The most ‘traumatizing’ found-footage horror movie of the 21st century is free to stream now

A notorious found-footage horror movie that scarred TikTokers for life is now available to stream for free – but you should be afraid… be very afraid.

The found-footage sub-genre is home to some of the best horror movies of all time, equipped with indelibly frightening images you can’t shake; too scared to close your eyes, too scared to open them.

Mike standing in the corner of the basement in The Blair Witch Project, the reporter being dragged away into the darkness in Rec, the masked killer slinking across the floor in The Poughkeepsie Tapes; these are just a few examples.

However, there’s one moment in a movie that’s developed a formidable reputation, and these three words will send a cold shiver down the spines of those who’ve experienced it: Photo Number One.

No spoilers, but this comes from Megan is Missing, an infamous 2011 horror movie. After Megan (Rachel Quinn) meets up with a boy she’d been chatting to online, she disappears – so her best friend Amy (Amber Perkins) tries to figure out what happened.

Anchor Bay Films

There’s two ways you can watch it for free: if you have a library card in the US, it’s available on Hoopla; or you can stream it on the Internet Archive.

It went viral in November 2020, with people on TikTok filming their reactions to the “photo number one” scene. This caught the attention of Michael Goi, the film’s director.

“Do not watch the movie in the middle of the night. Do not watch the movie alone. And if you see the words ‘photo number one’ pop up on your screen, you have about four seconds to shut off the movie if you’re already kind of freaking out before you start seeing things that maybe you don’t want to see,” he urged viewers.

While billed as an “educational’ movie, it’s been banned in New Zealand as its censorship board deemed it “objectionable” and “injurious to the public good.”

A new inductee in the “Megan is Missing messed me up” club took to the horror subreddit to warn (and recommend) people about the film.

“The photos scene was f**king horrible and the only way that I can describe how that made me feel is that I felt my heart fall inside my chest… I’ve seen some dark films, but this pushed me to my f**king limit. Never again,” they wrote.

“This movie traumatized the f**k out of my best friend and I as young teens. We were honestly just like the two protagonists and it felt so real to us. I’ve only seen it the one time and I still get sick thinking about it,” another user commented.

“Watching this I felt like I was watching a crime happen in real-time,” a third wrote, and a fourth added: “It’s been a while since I’ve been shook by a film, but this film really upset me… and I say this as somebody that has seen their share of films that push the limits of acceptability.”

If you’re not feeling brave enough for Megan is Missing, check out our list of new movies you can watch this month.