Horror directors have been trying to make technology scary for ages. It seems fitting, then, that during the lockdowns necessitated by the COVID-19 pandemic, director Rob Savage found a way to use the technology of the moment to create an entire film. Host is a British horror film created entirely with Zoom, the video communication program that has become the most popular way to connect remotely during the pandemic. The movie is available on the streaming service Shudder, and is surprisingly good.
The film focuses on six friends -- Haley, Jemma, Radina, Caroline, Emma and Teddy -- who decide during the pandemic to host a seance for fun. While one of the friends is very experienced, the others don't take the process all too seriously, until, without warning, they draw the attention of an entity -- or series of entities -- that has far from their best interests at heart.
The idea of a horror film that takes place on the internet is not new. Host is a found-footage film that owes a lot to movies like Unfriended, The Den and Kairo, using both Zoom and the pandemic as a framing device to tell a familiar story about ghostly and demonic mayhem after friends fail to take the supernatural seriously. However, Host does a few things that sets it apart enough to make it one of the horror highlights of the year.
For one, Host is short at only 56 minutes in length. It purportedly takes place over the course of a "free" Zoom call, and while the runtime's significantly longer than the forty minutes free Zoom calls are really limited to, the plot is tight and quick. The story essentially has two acts: one where we see the friends goofing off and a second where the supernatural hijinks begin. This is not uncommon in and of itself, but due to its length, this means that roughly half the film consists of scares that are setup in its first half.
Writers Savage, Gemma Hurley and Jed Shepherd manage to be very economical, utilizing naturalistic writing to ease audiences into a by-now incredibly familiar setting, while also establishing events that will pay off in the second half. There are few surprises in Host other than that all the pieces of the whole work so well together.
Aiding this are the performances. Most of the actors capture the naturalistic attitude necessary to make a found-footage film feel raw and real. However, two performances stand out the most: Edward Linard as Teddy and Jemma Moore as Jemma. Linard brings a sense of humor to the proceedings while Moore's dynamic performance brings humanity to her character.
Host uses Zoom and all its familiar conventions marvelously. Bad internet reception, digital face-masks and background loops are all used to marvelous effect as sources of terror. In some ways, it feels like a film that couldn't be made during a time when a pandemic wasn't running rampant. For years, directors have tried to make technology scary, but none feel as natural as Host. Unlike studio films that try to capitalize on the internet's horror, Host manages to feel real. It features a cast of likable characters behaving in a realistic way while also channeling our current situation.
It seems fitting horror would flourish during the coronavirus pandemic. Horror works on the anxieties we feel when we're alone, and there is nothing more isolating than seeing your friends in little boxes on a screen, knowing that, if something were to go wrong, you'd only be able to helplessly stare as evil has its way with them.
If Host has a flaw, it is this: it could be scarier. Longtime fans of horror films are probably not going to be too creeped out by this film, especially if they are experienced with the found-footage subgenre. That said, the film packs a lot into very little and never lets up, even in its final seconds. While it won't scare you, especially if you have a subscription to Shudder, Host makes for a perfect film for parties hosted over Zoom.
Host, directed by Rob Savage, stars Haley Bishop, Jemma Moore, Emma Louse Webb, Radina Drandova, Caroline War, and Edward Linard. It is currently available to stream on Shudder.