Skip to content
Host takes us into the ever-familiar world of Zoom/Skype/etc meetings which many of us have experienced during lockdown, ever since the beginning of the COVID19 pandemic.
For myself, I’ve been working from home since the end of March, and it’s been a real struggle, but each day, I’ve managed to fit in two hours of Jeremy Vine, plus an hour each of Tipping Point, The Chase and I’m warming to Winning Combination with Omid Djalili, along with various Netflix shows and films. Yes, really struggling.
But back to this, and 12 minutes in, following the introductions between the main cast, a woman called Seylan joins the crowd of Emma, Caroline, Haley, Jemma, Radina and Teddy in order to start and lead a seance. Each of them has a candle to light, and a object particular to them and the person or individual they want to contact. I think I’d try to contact Jim Morrison because he died around the time I would’ve been conceived… but anyway.
Host is not a film that’s going to give many surprises in terms of the basic premise, because you know in due course, the youknowwhat will start hitting the fan, but it starts off with some simple, expected things such as a cupboard opens as items fall out of it, and there’s some odd feedback from Jemma’s phone audio.
The film only has a brief 57-minute running time in which to get things underway, so we learn early on, for example, that Radina has taken the step to move in with her boyfriend during lockdown, and clearly, it’s not going too well. Meanwhile, lots of things going bump in the night after an evil spirit might have been accidentally summoned, and some characters are taking this more seriously than others.
Obviously, I’m not going to say what happens and/or when because that would defeat the point of a review, but I will say that Host keeps you watching with some engaging moments, but it’s a bit daft overall.
Also, it’s the first time I’ve ever seen a film have credits on a Zoom screen.
Above are two posters. I much prefer the second one, but the poster that’s been chosen for the UK feels too much like a copy of a famous scene in The Blair Witch Project, but I wasn’t a fan of that particular film.
Host is released on today on digital download/streaming and is released on Special Edition Blu-ray and DVD on January 19th 2021 but is not yet available to pre-order on Amazon. I’ll add a link when it is.
Film score: 6/10
Detailed specs:
Cert: 
Running time: 57 minutes
Studio: Vertigo Releasing / Shudder
Year: 2020
Released: December 4th 2020 (digital/cinema); January 19th 2021 (Blu-ray and DVD)
Format: 1.78:1
Director: Rob Savage
Producers: Douglas Cox, Emily Gotto, Samuel Zimmerman
Screenplay: Gemma Hurley, Rob Savage, Jed Shepherd
Cast:
Haley: Haley Bishop
Jemma: Jemma Moore
Emma: Emma Louise Webb
Radina: Radina Drandova
Caroline: Caroline Ward
Alan: Alan Emrys
Caroline’s Dad: Patrick Ward
Teddy: Edward Linard
Jinny: Jinny Lofthouse
Seylan: Seylan Baxter
Legs: Jack Brydon
The Spirit: James Swanton
Reviewer of movies, videogames and music since 1994. Aortic valve operation survivor from the same year. Running DVDfever.co.uk since 2000. Nobel Peace Prize winner 2021.