Editor's note: The following contains spoilers for I See You.
In the past few weeks, Adam Randall’s nerve-wracking horror movie I See You has become one of the most popular movies on Netflix, thanks to an unexpected viral TikTok campaign. Initially released in 2019, I See You is finally getting its well-deserved recognition and inspiring new nightmares in thousands of viewers who can’t help but wonder if there’s someone unknowingly living in their homes. That’s because the movie deals with phrogging, which happens when invaders spend a few days living inside another person’s house or business address without their consent or awareness. In addition, since I See You revolves around a realistic and deeply disturbing serial killer case, people might wonder where screenwriter Devon Graye looked for inspiration when putting his horror story together. Is I See You based on a real story?
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'I See You’s Phrogging Is Real, but Rare
The simple answer is to say no, I See You is not inspired by any actual story. Instead, Graye came up with an entirely original script. So, he deserves every praise he gets for mixing and matching different horror subgenres in a narrative where every piece perfectly fits together, despite its many plot twists. However, while I See You is not adapting any real serial killer case, the movie is still based on the terrifying phrogging phenomenon. While rumors of phrogging circulated for decades, the idea someone could live undetected in another person’s home was mostly dismissed as an urban myth. However, in the past decade, some real stories emerged and proved that, yes, people can spend days, weeks, and even months without noticing they have a mysterious flatmate.
Cases of Phrogging in Real Life
Acts of phrogging might happen due to some strange obsession, as when a stalker remained hidden under the floorboards of pop star George Michael’s apartment for four days. But mostly, phroggers are just looking for free food and shelter. That was the case of a Japanese woman who lived inside a closet for a whole year before being discovered. She was only caught because the apartment owner couldn’t ignore the missing food anymore, installing a camera system that revealed the invader's presence.
It’s not a coincidence that Graye decided to frame his phrogging story as a paranormal haunting for the first half of I See You because it’s easy to understand how people might interpret misplaced objects and weird noises in the wall as the work of an evil spirit. For instance, in 2012, a woman found out her ex-boyfriend was living in her attic for two weeks after convincing herself she was facing a poltergeist. After leaving jail, and 12 years after they had broken up, the man thought it would be a good idea to hide in his ex-girlfriend’s home. The culprit had even rigged the ceiling vents so he could spy on his former girlfriend from the attic, watching her in her bedroom.
Humans have a natural tendency to fear the hidden things that bump in the dark, and finding out phrogging is a real thing will undoubtedly cause I See You fans to have many unrestful nights of sleep.
I See You is available to stream on Netflix.
