Each Tuesday in August, FANGORIA has been presenting Terror Tuesdays over on Pluto TV, a triple feature of films personally selected by one of the Fango fam. Each week, one of us will curate three titles with a theme, and the party starts on Tuesday night at 8pm ET/5pm PT on the Pluto TV Terror channel. Oh, yeah and it’s ALL FOR FREE!
Perhaps the most divisive subgenre among horror fans, the grainy, shaky world of found footage has blessed horror fans with some of the most terrifying movies of the modern age. From the existential terrror of Lake Mungo‘s to Cloverfield‘s monster madness, the genre is versatile, creative and has given countless low-budget indie filmmakers their chance to shine. Whether you love it or hate it, the found footage genre is here to stay – and so for tonight’s Terror Tuesdays lineup, we’re settling in for a triple bill of found footage classics that’ll make you laugh, scream and possibly (if you’re suspectible to motion sickness) inspire a little nausea.
Kicking off our found footage fest is 2011’s Grave Encounters, the directorial debut from Canadian filmmaking duo The Vicious Brothers. If you ever spent any time on Tumblr in the mid-00s, you will have certainly seen a gif from one of Grave Encounters‘ more terrifying scenes making the rounds, usually accompanied by a viral creepypasta which may or may not have been related to the film’s actual plot. An abandoned mental hospital? A paranormal vlogging team? What could possibly go wrong? A lot, actually, which you’ll know if you’ve ever seen even one piece of horror media in your entire life. A bonafide cult classic, Grave Encounters‘ is a wild ride and a truly creepy good time.
Having fun? Having a good day? Well that all changes now, as our next stop on our found footage adventure is John Erick Dowdle’s 2007 pseudo-documentary serial killer horror The Poughkeepsie Tapes – and boy are you in for a bad time with this one. More so than any other subgenre, the realistic nature of found footage easily lends itself to speculation surrounding the authenticity of what it depicts. Everything from The Blair Witch Project to Paranormal Activity has been put through the rumour mill, and in 2007, The Poughkeepsie Tapes‘ troubled release history and subsequent disappearance off the face of the cinematic landscape really did feel like you were privy to something nasty, dangerous and definitely not legal. This might seem ridiculous to you young’uns in the age of fact-checking and community notes, but it was a different time, ok?!
Finishing up our found footage odyssey is 2012’s V/H/S. With five sequels under its belt (and the latest, V/H/S/85, gracing the cover of the upcoming issue of FANGORIA!), the V/H/S series is one of modern horror’s most enduring. Although recent franchise highlights have included V/H/S/94 and V/H/S/99, many fans still consider the firstV/H/S their favorite entry, and for good reason. Kicking the series off with a bang, V/H/S perfectly captures the punk-rock spirit and guerilla filmmaking synonymous witth the series as a whole. Featuring shorts from now-legendary horror names like David Bruckner, Radio Silence and Ti West, V/H/S set the stage for a strange and scary universe where split-headed siren girls, glitch killers and alien impregnations reign supreme.
Tune in tonight at 8pm Eastern/5pm Pacific on the Pluto TV Terror channel. And join us next week for another installment of FANGORIA’s Terror Tuesday.
