The Subversion of Factual Discourse in Found Footage Films

Abstract

This article analyzes how the textual design of found footage films subvert factual discourse in order to increase the intended horror on screen. Movies such as Cannibal Holocaust (1980), The Blair Witch Project (1999), Paranormal Activity (2007) and The Gallows (2015) capitalize on the blur between reality and fiction, interfering with the way part of the audience responds to the movies. The article also contends that found footage films are natural by-products of postmodern times, which is especially characterized by ‘convergence culture’ (JENKINS, 2008) and ‘the disappearance of something real’, as two prime features of this genre.