With her new thriller “The Eye” opening in theaters Friday, Jessica Alba thinks horror fans will be delighted to be terrified by a movie based on a real phenomenon known as cellular memory.

“This movie is very scary. It’s more ghost story than kind of a gore fest,” Alba said in a conference call on Jan. 29. Alba continued to say that working on the movie gave her nightmares.

The movie, a remake of the Taiwanese film of the same name, revolves around Sydney Wells (Alba), a blind but successful violinist living in Los Angeles. After receiving corneal transplants and regaining her sight for the first time since childhood, things take a horrifying turn. With her new eyes, Wells sees visions of deaths before they occur.

“Not only is she taking in the world for the first time, she’s (also) taking in horrible things,” Alba said. A fan of classic horror movies herself, Alba and her producers said this film is not only jump-out-of-your-seat or “popcorn movie” scary, but also terrifying on an emotional level.

Learning to be a blind violinist was not easy, Alba said. “I lived among people who were learning to deal with blindness … learned how to read braille, walk with my cane (and) label everything in the house … I did apply everything to my own home so I could practice at home … It definitely made me more appreciative of my sight and all the abilities I have. It puts everything into perspective,” Alba said.

Becoming an accomplished violinist was no easy task either, she said. “Violin was definitely more difficult, you know. I played a soloist, so (I) had to kind of be the best of the best … So, that was tough for me because I wanted to come off as realistic and believable as possible, you know, so the audience could take the journey with me,” she said.

Her attempts to wield the violin created some humorous moments amid the scary. “When I was playing the violin, because I was so horrible, everyone wore earplugs. That made me feel so good. I’m like, ‘But I’m playing the notes. It doesn’t sound like Beethoven?'” Alba said with a laugh.

With her first child on the way, Alba said she will be more selective with upcoming roles. “I think initially I’m going to do more character-driven roles, kind of more indie, ensemble cast, smaller budget, not necessarily the big blockbuster,” she said.

She also added that she will try to space the movies apart and not work two years straight, as she just did.

Alba is thrilled about her first horror film. “I think that people will walk in with one idea of what this might be, and walk out affected in a different way,” Alba said.

Barbie Cure can be reached at [email protected].