You don’t have to spend a lot of money to make an entertaining movie. This is especially true with the horror genre. There is no shortage of micro-budget indie horror gems out there, but you have to look for them. Released in 1999, iconic horror film The Blair Witch Project had an original budget of just $60,000, which would obviously be higher by today’s standards. After post-production, the film’s budget rose to somewhere between $200,000 and $750,000, which is still considered low-budget in the world of filmmaking. Shot with relatively unknown actors in the middle of the woods and with no fancy sets or special effects, the film was wildly successful and is considered one of the most influential horror films of all time. Similarly, The Girl Who Cried Her Eyes Out (2024) is another micro-budget horror film with a group of young actors who aren’t well-known and a good portion of the story takes place in the woods. The true-to-life performances, forest backdrops, and uncomplicated makeup effects feel like a throwback to ‘80s horror movies and it’s definitely not a bad way to spend 90 minutes of your time.
Written by Eugene John Bellida (Empty Places), Fabrizio Fante, and Deborah Rickey and directed by Eugene John Bellida, The Girl Who Cried Her Eyes Out follows a group of friends who spend a night in the woods and unknowingly bring something back with them that will change their lives forever.
Maddie (Mari Blake) is a bit of an outsider, so when her best friend Kim (Suzanna Scorcia) invites her to go camping in the woods one night with friends Mikayla (Mikaela Seamens), Jess (Kelsea Baker), Lindsey (Meena Knowles), and Selene (Aleis Work), she reluctantly agrees. Everyone is paired up with their significant other, with the exception of Maddie and Selene. Selene likes to tell people she is descended from a long line of witches and that she has the ability to commune with spirits and nature. While sitting around a campfire, Selene tells the group the story of local legend Caroline Woodman (Hallie Ruth Jacobs). Caroline was a little girl who was led into the woods by a group of bullying children and left there. The legend says that Caroline cried her eyes out because she couldn’t find her way home and that her spirit now haunts the woods. Later, Maddie tells the others she saw someone in the woods, but no one believes her. When they return home and members of the group start to go missing, Maddie realizes that she brought something back from the woods and it’s up to her to figure out a way to save her friends.
The Girl Who Cried Her Eyes Out features a talented cast of unfamiliar actors who do an excellent job of coming across as a regular group of young people whose lives are in danger. Mari Blake (On the Dying Grass) gives a strong, believable performance as the introverted Maddie and Aleis Work (May I Be at Peace) charmingly provides some light comedic relief as Selene, who truly believes she has mystical powers and can save her friends from whatever came back from the woods with them. The film doesn’t need complicated special effects, instead utilizing simple makeup and practical effects, like pale skin and bleeding from the eyes, that are effective and provide the necessary scares. The Girl Who Cried Her Eyes Out doesn’t have a big studio budget, but it’s shot and edited well, features some brutal deaths, and doesn’t need to rely on over-the-top scares. Fans of independent horror should appreciate the authentic performances and appealing DIY-feel of the makeup and visual effects. This is a little indie ghost story that works.
The Girl Who Cried Her Eyes Out Blu-ray Special Features:
- Audio commentary
- Sick Sick Sick – A Short Film
- Theatrical trailer
- 5.1 Surround Sound and 2.0 Stereo Sound
- Behind-the-scenes video clips
- Photo gallery
Available on Blu-ray and DVD December 16th, 2025.
For more information or to purchase, head to the official MVD Entertainment Group The Girl Who Cried Her Eyes Out webpage.
Final Score: 3 out of 5.
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Categories: Home Video, Reviews
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