Host (film)

While under quarantine due to the COVID-19 pandemic, a group of friends have decided to hold weekly Zoom calls to stay in touch. For this week's call Haley has hired a medium, Seylan, to lead them in a séance. One friend, Teddy, intentionally leaves the chat because his girlfriend, Jinny, keeps interrupting. During the séance one of the members, Jemma, claims to have made contact with a friend who committed suicide, Jack, only to later admit that it was all fake after Seylan drops out of the call. The remaining people begin to experience strange, terrifying phenomena; Emma's glass breaks, Haley's chair is pulled by an unseen force, and Caroline sees a hanging corpse in her attic.

Haley manages to get back in touch with Seylan and informs her of everything that has happened. Seylan believes that Jemma's prank could have summoned a demonic spirit, which has taken on the guise of 'Jack', and begins to give them instructions on how to close the séance. The spirit interrupts this by causing more phenomena and Seylan's call drops out once more. The group believe the ordeal is over, Radina gets up and leaves the room unaware of Alan's body hanging behind her. Caroline's artificial background is interrupted as her face is smashed into the camera, causing her laptop to fall. Emma's camera shows one of her filters on an invisible figure in the living room, the face turns to look at Emma, scaring her. Emma then scatters flour on the floor, showing the footprints of the spirit coming towards, causing her to hide in her room. Radina attempts to flee her home after Alan's body drops in front of her, but is pulled away from the door and killed by the spirit. Caroline is then seen repeatedly smashing her face onto the desk, pleading for help. Haley and Jemma argue, passing the blame between each other, only for Haley to be pulled off-screen. Frightened, Jemma immediately leaves her home to check on Haley in person. Teddy then returns to the call, only for the spirit to attack him (now in the form of a zombified corpse-like demon) and kill Jinny, by breaking her neck. Teddy is then knocked unconscious and burned alive. Emma, now the only person still active in the call, pans her camera to the doorway of her room. She throws a blanket, which lands on the spirit, showing its form. Terrified, Emma opens her window to escape, falling to her death. Caroline’s father’s whereabouts are still unknown at this point.

Jemma makes it to Haley's home but is attacked by the spirit while other supernatural phenomena occur around her. She manages to find Haley hiding under her desk, and the pair attempt to escape the house using the flash of Haley's Polaroid camera to light the way, only for the demonic spirit to attack the two of them as the Zoom call timer expires.

The film ends by scrolling through Haley's list of Zoom participants, revealing the credits of all who worked on it.

• Haley Bishop as Haley
• Jemma Moore as Jemma
• Emma Louise Webb as Emma
• Radina Drandova as Radina
• Caroline Ward as Caroline
• Alan Emrys as Alan
• Patrick Ward as Caroline's Dad
• Edward Linard as Teddy
• Jinny Lofthouse as Jinny
• Seylan Baxter as Seylan
• Jack Brydon as Legs
• James Swanton as The Spirit

The film has its basis in a short video created by Rob Savage in early 2020. The short featured Savage investigating strange sounds in his attic while on a group video chat with others. It was initially intended as a prank, as the others were unaware that a frightening visage would pop up on camera, and Savage placed the video online, where it went viral.[1][2] Savage found the format easy to watch and chose to apply it to a feature-length film. He has stated that the short's success enabled him to create Host.[1]

Host was filmed while quarantine restrictions were in place due to the COVID-19 pandemic and Savage had to direct the actors remotely while they had to set up their own cameras, lighting, and stunts.[3] Practical effects were also handled by the actors and a virtual workshop was held on how to set up effects such as "moving doors, making things fly off shelves". Savage has stated that the movie took twelve weeks to complete, from conception to its delivery to Shudder.[4]

Host was released as a Shudder exclusive on July 30, 2020.[5]

Host received widespread critical praise, holding a 100% rating on Rotten Tomatoes based on 77 reviews, with an average rating of 7.84/10. The site's critics' consensus states: "Lean, suspenseful, and scary, Host uses its timely premise to deliver a nastily effective treat for horror enthusiasts."[6] On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 73 out of 100, based on 7 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[7]

Common praise for Host centered around its themes of social separation and anxiety.[8][9] Comparisons were made between the film and the 2014 horror film Unfriended, which also featured supernatural activity occurring during a group video chat, by outlets such as the New York Times and Rue Morgue.[10][11] Time Magazine named it one of the '17 Great Movies You May Have Missed This Summer,' saying Host is "not only one of the best horror movies of the year, but also an intimate look at creativity, film production and a shared global culture in the throes of a rampaging virus."[12]

• Host on IMDb
• Trailer on YouTube