It’s safe to say that when the UK was put under lockdown in late March, it was a terrifying and dark time for a lot of people. No one was sure what to do but stay in their homes, but I think we can all agree that hosting an online séance could only make the new-normal even worse, correct?
Because in this Shudder original, director and co-writer Rob Savage doesn’t think so, and manages to turn the absurd premise of Host into a surprisingly ingenious horror film that succeeds in making the audience terrified of the one thing that is supposed to keep us safe during this tumultuous period: our home.
Host clearly takes inspiration from other ‘desktop’ horror films like Unfriended, and follows a group of friends performing a séance over a Zoom-call, which quickly turns into a horror show as a supernatural entity begins picking them off one by one.
But in its mere 57-minute run time, Savage is able to use the lockdown to his advantage and create fully realised characters which ups the intensity when shit really starts going down.
We’re not exactly sure how long these friends have been in lockdown for - because, you know, time has no meaning anymore - but like everyone else in the world right now, these ladies are bored, and looking for some excitement.
And despite how contrive it is for Haley (Haley Bishop) to gather her friends for an online séance (would a drinking game not suffice?), it’s a testament to the direction and performances from the cast that this film would make us believe that these girls are really close and are being stalked by a demonic force.
Arguably, the most impressive thing about Host is how it incorporates the real-life consequences of the lockdown into the film.
At the beginning, little bits of exposition are thrown our way about how the group have been handling the pandemic.
Radina (Radina Drandova) is clearly regretting moving in with her boyfriend so quickly, and Caroline (Caroline Ward) is struggling to keep her elderly father in the house. Even when the film nears its climax, Jenna (Jenna Moore) puts on a mask as she escapes her house.
Host is by no means a perfect horror film, but in its short run time, it gets a lot of things right.
Savage’s main focus is building up tension and subverting expectations, so it is left to the cast to flesh out the ensemble of characters, and they do a great job of it, too.
There are a bunch of jump scares, but they feel earned, and send your heart racing. In fact, there is some great spine chilling foreshadowing just after the initial exorcism that hints that the demon plaguing the group might not be gone after all.
Host is available to stream on Shudder.
Comments