Tubi Terrors: Found Footage (RANKED)
Tubi Terrors is a somewhat reoccurring series about horror movies that can be streamed for free on Tubi.
In the summer of 1999 The Blair Witch Project introduced viewers to a sub-genre of horror movies that impacted the community and filmmaking for the following years, found footage. Paranormal Activity was released nearly a decade later and caused another boom of found footage movies to be created.
Found footage is a sub-genre where the movie is presented as if what we’re watching is “found” or discovered lost video recordings. The movies can use surveillance cameras, news interviews and clips, or be presented like a mockumentary to tell a story.
Tubi has an entire section dedicated to found footage movies, and I took it upon myself to watch as many as I wanted, to try and compile a definitive ranking list. There was no criteria it had to meet, except that it had to scare me. As someone who wants to direct more horror, I try not to be extremely critical and tear apart movies because it’s not fun to read about how your work sucks. However there are a few movies lower on this list that I am critical of, and if it ends up being something you made, please don’t take it personally.
From worst to best, here is a long list of found footage movies currently available to stream for free on Tubi.
TO JENNIFER
What’s it about? A man suspects that his girlfriend is cheating on him and sets out with two friends to catch her in the act.
What’s the rating? 0.5/5
This movie started out so unsettling and weird and slowly turned into a bad movie. There’s an offensive scene that involves sex workers, and the two friends are insufferable and make the movie hard to enjoy.
#FOLLOWME
What’s it about? A British influencer and her two friends fly to the USA for a con and end up being stalked by someone.
What’s the ranking? 0.5/5
This movie had a lot of potential and it ended up falling flat due to poor character choices and subpar acting during the climax of the movie.
21 DAYS
What’s it about? Three friends are determined to stay locked up in a house that’s notorious for having former owners leave before 21 days of living there.
What’s the rating? 1/5
I hated the manipulating boyfriend in this movie. A cool premise that had some scares, but the movie felt much longer than it needed to be.
BEHIND THE SIGHTINGS
What’s it about? A young couple fascinated by the clown craze in 2016 set out to make a documentary about the sightings.
What’s the rating? 1/5
This had so much potential to be terrifying but the story failed to deliver.
HOLLOWS GROVE
What’s it about? A group of ghost hunters go into an abandoned orphanage to record their latest episode and are met with an unescapable evil.
What’s the rating? 1/5
I think I only gave it a 1 star because of Lance Henriksen’s cameo.
THE ROHL FARMS HAUNTING
What’s it about? Two friends making a documentary about paranormal experiences happening at a farm encounter something more dangerous.
What’s the rating? 1/5
This was The Strangers set in the country. I can appreciate the effort and some of the scare attempts, but the acting and ending weren’t good.
V/H/S: VIRAL
What’s it about? A wild police chase, and kidnapping, leads a L.A man on a ride to save his girlfriend from a cyber attack.
What’s the rating? 1/5
By far the weakest of the V/H/S movies. The overall story is bizarre and not in a good way, and the only redeeming moments come from some of the segments.
THE LOST VLOG OF RUBY REAL
What’s it about? Three influencers go into the woods to debunk a supernatural conspiracy theory
What’s the rating? 1.5/5
This movie left me with a lot of questions. The acting was not strong and the script could’ve been better. This was an interesting premise that ultimately fell short of a successful execution.
EXISTS
What’s it about? A group of friends travel out to a cabin in the woods for a weekend getaway but stalked by Bigfoot.
What’s the rating? 2/5
Unenjoyable characters and lackluster suspense made this a hard one to get through. I will say that the creature design was really well done, and there were some scary moments.
THE BLACK WATER VAMPIRE
What’s it about? Investigating a series of deaths coined the Black Water murders, a crew head out to the woods to dive deeper into the mystery only to discover a horrifying creature.
What’s the rating? 2/5
The acting is a little iffy from some of the cast members, but I did enjoy the performances as things started to pick up and got creepier. Bonus points for the Promise LaMarco appearance.
THE FAITH COMMUNITY
What’s it about? Trying to form a closer bond to God, three friends journey out to the woods to join a group of religious folks who are a tad more twisted than expected.
What’s the rating? 2/5
There is decent acting and character dynamic. The only issue I really had with the movie was that the suspense and tension wasn’t as impactful as it could’ve been. I think if there had been scenes at night it would’ve helped elevate the madness to another level.
DARK MOUNTAIN
What’s it about? Three filmmaker friends go to the Superstition Mountains in Arizona to search for the Lost Dutchman Mine.
What’s the rating? 2/5
The movie was a mixture of camera footage and phone camera footage, and the phone camera had this weird filter on it which I did not like at all. If it was to differentiate between camera POVs, all they had to do was put some grain over the phone footage instead of an ugly filter that took me out of the narrative. There were some moments of uneasiness and tension, but the ending left me disappointed.
THE LOST FOOTAGE OF LEAH SULLIVAN
What’s it about? Leah Sullivan goes to a small town to conduct a school project about a cold case murder.
What’s the rating? 2.5/5
The chemistry between the two leads was one of my favorite parts. There were decent scares throughout the movie, and I enjoyed the buildup to the end.
BREW HOUSE
What’s it about? A group of explorers go to an abandoned brewery to film the latest episode of their web series.
What’s the rating? 2.5/5
With a stronger script I think Brew House could’ve had the potential to be higher up on this list. I may be biased because this was filmed in Pittsburgh, but I enjoyed the premise. The acting and a couple of scares saved this movie from being further down the ranking.
IN A STRANGER’S HOUSE
What’s it about? A vlogger house sits an isolated country home where disturbing events occur.
What’s the rating? 2.5/5
I love creepy dolls and this movie had a creepy doll. It was a slow burner that I enjoyed up until the last couple of minutes of the movie. It could’ve ended stronger but I liked it.
SHE WALKS THE WOODS
What’s it about? A group of adventurers who make survival videos go to a cabin in the woods and realize they’re not alone out there.
What’s the rating? 2.5/5
I did not like a single character in this movie. I think their personalities were unlikable, and the fact that all of them started messing around with things in the woods was a red flag. The redeemable factors were some of the kills being gory, and decent creature design.
2 JENNIFER
What’s it about? Two filmmakers set out to make a sequel to “To Jennifer” but secrets get revealed as the production starts.
What’s the rating? 2.5/5
Arguably better than To Jennifer, and it has Felissa Rose in it! 2 Jennifer is uncomfortable to watch thanks to the lead’s creepy acting. Bonus points for being a bloody movie.
LAKE MUNGO
What’s it about? After their daughter mysteriously drowned, a family starts to uncover her secrets while experiencing hauntings at their home.
What’s the rating? 2.5/5
I don’t know if it’s because I had really high expectations going in to this movie but this movie let me down. There were moments where I was scared, but felt it was an anticlimactic movie.
THE TRIANGLE
What’s it about? After receiving a postcard from their old friend, a group of guys head out to an isolated commune and capture something so mysterious and disturbing.
What’s the rating? 3/5
This was probably one of the most beautiful found footage movies I’ve ever seen. Performances felt authentic and the story was interesting. The ending was lackluster and had me wanting more.
THE CONSPIRACY
What’s it about? A documentary about conspiracy theories starts to get all too real for the filmmakers who discover a hidden society.
What’s the rating? 3/5
Hidden society’s like the one in this movie terrify me because who knows if they really exist? Premise is executed nicely and the performances are fantastic.
WILLOW CREEK
What’s it about? A young couple go on a trip to discover Bigfoot.
What’s the rating? 3/5
The boyfriend is insufferable. There’s a long take that showcases fantastic acting, and is extremely creepy. This movie surprised me because I wasn’t sure what to expect, and what I got was really good.
AS ABOVE, SO BELOW
What’s it about? A group of explorers go into the catacombs of Paris in search of the Sorcerer’s Stone.
What’s the rating? 3/5
I remember seeing this in theaters and loving it, and years later I think it still holds up. There’s some really beautiful and terrifying moments in As Above, So Below, and I would say it’s one of my favorites.
THE HOUSES OCTOBER BUILT
What’s it about? While on a road trip to find the scariest haunted house attractions, a group of friends begin to be stalked by individuals ready to show them true horror.
What’s the rating? 3/5
While I may not like the characters, the performances are good. The premise is original, and it’s a movie that leaves me feeling creeped out.
THE SACRAMENT
What’s it about? A film crew travels with their friend to a community called Eden Parish to retrieve his sister and soon realize this paradise may not be what it’s chalked up to be.
What’s the rating? 3/5
The Sacrament is an unsettling movie, and it’s because of how close it emulates Jonestown. It’s a disturbing movie with a familiar premise that’s executed with fantastic performances.
V/H/S
What’s it about? A group of guys hired by an unknown source break into a home to retrieve a VHS tape but discover more tapes than expected, and they’re all disturbing.
What’s the rating? 3/5
This movie has some great segments, but falls in the middle when it comes to the overall story. This was the first anthology movie I ever watched and it remains one of my favorites.
GONJIAM: HAUNTED ASYLUM
What’s it about? The crew of a horror web series go to an abandoned asylum to investigate during a live broadcast, and get to the bottom of an urban legend surronding the building.
What’s the rating? 3.5/5
I really enjoyed this! There were genuinely some scary moments, and I loved the performances.
V/H/S 2
What’s it about? On the hunt for a missing person, two investigators discover a house filled with a collection of disturbing VHS tapes.
What’s the rating? 3.5/5
A fantastic sequel that, in my opinion, has stronger segments and a creepier main storyline.
GRAVE ENCOUNTERS
What’s it about? Paranormal investigators lock themselves in a haunted asylum for their reality show.
What’s the rating? 4/5
This was a fun movie to watch! It captured the essence of paranormal shows wonderfully and the scares were well done. This was a movie that I had high expectations for and am happy they were met.
BE MY CAT: A FILM FOR ANNE
What’s it about? Obsessed with Anne Hathaway, a crazy filmmaker goes to great lengths to try and convince The Hollywood actress to be in one of his movies.
What’s the rating? 4/5
This is another one that I wish I could watch for the first time over again, because it’s weird.
HELL HOUSE LLC II: THE ABADDON HOTEL
What’s it about? An investigative journalist and her team go to the Abaddon Hotel convinced there’s evidence that can better explain what happened years prior.
What’s the rating? 4/5
This is where the trilogy starts to take an odd turn with the supernatural, but it’s a good creepy movie.
THE POUGHKEEPSIE TAPES
What’s it about? The Poughkeepsie Tapes is a mockumentary compiled of home videos, investigation interviews, and news coverage clips about a faceless killer who tortures people but becomes obsessed with one particular victim.
What’s the rating? 4/5
I wrote a blog about how much I love this movie. It’s disturbing.
DIGGING UP THE MARROW
What’s it about? Filmmakers are contacted by a strange man claiming monsters are real.
What’s the rating? 4.5/5
This movie feels like a time capsule, especially if you’re a fan of director Adam Green. There’s a beautiful mix of comedy and scares that make this enjoyable. Bonus points for Ray Wise being fantastic.
THE TAKING OF DEBORAH LOGAN
What’s it about? A film crew documenting a woman’s life with Alzheimer’s disease and her caregiver daughter discover that there’s an evil at play.
What’s the rating? 4.5/5
There’s moments throughout that make you feel uncomfortable, and that only continues as the story unfolds. I wish I could watch this movie for the first time over and over again. It’s truly fantastic.
HELL HOUSE LLC
What’s it about? Hell House LLC is about a documentary crew searching for answers about a disaster that happened at a haunted hotel tour years earlier that caused the death of 15 tour-goers and staff members.
What’s the rating? 4.5/5
Hell House LLC is one of my favorite found footage movies because it’s unsettling to watch at times. There’s creepy clowns, the scares are effective, and the performances are some of my favorite.
