Host, or, Telepresence

It seems like there’s been a spate of found footage/Zoom-based horror movies, enough to qualify as its own sub-genre, although I can’t actually think of many besides Unfriended. The consensus seems to be that Host from 2020, directed by Rob Savage, is the best one. I have no reason to doubt that, because I watched it last night, and I loved it. I saw it on Shudder, sitting at my desk, via a web browser, which I’m assuming is the best possible way to see it short of actually being in the middle of the COVID lockdowns. And I did spend much of the runtime anxiously glancing over my shoulder, to make sure I didn’t hear something, and that no one was sneaking up behind me. A testament to how well the movie works: I actually watched a recap of this movie on the Dead Meat YouTube channel, so I was technically spoiled for everything, but it still completely worked for me. I’m pretty sure that I watched the recap, appropriately, while I was stuck in an AirBnb recovering from COVID with nothing…