Summary

The mockumentary style feels like a great way to make anymoviebetter. It improves comedies like Surf’s Up or The Office, it breathes new life into adventure films, and best of all, it can really elevate ahorror filmwhen done right.

That being said, as with most things related to horror, finding the mockumentary horror flick that’s right for you’re able to be a bit of a challenge.

A reporter stands in front of an empty dock in The Bay (2012).

Mockumentary andfound footageare easy to confuse, especially since they sometimes overlap. For this list, the psuedo-documentary angle is the key factor.

2012

A woman screams on the poster for the 2011 film The Tunnel, alongside blurry footage showing a pair of eyes surrounded by utter darkness.

Streaming

Prime Video (buy or rent)

A solid mix of found footage and mockumentary, Barry Levinson’s The Bay follows a rookie news reporter as she attempts to cover fourth of July celebrations in the coastal town of Claridge, Maine, only to accidentally end up uncovering a much larger story.

A dimly lit easel shows a gruesome drawing of a sharp toothed red eyed monster dripping with various shades of paint and surrounded by pairs of eyes. The film’s logo is in the upper left corner.

The Bay sees its characters panic under the assumption that some new horrible disease has infected the town, and in a post-pandemic world, that feels a lot more visceral and real than it did back in 2012.

2011

Two clowns, props for the haunted house, are set up next to each other.

Tubi

When an investigative journalist and her crew attempt to hunt down the secret behind a mysterious tunnel system under Sydney, Australia, they soon find themselves stalked by something they don’t understand.

The secrets at the heart of this tense horror mockumentary are sure to unnerve you, especially oncethe creature, known only as “the stalker” begins to make itself known. If you liked As Above So Below, this one is going to be right up your alley.

A strange goat demon gives a hand signal while staring at the camera.

2014

AMC+, Tubi, The Roku Channel

Digging Up The Marrow isn’t going to land for everyone, but if you like practical effects, have a passion for monsters and how they’re designed, and also happen to like horror comedies, Digging Up The Marrow is the oddly specific movie for you.

You’ll love the unique premise of a documentary about monsters in art being flipped on its head when the inspirations behind the art make themselves known, and have a great time laughing along withthis delightful horror comedy.

The poster for the film Savageland is placed in front of a blurred shot from the film, which shows a group of people dancing wildly around a fire.

2015

Prime Video, AMC+, Tubi

Five years ago, an unexplainable disaster at a haunted house led to the deaths of 15 people. Now, a documentary crew has returned to the scene of the tragedy to uncover the truth behind what really happened that fateful night.

Hell House LLC delivers a wonderfully tense and engaging result so successfulit has spawned a great number of sequelsin the years since its release. It’s popular enough that you’ve probably already seen it, but if you haven’t, give this one a watch, ASAP.

A film poster featuring a large Japanese family at a dinner table is placed in front of a blurry shot from the film, showing the exterior of a Japanese home.

2018

David Amito and Michael Laicini

A truck drives toward a massive troll in a snowy landscape at dusk.

Prime Video, Tubi

Antrum, supposedly, is cursed. The actual film is supposed to be about what happens when a child attempts to bring back a beloved pet dog by opening a pit that leads directly to the underworld, but that’s not all there is to this clever indie flick.

The film presents itself as a documentaryabout itself, and recounts the tragedies that have befallen those who have seen the film, and what has happened to those who have tried to screen it. If you want to be kept guessing, Antrum is a great choice.

A church building twisted and transformed into the shape of a cross is surrounded by crows beneath an overcast sky. A red logo is off to the right.

A powerful film which questions our trust in our fellow man, Savageland uses the mockumentary format to examine judgment, fear, and doubt with a fresh and gruesome take on a long-celebrated horror trope.

After an entire town disappears overnight, only one survivor remains, but as guilty as he may seem at first, the survivor soon produces photographs that shine a shocking new light on the case.

A group of friends overlook a lake where a search boat full of people investigates something in the water.

2009

Currently Unavailable

Japanese horror moviesfrom the mid 2000stend to betricky to track down in the West, and unfortunately, that’s especially true of the 2009 mockumentary Banned From Broadcast: Saiko! The Large Family. That said, if you can find a way to watch it, this is one mockumentary you won’t soon forget.

The film on the surface is just an ordinary documentary about a large Japanese family, but pay close attention to the background, and a very different picture soon becomes crystal clear. Even if it’s tough to find, we can’t recommend Saiko enough for fans of subtle horror.

2010

Peacock, Prime Video, Tubi

When a group of students heads to the Norwegian mountains in hopes of filming a documentary about a bear hunter, they end up chasing a much bigger threat than any bear.

Troll Hunter is a wonderful mockumentary horror epic which brings Norwegian folklore to life with impressive and believable visual effects, and this is only made more impressive when you remember thatthe film was made back in 2010. Check it out if you slept on it when it was released. Trust us, you won’t regret it.

2013

Prime Video (rent or buy)

Final Prayer is the definition of an indie horror gem. Focusing its story on an old, boardering on ancient church in the English countryside, this mockumentary sees us following a group of skeptics and exorists from the Vatican who have been called in to investigate a supposed haunting.

If you enjoy cosmic horror and mockumentary style presentation, Final Prayer (also known as The Borderlands depending on where you live) is a fantastic film that kept us on edge from start to finish. Rest assured, this one is worth the rental price.

2008

Prime Video

Lake Mungo is harrowing. Not only because of how well the documentary aspects of the film are handled, but because of how scary the film can be on a second viewing, once you’re painfully aware of what’s really going on.

But it’s not as though Lake Mungo ever fully reveals its hand, either. The film is incredibly smart with what it gives away, and when, and blends tragedy with horror in a way that will stick with you long after the credits roll.