10 Haunted House Found Footage Movies – Popular & Deep Cuts

Welcome to Ranking Horror. We have been on a bit of a found footage horror kick this week and we are going to keep that trend going. Today we are taking a look at 10 Haunted House Found Footage Movies – Popular & Deep Cuts.

We all love haunted house horror, right? When you think about it, the idea of a spooky house hiding both secrets and spirits is one of the greatest horror concepts of all time. I mean, how many people in real life claim to have had experiences in supposedly haunted homes? It is something that many can relate to and taps into that secret fear we all have of what might be hiding in the dark.

For anyone who has hurried up their pace while walking through the house with all of the lights off, haunted house horror should resonate quite deeply. Perhaps it is a bit passé nowadays, but it is still something we love and something that can be a very effective concept when done right. We have managed to put a few together in this list, so let’s take a look at 10 Haunted House Found Footage Movies.

10. Bad Ben (2016) – The Reluctant Resident

Why it Ranked: Bad Ben is the first entry into an ongoing series of fourteen haunted house films by director Nigel Bach. It has a decent amount of humour, some well-executed tension, and is simply a lot of fun. Nigel Bach brings a refreshing “everyman” energy to the role: he isn’t some screaming teenager, just a bloke who is increasingly annoyed that his new investment property is haunted. Naturally, the series would struggle to keep up the quality over time, but if you are looking for haunted house found footage, then it doesn’t get much more extensive than the Bad Ben series.

Synopsis: The story is simple: a man buys a home from an auction without knowing the history behind the place. It isn’t long before it becomes apparent that the house may not be quite so abandoned. He finds himself plagued by strange noises and moving objects, eventually discovering that the previous residents aren’t exactly happy with his presence.

Where to Watch: Prime Video, Tubi

9. Life of Belle (2024) – Home Video Horror

Why it Ranked: Another ultra-low-budget affair, Life of Belle is a bit of a family effort courtesy of director Shawn Robinson and his nearest and dearest. It’s pretty effective stuff and fairly interesting. It’s easy to appreciate how much effort went into this movie, and the kids’ acting performances are absolutely brilliant: they bring a level of naturalism that many big-budget horrors fail to capture. Much of what we see is recordings from security footage, giving the movie a very traditional found footage vibe, ala Paranormal Activity.

Synopsis: Life of Belle plays out like something of a mockumentary, in parts, mixing a sort of crime-based mystery with ghostly goings-on. The story follows a series of bizarre occurrences in a family home that eventually leads to a violent murder and the disappearance of a child, all captured through the lens of home cameras and police evidence.

Where to Watch: YouTube (Terror Films), Tubi

8. The Lost Footage of Leah Sullivan (2018) – The Cold Case

Why it Ranked: I think The Lost Footage of Leah Sullivan is a pretty decent and rather underappreciated found footage horror movie. Somehow, it seems to have gone under a lot of people’s radar, but it is well worth checking out. It falls somewhere between crime mystery and haunted house horror, so I am not sure it entirely counts, but there are some moments here that work very well. YouTuber Anna Stromberg stars and shares writing credits in this movie that does a lot with a little. The protagonist is likable, there are some decently tense moments, and the mystery at the heart of the film is quite interesting.

Synopsis: The film follows a journalism student who returns to her hometown to investigate a brutal cold-case murder for her thesis. As she digs deeper into the history of the house where the killings occurred, she begins to realise that the malevolent force responsible may still be lingering in the shadows.

Where to Watch: Tubi, Prime Video

7. The Deep House (2021) – Submerged Spirits

Why it Ranked: This one is cheating a little bit as The Deep House combines found footage with far more traditional cinematography. However, the parts that count are almost entirely handheld as our protagonists film for their YouTube channel. What makes this stand out is the location: the oppressive nature of the depths makes the very traditional scares all the more effective. There is something quite chilling about knowing that the characters can’t simply run away; they are limited by their oxygen supply and the physics of the water.

Synopsis: The story follows a pair of social media influencer urban explorers who dive deep into a remote lake in France to discover a perfectly preserved haunted house hidden beneath the water. Once inside, they find themselves trapped as their air runs low and the spirits of the house begin to wake.

Where to Watch: Prime Video, MGM+

6. Leaving D.C. (2012) – Solitude in the Shadows

Why it Ranked: Leaving D.C. is one of those low-budget found footage gems that I jump on any opportunity to talk about. Josh Criss writes, directs, and stars, making it one of those proper DIY horror movies that are so easy to appreciate. The thing is, it really works. Criss creates a legitimately enthralling story and manages to manufacture some brilliant scares with nothing more than a camera and a tripod. The scares do leave the house on occasion, but they only go as far as the spooky woods surrounding the property, so we will let it fly.

Synopsis: After suffering from an obsessive-compulsive disorder, a man moves away from the big city to start a new life in a remote house located in the middle of the woods. He begins recording his life to send to a support group, but soon finds himself being woken by strange sounds in the night, prompting him to investigate the terrifying history of his new home.

Where to Watch: Refer to local US streaming

5. Death of a Vlogger (2018) – The Ghost of Social Media

Why it Ranked: Scottish horror movie Death of a Vlogger is another meeting of the old and the new. The comedy element might put a few people off, and this movie roams frequently into mockumentary territory which can sometimes undermine the scares. Despite this, however, Death of a Vlogger is an entertaining ride that is worth checking out. It is very similar to Lake Mungo in that it goes one way before veering off in a completely different direction, only to end up back at the start later on. It offers a sharp critique of the desire for internet fame and the lengths people will go to to maintain their viewership, even when their house is literally trying to kill them.

Synopsis: The film follows a popular vlogger who documents his experiences with a haunting in his flat. As his videos gain traction, he incurs the wrath of the internet when the truth behind the footage is questioned, leading to a psychological spiral and a desperate attempt to prove that the spirits in his home are real.

Where to Watch: Tubi, Prime Video

4. Paranormal Activity (2009) – The Blueprint

Why it Ranked: It would be impossible, and inauthentic, to not mention Paranormal Activity on this list. To be perfectly honest, this might be the most famous movie on this list. It is that simplicity that makes this series so successful and allows Paranormal Activity to just focus on the scares. It shares a blueprint that has proved successful many times over: set up a camera, show some mundane stuff, and then skip straight to injecting the viewer with a liberal dose of ghostly shenanigans. Naturally, it is hugely overhyped, but it is still absolutely worth a watch.

Synopsis: It follows the story of a young couple who move into a new house and find themselves increasingly disturbed by a presence that may or may not be demonic. They invest in a video camera to document the haunting taking place at their home, only to capture footage that suggests the entity has a specific interest in one of them.

Where to Watch: Prime Video, Paramount+

3. Hell House LLC (2015) – The Abaddon Hotel

Why it Ranked: Stephen Cognetti’s Hell House LLC is one of the most beloved found footage movies of all time, and for good reason. It’s also considered to be one of the scariest. It manages to combine a legitimately interesting story with some very effective scares, taking the modern concept of travelling haunted house attractions and turning it into a real-life horror experience. There are some moments here that work so damn well that you would think it was real-life footage. The clowns, in particular, have become iconic in the genre for their ability to be terrifying without doing very much at all.

Synopsis: This movie is initially presented as a mockumentary following a horrible tragedy at a haunted house Halloween attraction that caused the death of a number of people, including the staff. It quickly settles into a traditional found footage style as it reveals the tapes recorded by the crew in the weeks leading up to the disastrous opening night at the Abaddon Hotel.

Where to Watch: Shudder, Tubi, Prime Video

2. Deadstream (2022) – Evil Dead Energy

Why it Ranked: Brought to us by the team of Joseph and Vanessa Winter, Deadstream is old-fashioned horror scares with people dolled up in spooky makeup, monsters in the basement, and things jumping out from the shadows. It merges found footage with screenlife horror as disgraced social media influencer Shawn Ruddy spends a night in a haunted house. Deadstream feels like a found footage version of The Evil Dead and is bags of fun. It is old-school horror in a new-school format, and Joseph Winter’s performance as the cowardly, desperate-for-relevance Shawn is pitch-perfect.

Synopsis: To win back his sponsors, a disgraced YouTuber decides to livestream himself spending a night in a notorious haunted mansion. Despite his overwhelming fear, he locks himself in and throws his keys away, only to find himself in a desperate fight for survival against the vengeful spirit of a dead fan and the house’s dark history.

Where to Watch: Shudder, AMC+

1. Ghostwatch (1992) – The Nation’s Nightmare

Why it Ranked: The original and the best, in my opinion. Ghostwatch was handled with no hint of irony; the presence of respected BBC mainstays like Michael Parkinson and Sarah Greene only made it all the more believable. It was scary, compelling, and perfectly executed. If we are to consider The Last Broadcast or The Blair Witch Project to be the first found footage movies of note, then it makes it all the more impressive that, six years earlier, Ghostwatch would define many of the techniques that made those movies so special. People, including me as a child, believed this was real. The production even resulted in the utterly tragic death of one viewer. It remains the gold standard for haunted house found footage.

Synopsis: Ghostwatch is a documentary-style television production that follows a Halloween investigation into a supposedly haunted house in Northolt. An investigation that eventually results in disaster. I am including this as found footage because much of what happens is handheld camera footage, security cameras, and stuff recorded on the fly as the studio anchors lose control of the situation.

Where to Watch: Shudder, BFI Player

Spooked In The Suburbs

There we have it, 10 haunted house found footage movies that prove the shaky-cam format is the perfect vehicle for domestic dread. Whether it is an underwater mansion in The Deep House or a live TV broadcast gone wrong in Ghostwatch, these movies capture that universal fear of being unsafe in the one place you are supposed to be secure. The genre has come a long way from the static cameras of Paranormal Activity, but the core thrill remains the same: wondering what is lurking just out of frame.

We’ll be back soon with more lists to keep your watchlist growing. In the meantime, why not check out some more of our found footage rankings? I’ll be back soon with more lists. Stay spooky.

🏠 Quick Picks: Haunted House Found Footage Essentials

• 🏆 The All-Time Classic: Ghostwatch (1992)
• 📽️ The Modern Favourite: Deadstream (2022)
• 🤡 The Scariest Choice: Hell House LLC (2015)
• 📹 The Genre Definer: Paranormal Activity (2009)
• 🌲 The DIY Gem: Leaving D.C. (2012)