Found Footage, Analog Horror, ARGs, and Suspension of Disbelief

In the summer of 1999, horror fans were treated to the now seminal THE BLAIR WITCH PROJECT. Not even a decade later, the PARANORMAL ACTIVITY franchise launched and consequently generated a resurgence of films using the found footage technique. While these are the two most notable examples, a plethora of other movies--not solely horror--have employed found footage to tell their stories. The technique has a rich history, stretching beyond the medium of film and all the way back to epistolary novels such as DRACULA and FRANKENSTEIN. Plus, PETSCOP, THE SUN HAS VANISHED, and GEMINI HOME ENTERTAINMENT are prime examples of how the technique has evolved, the reason why this approach works so well, and a list of obscure found footage movies you probably haven't seen.