Host is a socially-distant horror film about a virtual séance gone wrong

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Horror in the time of coronavirus, coming to Shudder July 30

(Image credit: Shudder)

We've all had to make adjustments this year, and horror movies are no exception. Host is a new horror romp that makes clever use of quarantine, telling a tale of a séance held via Zoom call that inadvertently summons demons into the participants' homes.

Coming to the horror movie streaming service Shudder on July 30, Host was filmed in a safe and responsible manner during lockdown, with each actor's scenes shot separately from within their own homes. So responsibly was Host filmed that director Rob Savage never once had an in-person interaction with the actors, who all lit and filmed their own scenes.

After seeing a viral short that Savage directed in quarantine, Shudder reached out to see if the director had any ideas for a feature film. "What he and his team created in Host surpassed all our expectations – it's a great horror film that cleverly uses the idea of a Zoom séance to fashion a story that's uniquely realistic and terrifying, with jaw-dropping stunts done entirely by the actors," said Shudder General Manager Craig Engler.

Host stars Haley Bishop (Deep State), Radina Drandova (Dawn of the Deaf), Edward Linard (The Rebels), Jemma Moore (Doom: Annihilation), Caroline Ward (Stalling It) and Emma Louise Webb (The Crown). Savage, known for the 2016 short Dawn of the Deaf, directed and wrote the movie.

With just about every movie release date pushed back in the wake of the pandemic, it's good to see the horror genre making use of the situation to produce something creative, efficient, and topical. I can't wait to see how it turns out.

Here are some other upcoming horror movies we can't wait to see.

Jordan Gerblick
Jordan Gerblick
Staff Writer

After earning an English degree from ASU, I worked as a corporate copy editor while freelancing for places like SFX Magazine, Screen Rant, Game Revolution, and MMORPG on the side. I got my big break here in 2019 with a freelance news gig, and I was hired on as GamesRadar's west coast Staff Writer in 2021. That means I'm responsible for managing the site's western regional executive branch, AKA my home office, and writing about whatever horror game I'm too afraid to finish.