Full text available at Academia.edu or via Google Drive.
This article examines the 2013 found footage horror film, WNUF Halloween Special, and its use of verisimilitude to enhance the viewer’s engagement and immersion in the narrative. The film is presented as a VHS recording of a local news broadcast from 1987, documenting a live investigation of a haunted house in River Hill Township. The narrative structure of the film is complex and meticulous, incorporating various elements of found footage and fake newscasts to create a realistic and believable environment. The article explores how the film uses verisimilitude to blur the lines between reality and fiction, and how this approach heightens the viewer’s sense of fear and unease. The use of real-time broadcasting techniques, such as commercials and weather updates, adds to the immersive quality of the film. The article also examines the role of ambiguity in the film, particularly in regards to the fate of one of the main characters, Veronica. The article argues that WNUF stands as a unique example of found footage horror that successfully maintains verisimilitude throughout its narrative. The film’s use of clear narrative circumstances and competent camerawork helps to challenge the boundaries between reality and fiction, presenting the horror movie not as a mere artifact, but as a fragment of our real world. The article suggests that WNUF’s success in maintaining verisimilitude could set a precedent for future found footage films.
Dispatches from the Adventure 