Beware the Horrifying Phenomenon of “The Black Eyed Children”
When will people learn? That going off somewhere deep in the middle of nowhere only spells doom and demise. And yet, it still keeps happening. Instead of a young woman named Hannah taking up a job looking after a stranger in the woods, József Gallai’s latest film explores a young woman named Claire Russel (played by Kata Kuna) taking up a camp counselor job not at Camp Crystal Lake, but at the equally sketchy St. Beatrice. However, she arrives to find the camp completely abandoned. As she explores her surroundings, she realizes that she’s being followed by an unknown entity. Or rather, entities.
Before I start the review, I’d like to preface that I’m actually aware of the Black Eyed Children phenomenon. For those unfamiliar, the Black Eyed Children were first officially documented in the mid-1990s by a Texan reporter named Brian Bethel who claimed he encountered a group of children asking him for a ride. When he looked up, he noticed that their eyes were pitch black. But before he could say anything, they disappeared. Since then, several others around the world have reported coming into contact with the mysterious Black Eyed Children. And every time, the children would ask for entry into their home or car. The witnesses all share the similar belief that the children are harbingers of death and letting them in would result in death and ruin.
Believe it or not, this isn’t the first movie to tackle the phenomenon of the Black Eyed Children. However, it is certainly one of the creepiest. József Gallai takes creative liberties with the urban legend and makes it his own by masterfully combining the natural world’s calm liminality with the spine-chilling sensation of being stalked. The end result is a downright horrifying tone that leaves you chilled to the bone. We witness this first hand while we watch Claire explore this abandoned camp armed with nothing more than a lantern and a cellphone. Does this remind you of something else? It should, because this is the exact same situation as the popular 2010 survival horror game Amnesia: The Dark Descent. A game that relies on similar atmospheric horror that taps into the player’s darkest fears while slowly chipping away at their sanity.
The film is largely shot in first person, however I wouldn’t go as far as to describe it as found footage. At least not in the classical sense. Unlike iconic found footage horror films, The Black Eyed Children (2025) features two angles: a first person point of view and a third person point of view. The first person POV is used whenever the focus is on Claire’s exploration. But the film also will intercut third person POV panning shots of the surrounding forest. You might think this is to give us a psychological break from watching her succumb to fear, but you’d be wrong. It actually serves to enhance the film’s dreadfulness as our hope for Claire’s safety slowly dwindles. Knowing deep down that she’s sealed her fate the moment she arrived at the camp. This is certainly a unique take on found footage and one I’d like to see utilized more frequently.
I remain rather mixed on the acting. On one hand, we’re given a layered performance from Bill Oberst Jr. as the camp director Mr. Donahue. His monologue is delivered with such reverence and earnestness that you can’t help but feel sorry for him. However, underneath it all is a much more sinister layer that undercuts his sympathetic exterior. Meanwhile, Kata Kuna does an overall wonderful job bringing Claire’s tenacity, warmth and fear to life the longer she stays at St. Bernice’s. Yet a couple of her line deliveries were a bit stiff, especially when she tries to sound authoritative. But easily the best example of bad line delivery was near the film’s beginning where an off screen police officer delivers two lines in the flattest tone possible. It was so jarring that it took me out of the film completely. Fortunately, the rest of the movie quickly hooked me back in.
Despite a few minor acting hiccups, József Gallai’s The Black Eyed Children (2025) is a creepy, unsettling and downright horrifying result of meticulous pacing and a dreadful atmosphere. For those who enjoyed József Gallai’s other film A Stranger in the Woods, you’ll love The Black Eyed Children (2025). And even if you didn’t see it (which you should, it’s free on Tubi), you’ll appreciate the intricacies of a terrifying atmosphere and slow buildup to a horrifying revelation. Out of all the movies I’ve seen centered on the paranormal or urban legends, this is by far one of the stronger entries. And if by chance you come across any Black Eyed Children asking to enter your house, just say no. You’ll thank me later.
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