subject: The Shaky Cam Horror Flick Experience [print this page] Ever since the 1998 films The Last Broadcast and The Blair Witch Projects took the horror world by surprise, there have numerous movies that have sought to utilize what is called Shaky Cam film making. Shaky Cam film making is when a film that is a work of fiction, usually either horror or science fiction, is filmed as though either a documentary or a home video so that it gives the viewer a more realistic looking scare, or makes the special effects seem more realistic, and such. The most recent film to do this is the horror film Paranormal Activity, which is the story of a young couple whose home is being haunted by a demonic entity. Here are some other films that have successfully utilized the shaky cam film making style.
Cloverfield: Cloverfield had a simple enough premise. What if I giant monster, like Godzilla, went on a rampage through New York City in real life? The film was, quite possibly, the first big budget shaky cam film, as many of the directors and studios who make shaky cam films do so on a low budget. The film was produced by J.J. Abrams, and based on an idea of his that he had on a trip to Japan. The film is somewhat notorious however, for inducing mild nausea and vertigo in some people, so consider yourself warned if you decide to see it.
Quarantine: Quarantine is a film that follows a news reporter doing a story on fire fighters as they go to a building to help an injured person that is soon revealed to be infected with a virus that turns people into zombies. The building is then quarantined, leaving the reporter, her cameraman, and the people living in the building to fend for themselves. The film is based on the Spanish movie Rec, and received very positive reviews. This film was also of a bigger budget than most shaky cam movies, and is notable for its fast pace, as opposed to other movies of its kind that have a very slow start.
It is unknown whether or not shaky cam films are just a fad or not. Many mainstream moviegoers that are not as well versed as movie buffs into the technicalities of filmmakers have expressed their distaste, while others have been more accepting of them. The style has even been taken somewhat mainstream, by utilizing the form in parts of the recent sci-fi film District 9, which has received highly positive reviews.
