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.
Highlights
The presence of truth claims in fictional works is not a recent phenomenon, contemporary cinema has amplified its use
This article discusses a subgenre within horror cinema known as found footage, proposing that such change is provoked by the subversion of factual discourse, which we consider to be the most important feature in this particular format
The analysis contends that the combination between the ‘claims to truthfulness’ underpinning documentary film (AUFDENHEIDE, 2007) and the main characteristics of the ‘convergence culture’ (JENKINS, 2008) are of paramount significance for the confusion between fact and fiction intended to amplify the horror on screen
Summary
The presence of truth claims in fictional works is not a recent phenomenon, contemporary cinema has amplified its use. Abstract: This article analyzes how the textual design of found footage films subvert factual discourse in order to increase the intended horror on screen.
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