven Spielberg, the film manages to entertain, scare and surprise throughout its 114 minute runtime. Rather than trying to educate kids about the dangers of Ronald McDonald's artery-clogging offerings, they should simply be made to sit through this film - they'll never look at a clown in the same way again.

Insidious theft: Pretty much everything - family in jeopardy, disbelieving dad, paranormal investigators, a journey into the unknown and a quirky expert with all the answers.



The Entity (1982)

Another story rumoured to be based on actual events, this one features Barbara Hershey as Carla Moran, a woman who is regularly grabbed and molested by an aggressive but invisible force. So it's My Big Fat Gypsy Wedding meets Most Haunted. Aside from the curiously novelty of seeing breasts manipulated by non-existent hands, and a pounding, dissonant soundtrack, the film also has some strong performances and a constant feeling of unease. It's an uncomfortable watch, made that much more unbearable by an ending where the experts effectively shrug and say "Oh well, we had a go."

Insidious theft: Barbera Hershey shows up as the kind but troubled mother-in-law, and the sound mixer has clearly been paying attention - the opening titles are almost unbearably loud.

Paranormal Activity (2007)

The most recent addition to this list, but in many ways the most relevant. Oren Peli's low-fi home movie was a genuine phenomenon. Shot in his own home, using static security cameras, Paranormal Activity encourages its audience to hungrily devour every inch of every frame looking for something out of the ordinary. Primed for shocks, we end up jumping out of our seats every time a door opens of its own accord or a faulty light flickers. The effect is diminished somewhat for anyone who's ever spent time in a Wimpey new build.

Insidious theft: The dispassionate camera-work and a family going through the motions, until inanimate objects start displaying motions of their own.

Fancy a quick fling?

Last year's breakout horror hit was Paranormal Activity - the story of an obnoxious young couple being terrorised by a malevolent supernatural energy. It may have cost less than the average family's gas bill, but director Oren Peli cleverly used its super low budget to its advantage, by allowing the audience to imagine the horrors taking place. Rather than gruesome images and spurting arteries, the film focused on the spooky sight of a young woman being attacked by an unseen entity.

Whenever a new sleeper hit comes along, its influence can immediately be felt in all the knock-offs and 'homages' that rush to market. But the impact of Paranormal Activity has manifested itself in one particularly surprising initiative.

Wrangler has just launched a new website to promote its (not entirely butch-sounding) 'Bluebell' range of jeans, starring 'legendary' male model Tony Ward. Designed by Swedish digital agency Kokokaka, the website allows you to manipulate Tony and even rip his clothes off.

You can unzip his cardigan, tear off his shirt and drag him off his chair, before throwing him across the screen like a rag doll with obliques. Of course it's all done incredibly well, but there's something a bit disturbing about an interactive site that encourages you to strip someone against his will and indulge in a little guilt-free violence.

I'm sure people will claim it's just a bit of harmless flash-based fun, but I wonder how opinions would differ if it was a woman being stripped and knocked about.

Given that Wrangler Jeans have always been associated with masculine pursuits such as rodeos, country music and American football, I can't quite see how much this homoerotic execution will appeal to the brand's fans. Unless of course they see it as a virtual queer-bashing.

Still, as one of Madonna's most famous ex-boyfriends, I'm sure this isn't the first time that Tony's been pushed around and manipulated in the public eye.

Give it a go here: http://eu.wrangler.com/bluebell/#/collection/2