My Little Eye (2002)★★★★☆

I have told people on more than one occasion that this is my favorite horror movie, so I figured I’d watch it again to see if it holds up. About 15 minutes into this viewing, I remembered that I don’t say it’s my “favorite” movie, I say it’s the “scariest” movie. And that definitely still holds.

I’m a big fan of minimalism in horror movies. I think the scariest things are those that could actually happen, and the fewer special effects a movie uses, the more realistic it seems. This movie takes place in a single location and for most of the film stars just five young adults in an old house surrounded by webcams. And then the deaths start adding up.

One thing that this movie does better than others is ask a lot of questions it never quite answers. Was the Company doing this all? How did they know about the game from Emma’s past? Not knowing the answers to these questions heightens the mood around this film without frustrating the audience.

The acting is believable, the setting is creepy, and almost 15 years later nothing about this feels too dated (except maybe the older style Mac OS buttons in the beginning). The background music is a bit weirdly chosen and jarring (they should have done without entirely), but overall this is another one of those films that haunts my dreams for months afterwards…and causes me to double check that I’ve closed the blinds. Remember, the number one cause of most stalkings is forgetfulness.