- Media Format : NTSC, Subtitled, Widescreen
- Run time : 1 hour and 29 minutes
- Release date : November 10, 2020
- Actors : Lee Hunter, Neal Ward, Frank Jakeman
- Studio : Dark Sky Films
- ASIN : B08FP5V34H
- Number of discs : 1
Mood and atmosphere
can be crucial with lower budget horror filmmaking, especially when making up
for shortcomings in other areas. Hosts understands this well, with a few
truly horrifying moments that are executed with an understanding of how to make
the budget work for you. And for these brief moments, I commend Hosts. Unfortunately,
nearly every aspect of the storytelling beyond the atmosphere and moments of
violence fail to impress. In fact, while some elements of the film are stellar,
others are equally unimpressive.
The film premise
plays out like a typical home invasion thriller combined with an Invasion of
the Body Snatchers narrative. There is nothing more complex or layered than
that, and that is the biggest problem. We don’t care about the characters as
they have been written, and most of the actors are unable to match the realism
of the violence with their stilted performances.
The film begins
with a couple preparing to visit their neighbors for a Christmas dinner before
suddenly becoming possessed by an otherworldly light. You might expect their
neighbors to notice the change in their behavior, especially since the actors
play it as though they have become obvious inhuman in their responses. But instead
the family just continues the festivities as usual, until forced to acknowledge
that something is wrong. This moment comes suddenly and shockingly, and also
seems to be what the entire film is built around. While this is a very good
sequence, I would be hard-pressed to remember much that happened before or
after it.
The biggest problem
with building the first half of the film off melodrama is the shortcomings in
the dialogue and acting. It is hard to care about these characters, because
they barely resemble real people, and this makes the violence of the film far
less impactful. I can only imagine if the film’s strongest moments had been
placed in a better film.
The DVD for Hosts
comes with a Behind-the-Scenes featurette and interviews with key cast and
crew. These may help to have a better appreciation of the filmmaking, but they certainly
didn’t make me love the film any more.
Entertainment Value:
3.5/10
Quality of
Filmmaking: 4/10
Historical
Significance: 1/10
Special Features: 4/10
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