Shudder’s original content has been, predictably, all over the place in terms of quality. The most recent effort from the streaming horror channel (a channel I heartily approve of) is a riff on the found-footage genre that follows in the footsteps of movies like Unfriended. While I enjoyed Unfriended, it was hamstrung by its deplorable cast of characters. I’m happy to say that Host, the new movie from Rob Savage, who has worked primarily in television until now, avoids that pitfall to forge an entertaining, if slight, horror film.
Host follows six friends who meet via the web app Zoom to play games and socialize in the wake of COVID quarantines. Looking to spice up the gathering, Haley (Haley Bishop) has invited a medium to conduct a seance for some laughs. When they attempt to contact a spirit, Jemma (Jemma Moore) invents a school tragedy involving a hanged boy to liven up the proceedings. When things start going bump in the night, Jemma reveals that she invented the whole story about the suicidal boy, and something else has answered their call.
What follows is a predictable collection of gags as the friends are aggressively haunted by an unknown specter. That predictability is offset by the short runtime (56-ish minutes) and the gung-ho performances by the actors. Jemma Moore is a particular stand-out in the cast, but all acquit themselves well, offering natural performances even when the supernatural shenanigans hit the fan.
There is a surprising amount of stunt work, all of which is good, and the low-fi nature of the Zoom setting makes the scares effective in all the pixelated madness.
Is it a classic? No. But it is fun, and the short runtime makes it an easy recommend for something to watch, in or out of quarantine. Turn down the lights, tug up the blankets, and settle in for some superficial, if effective, scares.