The new Shudder Original film, HOST, is much in the moment of the internet age and the world under lockdown, so we take a look at the film which is being released on digital platforms and in cinemas on the 4th December.
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.
We’ve seen films before that takes us into the world of social media such as Friend Request, but with HOST we are taken into the world of horror via the paranormal horror of a séance and let’s face it in all the films we’ve seen where these things take place they aren’t going to go well.
HOST starts with everyone logging in one by one on Zoom and catching up with each other about how they are doing during the lockdown with them having fun chats with filters, talking about others before they log in ready for the night of some scary stuff.
I have to say that while watching the begging of this short film, it only has a running time of 56min, is like earwigging on a groups Zoom connection, but at the moment and how we have to live during the pandemic, it’s interesting to see films being put together like this, much like Genesis Project Reset done with it two-hander during the lockdown.
With the introductions and catch-ups are over Seylan the psychic comes online from the Zoom waiting room and this is where things start to feel a little uneasy, if you’re watching this on a laptop then it makes it even more strange as you do feel you are in a Zoom chat with them all.
I have always found films about demonic spirits freaky and spine-tingling and HOST is certainly one of those films, maybe I shouldn’t have watched it with the lights off, but when the strange things start to happen as the psychic noticing something in the background behind one of the girls and banging going on this really sets you up for some scary stuff to come along.
If you have ever been on a seance or a ghost hunt, which believe me can send chills down your spine, will now that sometimes there is always one that has to try to wind everyone up and it’s not good to mess with the spirits, but when Jemma pulls a prank about the schoolboy it’s time to get the spook on!
Strange things start to the group when Hayley is dragged across the room on her chair by an unseen presence and a strange voice can be heard, then Caroline decides to investigate a noise she has heard, suffice to say the hairs on the back of my neck started to rise during these moments and with any good horror film, I certainly felt like it was worthy of one of those moments where yo watch the film behind your hands.
As Caroline tries to find out what’s going on she takes her phone and via the Zoom chat we follow the mobile phone view of what she is doing, this reminds me very much of The Blair Witch Project which is probably the most well known of the “found footage” movies along with Cannibal Holocaust, slowly but surely things start happening to each one of them.
HOST really surprised me on how jumpy it was, it’s not very often that a horror film gives me so many chills as this did, and how using Zoom to create a horror movie works very well by bringing the genre into a world of social media and horror, this is certainly a film that is one that will be great to see on the big screen with several people, all social distancing, of course, the power of this film is that nearly all of have used Zoom and when you are next in a Zoom meeting anything could be going on in the background or any demonic spirit could be stuck in the digital world just waiting to be released from its digital prison!
HOST will be released in cinemas and on digital platforms on 4th December, with the film also being released as a special feature-packed Limited Edition Box Set Blu-ray release from Second Sight Films on 22 February 2021.
SPECIAL FEATURES
- New exclusive commentary by Director Rob Savage and Producer Douglas Cox
- New exclusive cast commentary
- New exclusive cast interview
- Behind-the-Scenes feature
- ‘Is There Goblins Now?’ – the original prank video
- ‘Kate Scare’ – prank video test run
- Rob Savage’s short films Dawn of the Deaf and Salt
- The Host Team Séance
- BFI Q&A with Rob Savage, Gemma Hurley, Jed Shepherd, Douglas Cox, Haley Bishop, Brenna Rangott, Caroline Ward
- Evolution of Horror interview with Rob Savage, Gemma Hurley and Jed Shepherd
LIMITED EDTION CONTENTS
- Rigid slipcase featuring new artwork by Thomas Walker
- A perfect-bound booklet with the original story outline and new essays by Ella Kemp and Rich Johnson
- 6 collectors’ art cards
HOST a truly terrifying horror
Movie title: HOST (2020)
Movie description: Six friends hire a medium to hold a seance via Zoom during lockdown, but they get far more than they bargained for as things quickly go wrong.
Date published: December 4, 2020
Country: UK
Duration: 57min
Actor(s): Rob Savage
Genre: Haley Bishop, Jemma Moore, Emma Louise Webb
Summary
HOST is one of the most terrifying movies that I’ve seen in years.
Karen Woodham is the founder and owner of the Blazing Minds. She is also a Cinema reviewer and works with RealD 3D reviewing the latest 3D releases and IMAX, she has also had several articles published in various publications including the first edition of SFW Magazine. In 2015 she became an Award Winning Blogger and also has her website listed as one of the UK’s Top 10 Film Blogs.
