The Black-Eyed Children
A found footage horror film based on the black-eyed children legend.
The Black-Eyed Children is a 2025 found footage horror film directed and co-written by József Gallai, who developed the story with Roy McClurg Jr. The movie draws on the black-eyed children urban legend and features Kata Kuna as a young woman who accepts a job at a secluded woodland camp. Bill Oberst Jr. and Simon Bamford appear in supporting roles. At the 2025 Haunted House FearFest, it won Best Paranormal Feature, and it also received Outstanding International Feature at the 2025 Shawna Shea Film Festival.
The plot follows Claire Russell, a student making a case study video, who takes a temporary counselor position at Camp St. Beatrice, an autumn camp in remote woods where most children are orphans or from families unable to travel. Despite the camp managers not returning her calls, she goes anyway. Upon arrival, she finds the site empty: the children and other counselors are gone. Recording her search, Claire explores cabins and grounds, discovering scattered toys, application forms dating back fifteen years, and a book of drawings showing children with black eyes. She finds contact details for the missing children’s families and calls them, learning disturbing information. She also recovers a memory card with a recorded message from a former counselor, Mr. Donahue, who explains the camp’s history and events before her arrival. As she investigates, Claire feels watched, and her car won’t start when she tries to leave. After dark, some of the missing children return.
The cast includes Kata Kuna as Claire, Bill Oberst Jr. as Mr. Donahue, Simon Bamford as John, and voice actors Justin Hayward, Sara Kloc, Laura Ellen Wilson, Anais Jessica Berinde, and others. Karolina Szabó plays Agatha, Máté Martin Marton plays Alistair, Regina Fonyó plays Aurora, and József Gallai appears as The Man in Black. Additional voice roles include a 911 operator, radio announcers, people on the phone, a police officer, a neighbor, and a doll.
Gallai announced the film in September 2023 with a promotional poster, stating principal photography would start the following year. He wrote the screenplay with Roy McClurg Jr., and early announced cast members included Shawn Michael Clankie, Karolina Szabó, and Bálint Szabó.
Quick Facts
- Director
- József Gallai
- Story
- József Gallai / Roy McClurg Jr.
- Producer
- Natasha Chisdes / Gergő Elekes / József Gallai / Marvin Maddicks Jr. / Tommy Lentsch / Roxanne Rix / Barry Vonk
- Starring
- Kata Kuna / Bill Oberst Jr. / Simon Bamford
- Studio
- McClurg Productions / Nguyen Bros. Production / Elekes Pictures / Rix Cafe Texican / Car Trek / Chizfilm Productions / Lentsch Productions
- Cinematography
- Gergő Elekes / József Gallai
- Editing
- Gergő Elekes
- Distributor
- BayView Entertainment
- Released
- 7 May 2025 · Philadelphia Independent Film Festival · 2025 · 06 · 20
- Runtime
- 71 minutes
- Country
- Hungary / United States
- Language
- English
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
The film follows Claire Russell, a student recording a case study video, who accepts a temporary post as a counselor at Camp St. Beatrice, an autumn camp in remote woodland whose children are mostly orphans or from families who cannot afford to travel. The camp's managers do not return her calls, but she takes up the job anyway. She arrives to find the site deserted: the children she was hired to look after are gone, and so are the other counselors. Recording as she goes, Claire searches the cabins and grounds, finding scattered toys, application forms for children going back fifteen years, and a book of drawings depicting children with black eyes. Among the paperwork are contact details for the missing children's families, and she begins calling the numbers; what she is told disturbs her. She also recovers a memory card holding a recorded message, and a former counselor, Mr. Donahue, appears on video to describe the camp's history and the events that preceded her arrival. As she explores, Claire becomes convinced she is being watched, and her attempts to leave are frustrated when her vehicle will not start. After dark, some of the missing children return to the camp.
Reader's Guide
The Black-Eyed Children premiered at the 18th Philadelphia Independent Film Festival in May 2025 and was later an official selection at the 7th Wallachia International Film Festival in Bucharest. BayView Entertainment released the film in June 2025, and it is available free with advertising on Tubi and on streaming platforms including Plex. Reception was generally positive, with David Gelmini of Dread Central rating it 4 out of 5 and calling it 'an engrossing found footage mystery,' praising its atmosphere, use of an isolated location, and slow-burn construction of dread. Charlie Cargile of PopHorror described the film as creeping and unsettling, crediting its measured pacing and isolation. A reviewer for SciFiHistory.Net recommended the film while noting that its narrative feels incomplete in places and that some sequences could have been trimmed. Michael Li of Film Purgatory and Jim McLennan of Film Blitz both praised the atmosphere while noting occasional weaknesses in the performances. Lisa Marie Bowman of Through the Shattered Lens called it 'an effective and creepy horror film.' Sarah Vincent of Sarah G. Vincent Views was more negative, criticizing the film as too talkative and finding its payoff insufficient. The film's visual effects were by Neil Rowe, sound design by Alberto Anaya, and the soundtrack includes a song by Dane E. Connor and three by Eric Ziegmont's State of Shock.
Did You Know?
- The film won Best Paranormal Feature at the 2025 Haunted House FearFest.
- The film's world premiere was at the 18th Philadelphia Independent Film Festival on 8 May 2025.
- The soundtrack includes three songs by Eric Ziegmont's State of Shock.
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