The moment I realized horror movies are scarier when you pretend the camera is real

I used to watch found footage flicks and just enjoy the jump scares, you know? Like Paranormal Activity or Cloverfield, I'd sit back with popcorn and wait for stuff to blow up. But last month I caught this weird indie movie called The Borderlands on a streaming site, and something clicked. I started watching it like I was actually holding the camera myself, like I was the one running from whatever was in those tunnels. It changed everything. Now when I watch Blair Witch, I actually get tense when the camera shakes and someone's breathing heavy. I even rewatched Lake Mungo that way and it wrecked me way more than the first time. Does anyone else try to get into that headspace, or do you just watch them straight?

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gavinhunt8d ago

oh man you nailed it with the camera thing, that's exactly what got me too. i watched hell house llc the other night and forced myself to imagine i was the one holding the phone while those clowns were coming down the hall. my heart was pounding so hard i had to pause it. it's like the jump scares hit different when you're not just watching but you're actually there in the middle of it, you feel every shaky breath and every fumbled step. the borderlands really is a game changer for that, that ending would mess anyone up if you put yourself in the camera's shoes. now i can't watch any found footage without that whole "this is real" filter on, it just makes the cheap scares feel so much more earned somehow.