Host
During lockdown, a casual online séance traps six friends in a night of escalating supernatural terror that follows them into their homes.
Overview
A Zoom seance turns deadly as friends confront an evil spirit unleashed from beyond.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Brisk
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Easy to follow
- Violence
- Moderate
- eerie
- claustrophobic
- tense
- late night horror viewing
- lockdown movie night
What critics said
Critics broadly found the film lean, suspenseful, timely, and unusually effective in turning video-chat isolation into intimate supernatural horror.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
The séance and escalating supernatural events unfold through a Zoom call and the participants' computer cameras.
Six friends conduct the séance during lockdown, with social separation and confined homes shaping the threat.
The evil spirit begins invading the friends' homes, turning familiar private spaces into immediate dangers.
The group attempts communal contact through a video chat while isolation and supernatural disruption undermine their sense of safety.
Films like Host, and why
Unfriended
shares screenlife presentation, supernatural horror, and group video-chat isolation
Paranormal Activity
shares intimate found-footage horror, escalating paranormal dread, and confined domestic spaces
The Den
shares inventive low-budget horror, claustrophobic tension, and a digitally mediated threat
The Night Eats the World
shares quarantine horror, social separation, and escalating psychological panic among isolated characters
Movie Details
- Director
- Rob Savage
- Release Date
- 2020-09-10
- Runtime
- 57 min
- Rating
- 6.6 / 10 (1339)
Cast
- Haley Bishop
- Jemma Moore
- Emma Louise Webb
- Radina Drandova
- Caroline Ward
- Edward Linard
- Seylan Baxter
- Alan Emrys
- Jinny Lofthouse
- James Swanton
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- Netflix, Philo, AMC Plus Apple TV channel, AMC+ Amazon Channel, AMC+ Roku Premium Channel, AMC+, Shudder, Shudder Amazon Channel, Netflix Standard with Ads, Shudder Apple TV channel
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is Host about?
- During lockdown, a casual online séance traps six friends in a night of escalating supernatural terror that follows them into their homes.
- What is Host like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Host as brisk, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as easy to follow.
- Is Host violent?
- Somewhat. Ember rates the violence in Host as moderate.
- What did critics think of Host?
- Critics broadly found the film lean, suspenseful, timely, and unusually effective in turning video-chat isolation into intimate supernatural horror.
- Which films are like Host?
- Films with a similar feel include Unfriended, Paranormal Activity, The Den, and The Night Eats the World.
- How long is Host?
- Host runs 57 minutes.
- Where can I watch Host?
- In United States, Host streams on Netflix, Philo, AMC Plus Apple TV channel, AMC+ Amazon Channel, AMC+ Roku Premium Channel, AMC+, Shudder, Shudder Amazon Channel, Netflix Standard with Ads, Shudder Apple TV channel.
