The Last Broadcast is a found footage horror/mockumentary film that was released in 1998. The film was directed by Stefan Avalos and Lance Weiler and written by Avalos, Weiler, and David Beard. The movie was shot on a budget of only $900 dollars.
The film follows two public access cable TV hosts - Steven Avkast and Locus Wheeler - who are obsessed with the Jersey Devil legend. The two hosts recruit videographer Rein Clackin to help them search for the monster in the Pine Barrens of New Jersey. The three of them venture deep into the forest, fully equipped with cameras, audio equipment, and other gear.
After several days, only one of the trio emerges from the forest alive. Jim Seward, the only survivor, claims that his colleagues were killed by the Jersey Devil. However, the local authorities are skeptical of Seward's story and quickly make him the prime suspect in their disappearance.
A local filmmaker named David Leigh decides to investigate the case and reviews all the footage found at the scene. He discovers a series of strange occurrences on the tapes that suggest something supernatural may have been at play. David concludes that it is more likely that the television crew was murdered by a human killer, rather than a mythical creature.
The Last Broadcast was groundbreaking in its use of found footage and mockumentary-style storytelling. While The Blair Witch Project is often credited with popularizing the found footage genre, The Last Broadcast actually came out a year earlier. The film was also one of the first to use the internet as part of its marketing strategy, with the filmmakers creating a fake website to promote the movie and generate buzz.