Synopsis: Setting out to film their next paranormal investigation, Kris, Celina and Jay encounter a malevolent, ancient spirit that resides in an abandoned house deep in the woods.
Stars: Kris Collins, Celina Myers, Jason-Christopher Mayer, Carrie Kidd, Barb Thomas
Director: Kris Collins
Rated: R
Running Length: 78 minutes
Movie Review in Brief: Whether you’re watching at midnight with a group of friends or braving it solo in the dark, House of Eden captures its place as one of this year’s better indie horror surprises, and a promising start for a new trio of DIY scream-makers.
Review:
If you’re going to drag found footage horror back from the grave, you’d better do it with conviction—and ideally with a few fresh tricks up your sleeve. Kris Collins (KallMeKris) seems to know this, and so do her digital-world veterans Celina Myers (CelinaSpookyBoo) and Jason-Christopher Mayer. With their feature debut, House on Eden, this trio of TikTok and YouTube ghost-hunting personalities trade ring lights for real darkness in a low-budget, high-concept attempt at scrappy indie horror that’s as DIY as it gets. The result is undeniably chaotic and rough around the edges. But it’s also unexpectedly rewarding, especially if you make it to the legitimately eerie last reel.
Trading Ring Lights for Real Frights
The setup feels classically familiar: paranormal investigators Kris and Celina, along with videographer Jay, expect routine scares when they set out on their latest case in a small-town cemetery. But when Kris reveals her true intentions for the shoot, mysteriously rerouting their road trip to an abandoned house deep in the woods, they find themselves facing a force unlike anything they’ve encountered before. What begins with quirky influencer energy quickly nosedives into something far more sinister, complete with ancient evil, disoriented timelines, and the kind of “is this real?” panic that makes the genre feel somewhat dangerous again.
When Influencer Energy Meets Ancient Evil
The first half proves a tough hang, though. It starts like a parody of itself: too much influencer energy, too many jokes that undercut tension, and enough shaky cam to make your eyeballs wave a white flag of surrender. At a mere 78 minutes, the film takes its time getting anywhere meaningful, too much time, frankly, with a lot of forest wandering making it feel more like a livestream than a movie. People yell to their friends, “Did you see that?!” but, no, we absolutely did not see that because someone decided to sprint away while the camera was turned to ask the question.
The dialogue trends juvenile early on, with everything from the front steps of the spooky house to a dusty chandelier labeled as “insane.” I’ll admit I found myself wondering a great deal about the brand new fire extinguishers in a supposedly abandoned house, not expecting that detail to become one of the film’s most perplexing mysteries.
Finding Their Footing in the Dark
But something shifts once they step inside the titular house. The influencer façade fades, replaced by more grounded performances that reveal the natural chemistry these three share. Collins proves particularly effective as the de facto leader with something to prove and not enough confidence to fake it. It’s a bold move to write yourself as the group’s weak link, but it works. Myers delivers the biggest performance surprise, beginning as a borderline caricature who evolves into something complex, sympathetic, and increasingly vulnerable. Mayer does the unsung work of balancing the chaos behind and occasionally in front of the camera, anchoring the group as the house unravels their sanity.
DIY Aesthetics Meet Professional Scares
Visually, the film effectively utilizes its limitations. Mayer edits the film and collaborates with co-cinematographer Adam Myers to seamlessly blend digital video with Super 8 footage and body cams. The stationary ghost-hunting devices create a patchwork aesthetic that feels messy, but in the right way. Jankiness can be frustrating, but it’s also part of the charm. The “cat balls” moment (I guess ghosts like to play with them as much as our feline friends do) might be one of the creepiest uses of ghost-hunting technology in a movie this year. Still, the motion sickness is a genuine concern. If you’re prone to nausea, maybe don’t sit in the front row.
The Horror Payoff That Actually Pays Off
The real meat of House on Eden emerges in its final twenty minutes. That’s when Collins finds her groove as a director and the film shifts from an exercise in aesthetics to an actual horror story with teeth. There’s a confident convergence of myth and mystery demonstrating a command of mood and pacing that genuinely lands. Unlike many recent found footage efforts, the visual storytelling of the climax sticks without feeling recycled. The scares aren’t loud, nor are they bargain-basement cheap. Instead, they speak to the film’s deeper ambitions of creating horror that feels intimate, handmade, and weirdly personal. In a short runtime, you genuinely start rooting for these people, much of it owing to existing chemistry but also to Collins’ gradual information reveal.
House on Eden probably won’t convert anyone who’s allergic to found footage. And it’s not quite as polished in the way most Shudder offerings are. But it is honest. In a genre where many filmmakers prioritize style over substance, authenticity counts for a great deal. This isn’t the next Blair Witch Project, but it might be a future cult favorite for the TikTok generation. Whether you’re watching at midnight with a group of friends or braving it solo in the dark, it captures its place as one of this year’s better indie horror surprises, and a promising start for a new trio of DIY scream-makers.
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