A generation that grew up watching The Blair Witch Project and Paranormal Activity will surely be obsessed with found-footage horror films. Even if you know it's fiction, the mockumentary style has an immersive quality. It satisfies the voyeuristic thrill of seeing something you shouldn't see and noticing things that even the subject seems unaware of. The horror genre is basically a game of anticipation: something is definitely going to go wrong, but the question is when? Kris Collins's The House of Eden follows a similar path, and you can already guess that iconic found-footage films have heavily influenced it. By now, it's almost become a rule that the more fun a character has at the beginning of a horror film, the worse the situation they'll end up in, and the happy faces at the beginning of The House of Eden guaranteed a spooky affair.
The House of Eden marks Kris Collins' directorial debut. The YouTuber, popularly known as "KallmeKris," has over 12 million subscribers on her channel, where she primarily discusses true crimes. Collins isn't the first to try her hand at filmmaking after a successful YouTube career; the Philippou brothers, known for their YouTube channel RackaRacka, directed Talk To Me (an A24 production), and more recently, the story of 19-year-old Kane Parsons took the internet by storm.
Director: Kris Collins
Writer: Kris Collins
Stars: Kris Collins, Celina Myers, Jason-Christopher Mayer
The YouTuber has created a found-footage horror series on his channel (Kane Pixels) titled "The Backrooms," and is currently directing an A24 film based on his series. Are YouTubers the future of cinema? Well, that's a conversation for another day. But for now, this phenomenon is intriguing and proves that your filmmaking adventure can easily begin with a YouTube video.
Celina Myers, known as CelinaSpookyBoo on YouTube, is part of the paranormal investigation team brought to us by House of Eden. Jason Christopher Mayer also has a YouTube channel and is the film's lead videographer. The three colleagues/friends set out in search of spooky stories for their documentary. They had decided to film in a cemetery, but changed their plans mid-trip. Kris surprised them with the idea of exploring an abandoned house nestled deep in the woods. Celina and Jay disagreed at first; they felt they weren't ready enough to make such a rash decision.
They believed it was important to make decisions as a team and didn't appreciate Kris's overbearing attitude. But after discovering that the "House of Eden" Kris wanted them to investigate hadn't been covered by leading paranormal investigators, they decided to adapt to the plan in hopes of finally gaining the recognition they had always sought. As paranormal investigators, they brought their ghost-hunting equipment with them to see if there was a spirit in the house. Although it was already quite evident that the house was haunted, they were curious to find out who the spirit was and why they were trapped in the House of Eden.
Although the 78-minute running time is quite short, The House of Eden has a leisurely pace. While there are some terrifying moments scattered throughout, it's the climax that takes the cake. Kris Collins builds on anticipation. The three characters arrive at the haunted house approximately twenty-five minutes into the film. Since the plot isn't unique (you can already guess how things will unfold in an abandoned, supposedly haunted house!), Collins and his team take their time developing the story, increasing the excitement with each passing minute. It subtly draws you into their journey. Not only are carefully selected snippets shown, but also silly jokes that, while not driving the plot forward, contribute to character development and greater audience interaction. That's the beauty of the subgenre, which makes it seem as if the film is composed of unedited footage, sequence after sequence.
Neither the plot nor the narrative is original, but it's the myth that the film delves into toward the climax that makes it captivating. We were presented with a few scattered puzzle pieces, and we didn't know what to make of them, but the climax helps piece it all together and help us understand the meaning of the symbols or events we've seen throughout the film. I'm not a fan of horror films that don't fully explain the reason for their events, and thankfully, House of Eden doesn't present a concise conclusion and instead lets the audience decipher the climax.
Considering my preference for found footage, I recommend watching House of Eden, especially if you're in the mood for a scare. The film follows a very conventional path, so don't expect social commentary, but the climax is thrilling, and in the end, everything ties together perfectly.
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