After being added to Netflix in the US recently, the 2019 thriller I See You is prompting plenty of questions from viewers with many left asking what the act of ‘phrogging’ is.
While 2019’s I See You may not have had the most successful of theatrical runs, earning just $1.1 million against a $5 million budget, the thriller is earning plenty of new attention after coming to Netflix in the US.
I See You made fans look in every corner of their home after it showed the horror phenomenon known as Phrogging. What is it?
I See You plot preview
I See You stars Helen Hunt and Jon Tenney. It tells Jackie and Greg Harper’s story. Greg Harper is assigned to investigate a case which bears striking similarities to one that occurred 15 years ago. This was the tragic murder of six boys.
Greg is under immense pressure after the recent disappearances of two additional boys.
Matters are made even tougher as the Harper family’s home life is rocked by a recent affair that puts an even greater strain on Greg and Jackie’s marriage.
However, the icing on the cake is the apparent manifestation of a supernatural presence in the Harpers’ house as strange happenings begin to occur, from TVs turning on by themselves and the family’s record player starting up at random to the disappearance of silverware and Jackie’s favorite mug from the kitchen.
I See You! What does Phrogging mean?
Phrogging is the act of secretly living in another person’s home without their knowledge.
While the Harpers might be forgiven for thinking that their house has recently been inhabited by ghosts, they’re actually the victims of a pair of phroggers, Mindy and Alec, who are homeless and have been hiding in the family’s house.
Mindy is more experienced and stays hidden when the family is home but Alec decides to mess with the Harpers and tries to make them believe they’re either going insane or that their house is haunted.
Phrogging (pronounced ‘frogging’) gets its name as a person who engages in the act would typically move quickly from house to house, much like a frog leapfrogging from one lily pad to the next.
This phenomenon appears regularly in Horror stories like those on the No Sleep subreddit or Jezebel’s reader-submitted Horror stories with tell-tale signs of a phrogger including missing food or strange sounds that can’t quite be placed.
In the spotlight: Phrogging in reverse
While it obviously plays a bit part in I See You, this isn’t the first time TV fans will have come across the bizarre act of phrogging.
This phenomenon gained a lot more attention after it was discovered that the 2022 election had occurred. Release Lifetime has released Phrogging – Hider in my House, a documentary about true crime that reveals the chilling acts of phrogging.
The 10-episode series delves into the first-hand accounts of survivors of phrogging and explores their most skin-crawling and twisted stories – from shocking surprises in the attic to vengeful exes turning a homeowner’s life into a living hell.
I See You Is Available to stream Netflix now available in the USA
Also, what is Chor Nikal Ke Bhaga’s meaning in English?