Six friends hire a medium to hold a seance via Zoom during lockdown, but they get far more than they bargained for as things quickly go wrong.Six friends hire a medium to hold a seance via Zoom during lockdown, but they get far more than they bargained for as things quickly go wrong.Six friends hire a medium to hold a seance via Zoom during lockdown, but they get far more than they bargained for as things quickly go wrong.
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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 😈💜
This was so much better than I expected.
It's low budget, made under restrictions and all this did for the movie was breed creativity. More films should try it. I think this movie is pretty creepy. When I was watching it I was pretty on edge. I also enjoyed that is was so short, the filmmakers had an idea and made it, it didn't matter to them that it wasn't over the hour and a half mark, they didn't pad it out so the movie is paced so well.
It's low budget, made under restrictions and all this did for the movie was breed creativity. More films should try it. I think this movie is pretty creepy. When I was watching it I was pretty on edge. I also enjoyed that is was so short, the filmmakers had an idea and made it, it didn't matter to them that it wasn't over the hour and a half mark, they didn't pad it out so the movie is paced so well.
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.
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.
It's unfortunately a little bit dull until the last 20 minutes. Things kick into gear with a particularly well-executed (and properly set up!) jump scare, and then escalate accordingly.
Even then, the finale isn't that much more impressive than the final act in your average paranormal horror movie, but the ZOOM stuff does become a bit more than a gimmick at that point, with some clever ways to deliver scares in a slightly new way.
Until then though, it's a bit dull, with characters + a set up and middle third that feel like a pretty standard horror movie.
Still, it delivers some pretty decent spoopiness in just under an hour, so I'd say it's worth a watch for horror fans.
Even then, the finale isn't that much more impressive than the final act in your average paranormal horror movie, but the ZOOM stuff does become a bit more than a gimmick at that point, with some clever ways to deliver scares in a slightly new way.
Until then though, it's a bit dull, with characters + a set up and middle third that feel like a pretty standard horror movie.
Still, it delivers some pretty decent spoopiness in just under an hour, so I'd say it's worth a watch for horror fans.
First of all, the reviewer who stated this movie is formulaic needs to learn the definition. I know what they are trying to say, but that isn't the correct word.
I enjoyed this movie, it was intense without music or an abundance of sound effects and the acting was very good.
I enjoyed this movie, it was intense without music or an abundance of sound effects and the acting was very good.
Did you know
- TriviaFilmed entirely using Zoom during the COVID-19 lockdown.
- GoofsIt is mid day where Teddy is at the beginning of the movie, however an hour later it is late night for him, like the rest of the characters.
- Crazy creditsIn the end credits, next to the person's name responsible for the sound, the video camera icon is disabled.
- ConnectionsFeatured in Chris Stuckmann Movie Reviews: Host (2020)
- How long is Host?Powered by Alexa
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- Phòng Chat Quỷ Ám
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Box office
- Gross worldwide
- $443,807
- Runtime57 minutes
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- 1.78 : 1
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