Found footage films are a popular genre in Hollywood these days. First popularized by The Blair Witch Project in the late '90s, the genre really took off several years ago with the release of Paranormal Activity . In most cases, these films pretend to consist of footage usually shot by real-life documentary filmmakers who encounter strange, highly dangerous situations and are eventually killed in the process of filming.

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<a+class='autolink'+href='https://movies.ign.com/objects/948/948391.html'>Cloverfield</a>

<a+class='autolink'+href='https://movies.ign.com/objects/142/14223065.html'>Quarantine</a>

Paranormal+Activity

<a+class='autolink'+href='https://movies.ign.com/objects/075/075012.html'>The+Last+Exorcism</a>

<a+class='autolink'+href='https://movies.ign.com/objects/089/089792.html'>Trollhunter</a>

Chronicle is the latest in the ongoing line of found footage films, with more to follow in 2012. In this feature we explore some of the more popular examples and examine the big, crazy moments that make you wonder why the film crew didn't just drop the camera and run the hell away.Three young filmmakers travel to rural Maryland to investigate local legends about a murderous witch. After interviewing the townsfolk, the trio embark into the woods and quickly become lost. A series of strange noises and nighttime occurrences devolves into all-out chaos as the three are stalked by an unseen figure that may or may not be the Blair Witch herself.It seems hard to believe that anyone would prioritize documentary filming while traveling lost through the woods, but we can accept that the three protagonists are dedicated to the job. It's when the three are sent running into the night when their tent is attacked by a mysterious assailant that the suspension of disbelief falls away. Between that and coming back to camp to find all of their gear vandalized, that was the point when they should have dropped the camera and focused every bit of mental energy on finding their way out of the wilderness.But the characters seemed compelled to keep the camera rolling, right until the very end when Mike is forced into a corner by the witch to await death.A group of friends gather to celebrate one man's impending move to Japan. Festivities are cut short when an apparent earthquake cuts out power to all of Manhattan. The friends soon discover that the city is under attack by a gigantic monster. They make their way across town and through subway tunnels in a desperate attempt to escape the rampage. Ultimately, they're caught at ground zero when the military unleashes its final bombardment.We can understand the desire to keep the camera rolling in the midst of a real-life Godzilla rampage. But at some point you'd think the heroes of Cloverfield would start caring less about filmmaking history and more about survival. Like, for instance, the scene where they're being attacked by parasites in the subway tunnels. Or maybe the shot of the Statue of Liberty's Head rolling through the streets. Or maybe when they're being attacked by the monster while in a helicopter.Two news reporters are accompanying a group of firefighters working the night shift. A seemingly routine outing quickly goes awry when the firefighters respond to a distress call in an apartment building. The group are locked in the building with the residents, many of whom begin showing symptoms of a rabies-like disease. One by one, residents and emergency personnel alike are attacked and infected by the other victims.We get that news reporters of all people would want to keep the cameras rolling on such an unusual story, but at some point you'd think even their sense of self-preservation would kick in. All hell really begins to break loose when police snipers kill one of the would-be escapees and the dwindling few begin desperately searching for a safe escape route. But, as is usually the case in these films, the camera doesn't stop until the last victim is claimed.A woman named Katie has been haunted by a demon for most of her life. When she moves in with her boyfriend Micah, the demon apparently follows. Micah sets up a camera to record the various unexplained phenomena cropping up. Strange noises and moving doors eventually make way for physical attacks and Ouija boards bursting into flame as the demon ramps up its attempts to claim Katie's life.The paranormal activity seems harmless enough at first, but after one instance leaves Katie sobbing uncontrollably and begging Micah to stop filming, we find it a little hard to believe he wouldn't oblige. How much of a jerk do you have to be to prioritize ghost hunting over the safety of your significant other?But that aside, the real WTF moment came late in the movie when the demon returned to grab Katie by the leg and drag her out of bed and halfway up into the attic before she was able to break free. Why would any remotely sane person remain in the house with the camera running after that?An exorcist becomes disillusioned with his own craft and invites a film crew to accompany him on his last job, at which time he'll expose himself as a fraud. However, the subject of his final exorcism proves to be the real deal and begins slowly tormenting the reverend and his film crew over a number of nights. The group eventually learns that an occult organization may be behind her demonic possession.We're kind of surprised the documentary crew didn't book it once they encountered a group of paintings created by the possessed Nell that depicted each of them being horrifically killed. The real clincher, however, came near the end when the occult group showed up and Nell gave birth to something very inhuman. That was their cue to turn off the camera and skedaddle.Three Norwegian film students set out to make a documentary about an alleged bear poacher named Hans. After stalking Hans halfway across the country, they find out he isn't hunting bears at all, but trolls. Hans reluctantly allows the trio to film his exploits. They soon discover that he works for the Troll Security Service, an organization tasked with hiding the existence of trolls by blaming the destruction they inflict on bears and various natural disasters.Naturally, Hans and the film crew push their luck too far when they venture deep into troll territory, and the found footage serves as a record of Hans' final mission.Given that the film crew set out with the intention of documenting a bear poacher, it's almost hard to believe the found footage exists at all. Main character Thomas getting slashed by what he thought was a bear should have been enough for the teens to cut their losses. But then their very next encounter involves being chased through the woods by a giant, three-headed troll. And the encounters only get more dangerous and weird from there.