MY CALL: Just a fun popcorn horror movie for a night in. MOVIES LIKE Host: I’d suggest the films that most likely influenced Host—Unfriended (2015) and Paranormal Activity 1-2(2007, 2010).
Amid the Covid pandemic quarantine, six friends have a Zoom meeting with a medium (Seylan Baxter; DashCam, The Boogeyman). As quickly as they heard the safety instructions from their medium host, those who clearly take the ritual less seriously begin joking around to chum the water with red herrings and create tension with the others.
But rather quickly, it is apparent that a connection with the spirit realm has been made when one of them is dragged across the room. Apparently, the joking around in the beginning created an invitation for uninvited spirits or demons to pass through. And soon various Zoom participants begin hearing strange sounds in their homes, seeing strange things in their homes, objects are breaking… this has swiftly wandered into the third act of a Paranormal Activity movie wherein we viewers are staring at the screen awaiting some subtle movement or unnoticed detail, or listening intently for a sign of the supernatural.
In some ways, this film feels more like a job interview than a typical finished film product. It says “Here’s what I can do.” Still, this found footage jaunt is short (57 minutes) and well-paced. Once the action starts, it’s rather constant. And sure, a lot of the gags are very familiar (even contrived) to anyone who has enjoyed the Paranormal Activity movies. But this is not highbrow horror; just an effectively amusing popcorn horror. Anyone who wants to see a more next-level found footage horror should check out director Rob Savage’s DashCam (2021).