Host
Directed by Rob Savage
Six friends get together during lockdown for their weekly zoom call. It's Haley’s turn to organise an activity and instead of a quiz, she’s arranged for a Medium to conduct a séance. Bored and feeling mischievous, Jemma decides to have some fun and invents a story about a boy in her school who hanged himself. However, her prank gives license for a demonic presence to cross over, taking on the guise of the boy in Jemma’s made-up story. The friends begin noticing strange occurrences in their homes as the evil presence begins to make itself known, and they soon realise that they might not survive the night. A SHUDDER ORIGINAL.
During an online séance, six friends accidentally invite the attention of a demonic presence.
Cast: Haley Bishop, Radina Drandova, Jemma Moore, Caroline Ward, Emma Webb, Edward Linard
Member Reviews
Very good.
Mixed bag honestly. On one hand, you've got great acting, solid production, and a decent attempt the online found footage style that very few found footage movies go for. It had a few moments where I was actually expecting a scare that didn't come, and plays with your expectations those times. On the other hand, it's very clearly stealing from Unfriended, and trying to squeeze in the excuse that it's themed around Covid Quarantine (without even using the scenario tastefully, with the mask gag in the middle of danger) so it's someone different. Some of the scares are stolen from Unfriended, it NEVER uses the concept of being on a computer beyond Zoom, unlike Unfriended where that movie goes all over the internet and uses our perspective of the character's activity online as a way of showing what they're thinking/planning. And the general story has far less going than Unfriended. Unfriended had its generic drama and stupid characters, just like this movie. But it also went for a theme of revealing character's not-so-charming selves, playing with they're psyche against each other. (spoilers for Host beyond this point) Here, it's just characters getting scared until the scares killed them all. It wasn't even looking for a host to possess, like the name implied. Unless moving objects and killing people through telepathy is hosting a body. It's a fun movie, but it's not exactly good.
unfriended rip off
good scares! but predictable....Had me SPOOKED
A fun watch! Such a great and creative use of the global tools we all had to quickly become adept to in order to communicate with one another. This is a found footage & ghost story fan's dream in a short & sweet package.