[Review] Host(2020) {7/10}

Directed by Rob Savage, Starring Haley Bishop, Jemma Moore, Seylan Baxter and Radina Drandova, Host follows an unexpected approach. The movie is set in early days of Corona Virus Pandemic on a familiar virtual zone i.e. a Zoom session. A group of friends hold a virtual seance over Zoom on July 30, 2020: the same day the movie premiered on Shudder.

Haley(Haley Bishop) gathers a group of friends with a mysterious medium(Seylan Baxter) to do a ritual on a Zoom session to make contact with a spirit. As the movie begins, the characters join one by one in their comfy clothes. The mysterious medium(Seylan Baxter) had done this ritual for Haley before and we see some unexplainable stuff happening inside Haley's house like strange noises even before the ritual began on Zoom. This makes a possibility that a paranormal entity might have attached itself to Haley during the previous rituals that Seylan has done for her. While performing the ritual on Zoom, the gang accidentally disrespected the spirits by a drinking game after which the pandemic becomes the least of their worries.

The first proper film of the age of Corona virus is here. Director Rob Savage makes common Zoom call interruptions like weird noises and glitchy video which is why the movie feels realistic and makes the viewers feel as if they themselves are in the call. With original ideas and scream worthy jump scares, Host delivers a pandemic era poltergeist which becomes the first great entry in the new genre of Quarantine Horror.

Host is now available on Horror film streaming platform Shudder.