2025 has seen several internet creators cross over from short-form content to feature-length projects. “House on Eden” is the film debut of Kris Collins, better known by her YouTube moniker Kallmekris, with Collins acting, writing and directing. She is joined on screen by fellow influencers Celina Myers (CelinaSpookyBoo) and Jason-Christopher Mayer. At VidCon 2023, Collins first announced the development of the project, which was then filmed in 2024 and released in cinemas on July 25, 2025. An indie film made with a reported budget of $10,000, it has been acquired by Shudder and transferred to streaming following the theatrical run.
I went into “House on Eden” completely blind and was surprised by how many times it genuinely scared me. Typically, I have a high tolerance for jump scares and do not startle easily, but “House on Eden” unexpectedly got me several times. The frights start early, with the first jump scare happening prior to the one-minute mark. Seeing the film in a theater truly added to the atmosphere and tension as audience members audibly screamed in response to the scares. While only having a 78-minute run time, the jump scares are abundant, so consider this a warning should you choose to watch it. The frights are not built solely on jump scares, but also nightmarish and, at times, surrealist imagery. In one scene, Kris, all alone in the titular house on Eden, comes across an imitation of a possessed Celina who sports a nasty wound on her arm with surprise gore and blank, milky-white eyes. This was an uncomfortable scene that added to the tension and unease that characterizes the final act of the film.
“House on Eden” pays homage to many classic found footage horror films including “The Blair Witch Project” and “Paranormal Activity.” What I think sets this film apart from others in the subgenre is the fact that its stars are already celebrities in their own right. I am familiar with both YouTubers’ platforms. Watching faces I recognize play themselves makes the scares feel believable because the premise is plausible: The footage being presented is cut material from a YouTube video. Aspects of the movie feel like watching the behind-the-scenes of one of their ghost hunting videos (for which they are well known). Before the investigation of the house on Eden begins, they reenact what feels like an intro to one of their YouTube videos, but, without the music and graphics that appear in a polished and edited video, it took on an uncanny and uneasy aesthetic, almost as if the audience was not supposed to see these outtakes. This instance isn’t the only time something like that happens, either.
What I liked about “House on Eden” is that, unlike “The Blair Witch Project” where we never actually see the titular witch, the film is not afraid to place the ghosts in the spotlight. As noted, this allows the film to explore more surreal moments and visuals. The main spectral entity explored in the film is Lilith, who, according to folklore, is a demonic entity banished from the Garden of Eden. One moment sees the entity actually pick up one of the cameras, and a chase scene involving Kris and the ghost, from its point of view, ensues. I had never seen a chase presented this way in found footage, and I thought it to be quite clever.
Myers and Collins, who are close friends off camera, play fictionalized and exaggerated versions of their YouTube personalities. The result is chemistry that feels genuine. The first act of the film features some truly funny banter between them. Behind the scenes, much of the dialogue was improvised, which allows the personalities to shine. In my opinion, these were some of the best parts of the movie and genuinely made me laugh.
I would recommend “House on Eden” to fans of Collins’ and Myers’ channels and to found footage enthusiasts. While it is not a revolutionary, genre-influencing installment to the horror canon, it is a fun summertime horror flick. And that is what I think is most important; the entertainment value is certainly there. I acknowledge that it is not a movie for everyone, but I think that in time it will find its audience and achieve cult status.
