Sometimes it’s the smallest of horror films that turn out to be the most effective. ‘The Blair Witch Project’ was a case in point, as is My Little Eye. A low budget, a young filmmaker and a largely unknown cast all add up to a truly unnerving experience.

The main reason that this film works as a horror film is the unique mood that director Marc Evans gives the film. Since the film is depicting a web cast, the film is shot entirely from the point of view of web cams. The house has camera’s covering every nook and cranny of its interior and exterior and every single camera shot in the film is from one of these cams. It drags you into the film, much in same way as the handheld cameras of ‘The Blair Witch Project’ did.

When the film really comes alive though is during the night time scenes. The darkness is shot completely through the green hue of night vision. The cast’s eyes glow green, giving them a really distinct and unnerving look. The film’s mood also benefits greatly from an excellent digital 5.1 sound mix. Hinges creak, doors slam and floorboards squeak all around you. It may sound hackneyed, but these simple effects combined with the night vision and the 5.1 sound really make for a nail biting experience.

The story may also sound a bit gimmicky and a little obvious, but the actual execution is for the most part very well done. The company behind the web cast watches the players and uses tales that they tell each other about their personal life’s against them. For example, one player was orphaned at a young age and grew up with his grandfather, with whom he became very close. One day in the care package is a note telling the player that his grandfather has died. Now, has he really died? Does the player leave the house to go to the funeral, but in doing so lose his housemates the million bucks? Ultimately everybody has a skeleton in the closet and everyone has a way to be manipulated.

The story is very intriguing and the various ways that the company tries to get the players to leave the house make for some great scenes of high tension. Is the situation genuine? Or is the company trying to play the game? For the majority of the film we are in the dark as to the answers of these questions, just like the players of the game.

It’s when the players start getting answers to their questions that the film starts to falter slightly. The good work done early on establishing a mood and a creepy feel is somewhat abandoned as the film takes on the form of a standard slasher flick. Although, it has to be said, a vastly superior slasher flick to the kind of nonsense that was being churned out in the late 90’s/early 00’s. The film does redeem itself however with an amazing ending that had me fooled and left me a very happy man. Obviously I’m not going to give it away, but I loved it, very ambiguous….

The cast is mostly unknowns and they do their jobs well. Standouts are Kris Lemeche as Rex, if you recall Puck from the San Francisco series of ‘The Real World’ then you will know what to expect from his character. Jennifer Sky also leaves an impression as the ‘loose’ member of the cast. She bears a striking similarity to American Pie’s Nadia (Shannon Elisabeth) and she also shares her willingness to get naked, so, no complaints there. The only cast member I did recognize was Alias star Bradley Cooper, he plays Will Tippen on the show and his role here is slight, but he leaves a lasting impression that has resonance right up to the final frame.