Of course, this being a found footage horror movie, things begin to take a spooky turn, and the friends quickly come to terms with the fact that they may have summoned something beyond their control. Predictably, most of the group can’t bring themselves to take it seriously (more than half attempt to turn the seance into a surreptitious drinking game), and the seance is ultimately aborted shortly after it begins. As a theme for their virtual happy hour, however, Haley (Haley Bishop) has introduced an unusual twist: she’s invited a local psychic she’s consulted a few times to lead the group in a digital seance. In what will undoubtedly be a familiar scene to most viewers, six friends in their twenties connect over Zoom for drinks, laughs, and sentiments of incredulity that this is what the world is like now. ![]() Less inevitable is the fact that it stands on its own feet as one of the year’s best horror movies, gimmick or no gimmick. Yes, the First Zoom Horror Movie was an inevitability. It’s a gimmick, but who doesn’t love a good gimmick? While it’s always interesting to revisit a movie that captures a specific, historic moment on film (I’m positive there are better examples, but the one that springs to mind is the scene in Multiple Maniacs where they learn of the Manson Family arrests), watching such a movie while the moment is still ongoing is a unique experience. Good or bad, this seemed like a movie that should be consumed right now. ![]() Independent filmmakers, particularly those who work in horror, are always looking for a canny angle by which to fuse a trendy zeitgeist with a microscopic budget. When I first learned of the existence of Host, my immediate reaction was: “Of course.” Of course someone took advantage of the COVID-19 pandemic to direct a found-footage horror movie over Zoom, and managed to complete and release it while the quarantine was still going strong. Film, Film Review REVIEW: Host (2020) dir.
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