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MY LITTLE EYE
Directed by: Marc Evans.
Produced by: Jon Finn, Jane Villiers, David Hilton, Alan Greenspan.
Written by: David Hilton & James Watkins.
Director of Photography: Hubert Taczanowski.
Edited by: Marguerite Arnold.
Music by: Bias.
Released by: Universal.
Country of Origin: UK/USA/France. 95 min. Rated: R.
Language: English.
With: Sean CW Johnson, Kris Lemche, Stephen O’Reilly, Laura Regan, Jennifer Sky.
DVD Features: Commentary by Marc Evans and Jon Finn. Eavesdrop on the Conversations of “The Company”. “The Making of My Little Eye”. Reality show contest auditions. Deleted scenes. English/Spanish audio. French/Spanish subtitles.

What’s scarier: being hunted while being watched or the idea that some would pay to watch it? In My Little Eye, five strangers are chosen for a reality show to be broadcast on the Web. They are sent to the woods to live in a creepy house reminiscent of Norman Bates’ and are supplied with rations. Matt, Rex, Charlie, Emma and Danny must survive in these conditions for six months in order to win a million dollars. Things start getting weird when a skier named Travis happens upon their house and spends the evening, and soon the house members are aware that they have signed up for much more than they bargained for. When Rex, computer extraordinaire, finds a way to connect them to the net they realize they are pawns in a sick game with impossible odds.

Night vision and hand-held camera shots enhance the eeriness of My Little Eye. The film is told as if the viewer were watching the actual Webcast, and this makes for a suspenseful ride. Although the characters are stereotypical and the actual death scenes are far from original (a hanging, a suffocation, a beheading complete with blood spurt), the plot’s complicated enough not to be dismissed as juvenile. There aren’t any moments that would make one jump out of her seat, but definitely sadistic enough to cost a few winks.

DVD Extras: Probably the most interesting are the contest auditions. These are the characters’ interviews to get on to the reality show, and provide much insight to the characters’ minds. They perhaps exacerbate the blatant stereotypes, but are interesting nonetheless. On the other hand, the deleted scenes don’t really provide any meaning or substantial enhancement to the film. Lisette Johnson
May 16, 2004

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