Host is just the latest horror film to take place entirely on computer screens after movies like 2014's Unfriended and 2013's The Den, though given how well this particular project seems to have worked out despite coronavirus production shutdowns, one can only assume many more like it will be on the way. Not only was the film produced during the pandemic, but it incorporates the coronavirus crisis into its plot, and writes that it's "nice to see that the first horror movie to specifically address our present hellish circumstances is as unpretentious and tidy as it is." Host currently holds a 100 percent approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes based on 14 reviews, with The New York Times saying Savage "finds a surprising amount of ingenuity" in the premise, while Pajiba says that it's a "satisfyingly scary picture," The Guardian says it's a "genuinely effective little chiller," and the Austin Chronicle dubs it "one of the most brutally innovative horrors of the last few years." After this fun and uniquely of-the-moment exercise in horror, I think I’ll stick with Teams.With this incredibly fast timeline in mind, critics say the end result works surprisingly well. But even the jump scares are great just another testament to this entertaining, creative, and collaborative effort. Whether fresh or familiar, Savage - along with the cast remotely handling their individual special effects and lighting - largely goes for tech-assisted creepiness over cheap startles. All these scares rely on familiar tactics, but many cleverly twist Zoom-specific features into legitimately eerie sequences. And then forty-plus minutes of relentless suspense and scares. Ten minutes of introductions, interactions, and devilish teases all of which feel wonderfully real: REC’s handheld authenticity updated for today’s tech. That’s the story, and Host owns its simplicity. Thankfully just a convenient movie scenario, and not an anxiety-inducing reality. Bored friends stuck at home because of COVID take part in a tele-seance over Zoom things go very wrong. Plot-wise, Host isn’t reinventing the wheel of found footage horror or Unfriended‘s digital screen angle. Host thrives on those aspects, lasting under an hour (for diegetic reasons) but packed with natural, relatable character beats and a wealth of creepy moments that utilize the film’s Zoom framework to awesome effect. In his horror shorts “Salt” and “Dawn of the Deaf”, director Rob Savage displayed a talent for succinctly-paced set-up/pay-off and succinctly-established characters. Fun fact: the cast all handled their individual special effects, lighting, etc.
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