Horror films and thrillers such as Unfriended, The Den, Open Windows, and Searching have all embraced the limitations of their format-usually set entirely within an app-and Host absolutely succeeds in this. Host is the latest in a series of recent tech-based genre movies that work best when viewed on the devices they are "set" on. It's an effective piece of horror filmmaking that uses an experience that so many of us have had over the past few months to chilling effect. But it's easy to see why this is the one that has broken through first and is getting a high profile release on Shudder. The evening starts in lighthearted fashion-only Haley is taking the seance particularly seriously-but soon things get very strange and scary.Ī pandemic found footage horror movie set on Zoom seems like such an obvious thing for quarantined filmmakers and actors to make in 2020 that it would be amazing if Host is the only one heading our way. Only this time, the meeting's host, Haley, has invited a seventh guest-a middle-aged clairvoyant named Seylan (Seylan Baxter), who is there to lead the group through a virtual seance (presumably the novelty of online quizzes had worn off). Six young friends-Haley (Haley Bishop), Radina (Radina Drandova), Teddy (Edward Linard), Jemma (Jemma Moore), Caroline (Caroline Ward), and Emma (Emma Louise Webb)-assemble one evening during the pandemic on Zoom, to drink, laugh, and talk about the weird situation the world finds itself in. The basic set-up is one familiar to most of us over the past few months-with a twist. The film was then edited and completed remotely. It's a found footage movie that plays out entirely on Zoom-writer/director Rob Savage and co-writers Gemma Hurley and Jed Shepherd never interacted in person with their actors, all of whom filmed their roles separately from their own homes. The new British horror film Host, which hits Shudder this week, was written, filmed, and finished during quarantine.
As with all times of crisis, the art produced during this time has started to reflect the situation-Shazam director David Sandberg made the impressive lockdown horror short Shadowed, while Michael Bay is producing a "pandemic thriller" titled Songbird. Meanwhile, theater chains face huge financial problems as they sit empty. Movies that were finished and about to be released have been pushed back months or shifted to digital home release, while those that were already in production have been left in limbo as they wait to restart filming. The COVID-19 pandemic has caused the biggest disruption to the entertainment industry in decades.
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