‘Host’: Shudder Original Is Found-Footage Done Right
Director: Rob Savage
Writers: Rob Savage, Gemma Hurley & Jed Shepherd
Cast: Haley Bishop, Jemma Moore, Emma Louise Webb, Radina Drandova, Caroline Ward, Edward Linard & Seyland Baxter
Once in a while a movie comes around that blends reality with fiction and creates an atmosphere that won’t be forgotten in a long time. That movie is, of course, Host.
However, the creation of the movie is just as entertaining as the movie itself.
Director Rob Savage played a prank on his friends using Zoom and footage from the Spanish found-footage movie Rec. After terrifying his friends, and going viral, the basic idea of Host becomes a pitch to Shudder.
Take a look at the trailer below:
Host is a found-footage movie centring around a group of friends who take part in a seance through a Zoom video call. It’s set-up by Haley through someone she knows and they are given only one rule.
They must be respectful to not only themselves but also the spirits they may encounter.
So, of course, someone in the group decides not to listen to the warning. What happens next? A collection of scares that sometimes uses tropes that may seem tiring elsewhere but are given new life here.
It’s like watching the original Paranormal Activity, but Host is scarier and better.
Its runtime clocks in at 56 minutes and it uses every minute wisely. There are many horror movies and writers who can learn a thing or two from Host. In under an hour it manages to create more scares than some horrors that last for over 2 hours.
The short runtime also means there’s no dead weight. While some movies run into issues by providing unnecessary detail, that isn’t an issue here. Everything matters to give us a sense of the characters and when it comes to the cast, there is no weak link.
Their performances are nothing short of amazing. I’ll even go as far as to say, their performances are better than a number of Hollywood movies with ‘big name actors’.
While that comes down to the actors, there’s also another reason their reactions are genuine.
There’s specific pre-filmed scenes before the ‘live’ Zoom call. Therefore, the reactions we see are actually the actors experiencing genuine fear. It’s a great idea that, as I’ve said, leads to a masterclass in horror acting.
The idea of using Zoom might seem like a novelty to some people, but it’s topical and adds an extra layer to it all. There are moments where it’s easy to forget it’s only a movie and not an actual group call.
It’s also worth noting this takes place during the current coronavirus pandemic.
Through that, it drags the audience in enough to blur the line between reality and fiction. It’s here where the horror doubles as they either stay inside to be killed by a spirit or they go outside and catch a deadly virus.
Host’s formula may lead to copycat films, but not a single one comes close.
That comes down to the director, writers, cast and crew. Through their talent, a rare gem of a scary horror movie is born. I hope it only helps to push their star power as high as they deserve.
Host is available to stream on the horror streaming service, Shudder.
