I’ve always found it strange how Found Footage appears more frequently in film than in television. If you think about it, most of the recovered footage that we see in real life comes from True Crime TV and investigative journalism rather than movies – or at least it used to before the internet turned the whole world into one giant Found Footage horror flick streaming live until the end of time.
Despite this, there were actually quite a few big-name TV shows that recognized the storytelling potential of the Found Footage format and decided to experiment with POV filmmaking during their run. And in honor of these small screen pioneers, today we’d like to highlight six excellent Found Footage episodes of non-Found-Footage TV shows.
For the purposes of this list, we’ll be focusing on traditionally shot (or animated) programs that only temporarily fooled around with Found Footage – so no fully POV shows like Siberia, The River or The Lost Tapes.
With that out of the way, don’t forget to comment below with your own favorite examples of televised Found Footage if you think we missed a particularly fun one.
Now, onto the list…
6. “S.C.A.L.E.” – Godzilla: The Series
Tristar’s 1998 Godzilla remake may be remembered as one of the worst entries in the King of the Monsters’ extensive filmography, but even the film’s harshest critics have to admit that its animated spin-off series (produced by the same team behind the equally badass Men in Black show) was one hell of an effective homage to the Kaiju classics of old.
Godzilla: The Series even experimented with presenting a Kaiju attack through diegetic cameras nearly a decade before Cloverfield, though I’d argue that the shorter runtime and added monster battles make Season 2’s S.C.A.L.E. a much more entertaining experience.
That being said, it’s a damned shame that this remains the only official Found Footage take on Godzilla, as I’d love to see this premise fleshed out into something a bit more theatrical in the monster’s future.
5. “Bitten” – Supernatural
One-off episodes focusing on new characters instead of the beloved regulars can be a huge risk on TV (especially on a show as actor-centric as CW’s Supernatural), but 2012’s Bitten actually contains one of the better stories from the program’s later years. And much like the best episodes from back in SPN’s heyday, this stand-alone tale is heavily inspired by popular genre cinema – more specifically, Found Footage movies!
Telling a refreshingly low-stakes werewolf yarn as we follow an aspiring filmmaker dealing with the aftermath of a Werewolf encounter, Bitten is so well made that it actually makes me wish that the Supernatural writers invested in the anthology format instead of losing themselves in the show’s extended mythology.
And if you like this one, don’t forget to check out the show’s ghost-hunting episode, Season 3’s iconic Ghostfacers.
4. “Television Terror” – Tales From the Crypt
A rare example of televised Found Footage that predates the success of The Blair Witch Project, Tales from the Crypt’s season 2 episode Television Terror was surprisingly ahead of its time. Presenting itself as a live recording of a sleazy journalist reporting on a haunted house in Los Angeles, this silly news report soon devolves into a legitimately frightening depiction of ghost-hunting gone wrong.
Featuring plenty of classic haunted house tropes (as well as a plethora of Found Footage clichés that technically hadn’t been invented yet), I’d recommend Television Terror to fans of films like Late Night with the Devil, WNUF Halloween Special, and BBC’s controversial classic Ghostwatch.
3. “Sleep No More” – Doctor Who
Despite the silly premise of a two-hearted alien who travels through time and space from inside a magical blue box, BBC’s long-running Doctor Who is no stranger to genre frights. In fact, many of the show’s best episodes work like stand-alone horror movies – and 2015’s Sleep No More is no exception.
Starring Reece Shearsmith as a scientist onboard a futuristic space station orbiting Neptune, this peculiar episode sees the researcher compiling and narrating a collection of in-universe footage explaining how a horde of “Sandmen” have taken over the station. Not only is this an entertaining sci-fi yarn that explores The Doctor’s relationship with his then-companion Clara from a unique perspective, but it also features an appropriately meta twist that will likely appeal to die-hard Found Footage fans.
2. “Cops” – The X-Files
I’m not alone in feeling that something of value was lost when The X-Files shifted production from Vancouver to Hollywood after their big screen debut, but the latter half of the show still contains quite a few bangers. Case in point: Cops, a satirical crossover with the reality TV show of the same name.
Following Mulder and Scully as they attempt to track down a shape-shifting monster while being followed by a reality TV crew, this memorable episode features some of the all-time best banter between our charismatic leads. It’s also even more entertaining when you remember that at least some viewers must have missed the iconic intro and watched the whole thing thinking it was real.
1. “The Scooby-Doo Project” – Scooby-Doo
It’s hard to overstate the impact that The Blair Witch Project had on popular culture. From online forums to comedy sketches, everyone was obsessed with this strange little horror flick, though I think the best example of the film’s popularity can be found in a late addition to the iconic animated series Scooby-Doo, Where Are You!
Produced by three passionate Cartoon Network animators who thought that the Scooby gang was especially well suited for a Blair Witch spoof, The Scooby-Doo Project evolved from a mere promotional bumper to a full standalone episode combining live action recordings with retro animation.
While I could rave about this legendary Halloween special for hours, I think it’s best if you do yourself a favor and simply watch the whole thing immediately.