Host (2020)

Host is a 2020 British screenlife supernatural horror film directed by Rob Savage. Host takes place on a screencast of a video call on Zoom, and is presented as a computer screen film. Starring Haley Bishop, Jemma Moore, Emma Louise Webb, Radina Drandova and Caroline Ward, it features a group of friends who attempt to escape a deadly supernatural force inadvertently spawned during a séance. After a short prank skit by Savage which featured a handful of the Host cast went viral across social media, he developed the concept into a feature-length film, which was shot over 12 weeks directly on the Zoom software during the COVID-19 pandemic. The cast and crew set up their own cameras, lighting, and stunts. An independent film, Host was released exclusively through Shudder on July 30, 2020. It received positive reviews from critics, who praised its themes of social anxiety, its jump scares, and the chemistry of its acting ensemble. It was included on Time magazine's 2020 list of the "17 Great Movies You May Have Missed This Summer".