Host: Chiamata mortale

I'm no great fan of horror, but I had seen several of the director's short films, including the 2 minute video that led to this one, so I got a trial on the horror channel just to watch this. I've also only used Zoom once, and rarely use video during conference calls, so in that sense I am not quite target audience for this. Despite this it worked very well. The plot sees a group of friends all stuck in their various homes, using Zoom to get together and do a virtual séance for a bit of fun. Sticking with the Zoom format in a sort of 'found-footage' approach for the modern age, it follows the séance as it 'goes wrong'.

At a tight 60 minutes running time, the film doesn't waste a lot of time, but opens nicely so that we are in familiar territory - the technical issues, the glitches, the slightly forced air of 'fun', the people who put in too much effort, and the people who are showing off a bit too obviously. Whether you find that engaging or annoying, it is certainly convincing. From here we move into the bangs and odd occurrences, and things escalate quickly. The cast do a lot of good work in convincing of their fear - and given that mostly we are focused on faces looking at screens, it is an important factor. Mostly the scares are jump scares, but the consistency of them does create its own mood and tension. It is very much a genre piece, with Blair Witch, (Rec.), and endless other horrors in its construct - rather than seem derivative though, it manages to feel like it is drawing on the past to inform the current; it may not date well, but certainly for the current time the use of lockdown, isolations, Zoom chats etc, it does fit and works well.

Best watched like you're on the call - on a laptop in a darkened room.

REVIEW - HOST

As we all know over the past 4 months there have been very few new films because of the pandemic, which in a strange way actually made this film even more enjoyable.

Filmed during lock down and referring to the situation around the current pandemic a shot UK film was released that probably no one has heard of.

A group of teens do an online Zoom session with a medium to try and see what would happen, of course things go wrong when one of them doesn't take it seriously and summons........

Small budget, but hugely enjoyable and even actually made me jump in one place!

Definitely one to watch but just a word of caution, don't watch it on a windy night and leave your Windows open so your doors move on their own, spooky.

Rating 7 out of 10

OMFG this was a very surprising experience. I didn't read the comments about this movie, I didn't believe the ratings, but I really love this type of a horror. and the best is that it's only an hour long, everything is in point. don't expect much from this and you'll be rewarded 😈💜

I strongly believe the people who didn't get scared while watching this either lack empathy, or like my girlfriend were not really following and played with their phones throughout the movie.

This project proves low budget does not equal a bad movie. If you pay attention and try to put yourself in the characters' positions and listen to all the little noises and stuff you're in for a ride.

I rate movies based on how they make me feel, not on how much they cost to produce or what other people are saying about it. People involved in the production of this movie seem to really understand their target audience. Absolutely terrifying. Perfect for Halloween.

Rob Savage's 'Host' plays out like the greatest hits of found footage. It takes the scariest elements of genre favorites like 'The Blair Witch Project' (1999) and 'Paranormal Activity' (2007) and delivers a shock every few minutes. It is edited, crafted, and scripted well. The relaxed, naturalistic performances from the actors immediately create a sense of believability that helps when things start getting scary. A deceptively simple yet downright terrifying thrill ride.