Unruly content creatorshave become humdrum in horror. How many different angles do we really need on the idea that influencers are entitled and egotistical? Influencer fatigue aside, the newfound-footage horror movieHouse on Edenis both about content creators and made by content creators playing heightened versions of themselves. Despite its use of tired tropes like naked older women and cryptic chanting,House on Edenis surprisingly warm and authentic in its portrayal of agroup of paranormal investigators, mimicking a boisterous hang with the viewer’s own friends.
House on Eden
Kris Collins' found footage feature debut ‘House on Eden’ follows paranormal investigators as they explore an abandoned house in the woods.
From writer-director and star Kris Collins — better known asKallmekrison TikTok and YouTube —House on Edenfollows Kris, Celina (Celina Myers,CelinaSpookyBooon TikTok and YouTube) and videographer Jay (Jason-Christopher Mayer) as they embark on a new investigation for their series Spooky AF. While Celina and Jay believe they’re headed for a haunted cemetery — which Celina proudly spent eight hours researching — the self-absorbed Kris secretly leads the trio to an abandoned house where a woman allegedly went missing “sixty-ish” years ago. The house on Eden Road sits in the middle of the woods, and Kris is determined to shoot shocking never-before-seen footage that’ll make for a viral video. Naturally, Kris shakes off Celina and Jay’s valid worries as day becomes night and numerous signs point to danger.
Poop jokes, lines like “are you filming on a f–king toaster?” and a scissoring gag during a game of Rock, Paper, Scissors tell viewers who this trio is. Their vibrant chemistry, not to mention nearly everything else aboutHouse on Eden, is reminiscent ofEduardo Sánchez and Daniel Myrick’sThe Blair Witch Project. In her director’s statement, Collins notes that the “aim was not to reinvent the wheel,” and that her first feature film pays homage to beloved horror films likeBlair Witch,HereditaryandCreep. All of this is evident in the film, as are notes ofRobert Eggers’The Witchand Stephen Cognetti’sHell House LLCfranchise. But her mission “to create something that’ll stick in the back of viewers' minds for weeks after watching it” has unfortunately not been fully realized.
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Not only are Collins and Myers both YouTube and TikTok content creators, but they co-host a spooky podcast,Can’t Sleep, alongside ghost-hunting videos like “LOCKED IN A HAUNTED CANDY STORE” and “We Saw A GHOST At The Driskill Hotel.” The film even features a nod to Myers' unhinged sleepwalking TikToks, which went viral back in 2021. The meta qualities and layers of realism giveHouse on Edena sense of delight, at least for those who can stomach a bit of vapid influencer drama. Collins' script flows beautifully, creating an organic, wacky adventure that plays much likeBlair Witch’s largely improvised screenplay.House on Edenis heavily inspired byBlair Witch, yet it doesn’t come close to recreating the magic of that shoestring-budget gem. Perhaps no film ever will.
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After much meandering in the woods, the gang approaches a house lined with freshly potted petunias. With no other indication of life, they break in to find ornate clocks, Victorian-era wood furniture, doilies, taxidermy and creepy dolls. Exploring the house, Kris finds artifacts, framed art and writing showcasing Lilith, who medieval Jewish literature refers to as Adam’s first wife. Refusing to assume a “subservient role,” Lilith is often depicted as a half-woman, half-serpent creature, and is sometimes celebrated as a feminist icon. But while the figure of Lillith is successfully woven intoHouse on Eden’s plot, the history of this rich, nuanced figure — who goes back to a Sumerian epic poem circa 2000 B.C.E. — is far too big for a shaky 78-minute found-footage film.
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Notwithstanding its attempts at jump scares and gore — only some of which are successful —House on Edentakes nearly half its runtime to get even remotely scary. The use of real ghost-hunting devices like the Alice Box and the Estes Method is undeniably fun, but the results are rarely satisfying enough to fulfill a true horror nerd’s hunger for innovative scares.House on Edenfeels like it was made by a true horror nerd — and it was, as Collins' enthusiasm and appreciation for the genre’s history is madeexplicit.
And while Oscar Wilde may or may not have stated that “imitation is the sincerest form of flattery,” he (or whoever actually penned the quote) continued, “that mediocrity can pay to greatness.” This isn’t to say Collins isn’t capable of greatness as a filmmaker, asHouse on Edenis full of promise. But hopefully her innate creativity is paired with originality in her next feature.
House on Edenwill be released in theaters on July 25th, 2025 from Shudder.
