Review of Host

Host (II) (2020)
7/10
Host
11 November 2023
Warning: Spoilers
The COVID-19 pandemic and the first 2020 lockdown across Britain (lasting four months) and worldwide is one of the hardest things that humanity had to go through, I heard about this film during the time, it was filmed over 12 weeks directly on Zoom (the most popular video communications site at the time), I was glad when I finally watched it a few years later. Basically, on 30 July 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown in the United Kingdom, friends Haley (Haley Bishop), Jemma (Jemma Moore), Emma (Emma Louise Webb), Caroline (Caroline Ward), Radina (Radina Drandova) and Teddy (Edward Linard) hold weekly Zoom meetings to stay in touch. During their latest group video call, Haley has hired a medium, Seylan (Seylan Baxter), to lead them in a virtual séance. Seylan introduces herself and how they conduct the séance, with all group members having an object of personal meaning from a dead loved one. Teddy is forced to leave the chat when Teddy's girlfriend, Ginny, unintentionally disconnects him. Seylan starts the séance, and the remaining group members follow her instructions. During the séance, Jemma claims to feel intense tension around her neck. Overcome with fear, she says a school friend named "Jack" who committed suicide by hanging himself is with her. While this is happening, Seylan is disconnected from the call when her internet cuts out. Eventually, Jemma reveals to the group that she made "Jack" up because the silence was awkward, she was bored and felt mischievous, and this angers Haley. Soon, members of the group begin to experience strange, terrifying phenomena: Haley's chair is pulled by an unseen force, Caroline investigates a noise in the attic which appears to be a hanging corpse, and Emma's glass spontaneously breaks. Haley uses her Polaroid camera to get a snap of her living room, and a ghostly hanging figure appears in the print. As the girls panic, Haley manages to get Seylan back online and informs her of everything that has happened. Seylan explains that an unfriendly spirit is indeed with them, she believes Jemma's prank may have allowed the spirit or demon access to enter the circle during the séance. Seylan begins to give them instructions on how to close the séance. The spirit interrupts this by causing more phenomena, and Seylan disconnects again before the girls try to close the circle. The members believe the ordeal is over and prepare to leave the Zoom call. Radina gets up and leaves the room unaware that the body of her boyfriend Alan (Alan Emrys) is hanging behind her. Caroline's artificial background is interrupted as her face is smashed into the camera, causing her to fall. Emma's camera shows an invisible figure covered by a face filter in the living room which turns to look at her. Emma scatters flour on the floor, and the footprints of the spirit come towards her, her kitchen cupboards burst open before she is attacked by the spirit, and she hides. Radina tries to leave her home after her boyfriend Alan's dead body drops in front of her, but she is pulled away from the door and killed by the spirit. Caroline suddenly smashes her face onto the desk, she pleads for help as she is repeatedly beaten until she is killed. Haley and Jemma argue, blaming each other for what has occurred, when Haley is pulled out of the room. Shocked, Jemma, who lives close to Haley, immediately leaves her home to try and help her. Teddy then returns to the call, with ten minutes remaining until the Zoom meeting ends. Unaware of everything that has occurred, Teddy is attacked by the spirit. Teddy panics and is chased by something through his house, and he witnesses Ginny's neck being snapped by an unseen force before he is knocked down, set on fire, and killed. Emma, now the only person left alive, fearfully turns her camera to the doorway of her room after her door suddenly opens. She throws a blanket, which lands on the invisible spirit, showing its form. Terrified, Emma opens her window to flee but accidentally falls to her death. Jemma arrives at Haley's home and sees on her screen that Emma and Teddy are dead. The invisible spirit throws a bottle at Jemma's head while the cupboards burst open. She manages to find Haley hiding under her desk, and together they try to escape the house using the flash of Haley's Polaroid camera as a light. The invisible spirit suddenly appears in a flash in the form of a man with a mutilated face and it rushes at them as the Zoom call times out. Also starring Jinny Lofthouse as Jinny, Patrick Ward as Caroline's Dad, and James Swanton as the Spirit. Obviously inspired by The Blair Witch Project and Paranormal Activity, this cleverly incorporates the "found footage" concept and combines it with the social distancing rules of the time, with a cast of British unknowns and some well-executed camera trickery and special effects. The cast are real-life friends meaning their performances are believable, many moments will certainly make you jump, and it makes no difference that it is only an hour long. It is one of those films that works as a time capsule, perfectly capturing the eerie atmosphere of Britain and a genuinely scary time for people across the world, a splendid supernatural horror. Very good!
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