House on Eden (2025)

3 Stars (out of 4)

Damaged Woods

By Jeffrey M. Anderson

Found-footage horror movies are typically a dime-a-dozen, but Kris Collins's House on Eden has certain unique factors that give it a little extra boost above many of the others, as well as an extra bite.

Ghost-hunting video-makers Kris and Celina and their videographer Jay are on their way to shoot a routine video. But Kris has found a potential haunted house in the woods that no one else has covered, and convinces her team members to accompany here there to see what transpires.

After nearly getting lost in the woods and losing their equipment, they find the house, which is immaculate and seemingly abandoned. They set up their equipment and attempt to contact any nearby spirits. The three of them simultaneously black out and wake up on the floor, and Kris begins to find evidence of a spirit called "Lilith." She seems to become more and more obsessed, persecuting Jay in the process. After a while it becomes evident that this team has bitten off more than they can chew.

In House on Eden, the characters are real-life YouTubers known as Kallmekris (Collins, who also wrote and directed this movie) and CelinaSpookyBoo (Celina Myers), and Jay (Jason-Christopher Mayer) is their real-life cameraperson. Even though it only runs 78 minutes, the movie gambles a good deal of that time on getting to know the characters through their ribbing, teasing, arguing, and antics, and it works. Their shared history comes through, and we can easily tell where they stand with one another.

In addition, while the O.G. The Blair Witch Project was shot on two formats, a Hi-8 Video Camcorder and 16mm black-and-white film, this one uses three cameras: a Super 8mm film camera, a late-1990s model Sony Hi-8 Handycam, and a modern video camera. Like its predecessor, the switches back and forth between formats creates an interesting visual tension.

When the characters get to the house, their ghost-hunting shows their experience in such matters (they have a lot of nifty gadgets), and that they are not such easy targets. The scares that come are unexpected and creative, and even though things turn rather abruptly toward the end, House on Eden is a very entertaining entry in the found-footage genre.