Host

Directed by Rob Savage, Host follows several stuck-in-quarantine friends as they decide to liven up a virtual gathering by conducting a seance with the help of a professional medium. (It’s perhaps not a spoiler to reveal that things go horribly wrong.) Filmmaker Savage, working from a script written with Gemma Hurley and Jed Shepherd, delivers an increasingly compelling horror effort that admittedly doesn’t start with a whole lot of promise, as Host kicks off with an opening stretch that feels rather banal and generally fails at establishing the mostly female characters (ie they’re all just so interchangeable, ultimately). Such concerns prove moot as the narrative progresses into a midsection that grows more and more compelling (and creepy) as it unfolds, as Savage packs the proceedings with a handful of thoroughly (and almost unbearably) suspenseful/unsettling set-pieces – with the movie building towards a final act that’s as visceral and engrossing as one might’ve hoped (ie Savage really does nail the hopelessness inherent in this sort of a premise.) The end result is one of the best no-budget horror flicks to come around in quite some time, and it’s clear, too, that Host‘s refreshingly brisk running time (56 minutes!) only heightens its appeal and positive impact.

***1/2 out of ****