Deep Cuts Horror Hit List #3 “Host”

Hey, there are folks. It is Wednesday, October twenty ninth, and the number three movie on our horror hit list is actually number one when it comes to Rotten Tomato score. And with that, welcome to this episode of Amy and TJ. We continue our horror hit list. We are now in our top three. This one has the highest Rotten Tomato score of any of the thirty movies we have on our list. Robes put into some kind, put into words our affection for this movie.

We love this movie.

It is so digestible and fun and every time we watch it, which is now I think countless times, we still feel the excitement, the rush, yeah, and the appreciation of it.

It's on as we're talking right now. Yes, it's on in the background, and you're right, Rose, we have seen it so many times. The scares work, the creepy factor works each and every time. This is number three. I can't believe maybe number three. Tell the people what number three is on our list.

It is Host and it was released in October of twenty twenty. Very important date, yes, because this is a pandemic film that is brilliant. I mean, talk about artists using the current situation that we were in at that point and using it for horror. It really was effective. I actually remember where I was when I watched this. I was sitting next to NICKI, and this movie scared the Bejesus out of us.

I mean, you, we have to consider folk and we need to get into it a little. Why did I'm just putting this together October twenty twenty. We weren't that far. We weren't a full year into the pandemic necessarily, just yet. To think that they put this together. I didn't realize it came out so quickly twenty. I mean, they shot, they wrote, they shot, and had this thing out for us to die very quickly that year. And I think ropes,

Yeh, fifty seven minutes is the runtime that is usually a red flag.

Yes.

Oh, And I remember thinking, okay, what is this? Someone word of mouth told me, Hey, this movie is streaming, And obviously we didn't have a lot of new entertainment coming around at that point in our world, so it was exciting ooh, something new, and it delivered. It is officially a horror Mystery. It's rated R and here's the synopsis. Six friends hire a medium to hold a seance via zoom during lockdown, but they get far more than they bargained for as things quickly go wrong.

That's all you need to know, right, Even that gets me going and gets you know. We always love a horror movie that gets you having an argument with the person you're watching it with, or you're right, you're throwing something, you're yelling at the screen. You're doing this for fifty seven minutes in this movie, but you're doing it before the movie even starts. Because there's no way in hell I would do a seance.

We had that conversation again yesterday. You're like, would you ever?

And at this point, I think, just with all the movies we've seen, you even said this this morning, I wouldn't even let a Ouiji board in my apartment, and I agree with that. I just think, you know what, why tempt faith? We don't know what's out there. I reserve space for the fact that there is something out there, So why would I beckon it to to come to life or to have permission to haunt or terrorize me?

No, no, thank you, And that's what they're doing in this movie a seans via Zoom. Now, this again did not have why public release. This was in the middle of the pandemic. There was no box office. There wasn't, no weren't. When did they even open back up a little bit?

I don't remember.

It took longer than I thought it was going to I know that much. But this was yeah, fresh entertainment, fresh, creative, amazing movie that I don't think any of us expected.

And wow, was it incredible?

Incredible and it was immediately relatable. We were all having zoom meetings and doing this at the time. Or the director of this one, Rob Savage, is his name? Did Boogieman? Rotes? Oh, this is the guy that did Boogeyman that we like. Now some of the actors here, there were six, but among the cast Haley Bishop, Jimma Moore, Emma Webb, Carolyn Ward. Those names sound familiar to Europes. No, I only say

It feels like you are actually watching six friends stuck in lockdown in their individual apartments, trying to do something fun and entertaining during the pandemic. I mean, it really does feel like you're kind of let into their zoom call.

It doesn't feel like there's a script.

It doesn't feel like there's acting involved, and it's all shot by them.

I mean, the budget had to be almost nothing.

Why do I I swear I saw what one hundred thousand dollars? Yeah, I think I saw the.

Poodle about right, and yet to have it fall on the list it does. In terms of critics and audience reviews, it's pretty impressive.

It's very impressive. And to that point, the audience reviews were one thing. The critic reviews were another. This might be the movie. It has one of the biggest, if not the biggest gaps we've seen in what the critics thought and what the audience.

Yeah, the Rotten Tomato score is ninety eight percent from the critics that I looked to see. There are only a few other films who have one hundred percent, And then I think it's one film has one hundred percent. It's His House. If you've ever seen that movie, that horror movie, His House.

Twenty twenty. Oh I thought it was good. I didn't think that it was hundred percent.

And then under the Shadow, I've seen that one that's really scary, but the Wailing those are two foreign films. So and then get out the babaduk, let the right one in and Host so it's right up there. Actually, Rotten Tomatoes released its top two hundred horror movies of all times based on their ratings, and this is right up there at the top.

Oh wow, this is a and again, this is a fifty seven minute movie that's almost got one hundred percent rating. That tells you a lot about how well done this one was. I was surprised. I was taken aback. I was very disappointed by the audience.

Score, only seventy one percent.

Why yeah, let's get into that here. Here first is the critic consensus lean suspensable and scary. Host uses its timely premise to deliver a nastily effective treat for horror enthusiasts. Now horror enthusiasts. Yes, we're going to get into who it's for. This is one I think is for everybody. If you were just looking to dip your toe into horror, we'll get into that as well. So here you go.

That found footage?

I guess it was kind of the grimy likely you're looking in on something, kind of a thing, but it's not.

A found It's a live event that's unfolding with folks using rudimentary cameras in the sense they're either using their laptop camera or their iPhone cameras. And maybe that's why it's the found footage feel to it, because there is no found footage. They're just actually experiencing these things live on a live stream.

Here you go. The it remains resolutely its own thing, a smart, inventive, and genuinely scary time capsule steeped in the dread of a global pandemic. I didn't consider that part adding to the dread you feel in this movie because your trapped just like they.

Are, right, and I think it tapped in on that feeling a lot of folks had when they were watching it, that they were home alone in a small room and the idea of a demonic presence somehow accompanying you in that room is frightful because where are you going for help? How are you getting out of your safe space? That really, in that moment was the only safe space we felt

And that's exactly what the next critic, what you're saying there said, the director crafts a creepy and a nerving horror film that uses lockdown to its advantage. Even the homes where they were in their backgrounds looked they weren't all proper and put together. It looks like a little college kids dorm room almost. It looks so authentic when you see their bedrooms, and it adds to the drama of the movie. It so does. Okay, Now, I didn't find pretty much any negative reviews when it came to

To be maybe people who want big action films, somebody who wants, I don't know, something loud and fast paced.

This isn't it.

But man, the tension builds and it builds it such an effective pace. I mean again, it's only fifty seven minutes, but when it starts going, it ramps up quickly.

But you say people want something loud and fast paced. I want, what is with your attentions by that you can't do for fifty seven I.

Don't understand it either, because also the character development was awesome in the beginning, where you're learning about two girls and their personalities, and I just I was invested in them and therefore was invested in what happened to them in the end.

Do you make a good point about the how effective character development is in fifty seven minutes? You're right? You find out something, You learn something about each and every one of the women. Even the filters on the yes, like that tells you something about her personality. Correct, that's a very good point. All right, a few more here, couple of jump scares, but that's it. That was somebody's negative review.

Oh my gosh, then you're not appreciating the build up and the dread and the oh my god, what's happening.

Part of it.

Another man review here said, it keeps you intention throughout the movie. Everything looks very natural and entertaining, with good scares without abusing screamers, although it seems to me that it fails a lot in its villain. The ending is quite predictable, and the summoning of the demon is terrible. Even so, they are fifty seven very enjoyable minutes.

I don't understand the criticism, yeah at all.

I really don't, because, by the way, I disagree completely about the ending.

The ending is my favorite part.

We actually have rewound it several times just to watch the ending again.

I remember when I first saw this, and I will just say that the screaming came from the other end of the television when I was watching it, but to the point where the whole house was like, what just happened? And I was telling the kids you have to watch this movie and wait until the end.

O MG.

A well chosen concept, but I wouldn't consider this movie scary and yet also not that entertaining to watch. Still, I would recommend it if you don't know what to watch and not looking for a particular deep movie. This is why I struggle with putting too many audience reviews. When something is so well reviewed by critics, people seem to just be looking for something to I.

Think people do, like you say they some people like to be contrariants and they like to say, oh, well, the critics, you know, just fell into the you know whatever, the illusion of this. But I see it differently as a real person who doesn't like X, y Z whatever. This is an awesome movie.

Everybody has a right to their opinion. But clearly, and I know you've seen it as well, when you read through some of the reviews, you're looking for a criticism of the acting, of the writing, of the directing, and a lot of people just go but I don't know what you people are talking about, yes, immediately, just.

I do sometimes think it's expectations. I think sometimes people look at reviews or they see something is supposed to be so good, and then they have a certain expectation about what the movie is supposed to be and then they're disappointed.

So we probably disappointed a lot of because we said really high expectations all of these movies.

That is true, That is true.

I get that this movie is absolutely brilliant. And you know what, if you don't like it, is only gonna take fifty minutes of your day anyway. So just trust us on this one. But why did this one make our list? Who's it made for? Who's it not made for? In the moment you're all waiting for, what did robot come up with to pair with food and drink? With this movie, you're gonna explain all.

That building expectations.

Hey, you've been delivering so far, she will deliver again.

Stay here, continuing our conversation about number three on our Halloween Horror hit list. We're talking about Host, A brilliant little gem will run you under an hour and you'll get well, I hope, just like us, you'll get years of enjoyment from this movie because we continue to watch it and we'll do so for the years to come. And why are we doing it? Because this movie is just we said it it's brilliant. It's so well done,

I respect this movie so much how they pulled this off. We want you a lot of horror movies. We know a lot, We know the tricks, we know sometimes with the graphics that are neat at the CGI. We know all this stuff. You know. We also know that every movie has to have that line in it and said, ooh, we have no signal. Right right, we know everything, and to have a movie this fresh that surprises you that you actually don't see what's coming, what they're doing, and

Yeah?

I mean, well, yeah, we all got into lockdown in March, so there wasn't a lot of time. You're right, when you think about how movies are made, this is almost unheard of.

Yeah, but they needed the pandemic to pull it off.

Yeah, it was just so. And the way it was shod it's raw. It just I love this movie and the woman who's putting them through the seance the medium, yes, or whatever she has. There's a couple of comedic moments in there. I don't know how they got this in fifty seven minutes. I would like to see a long, longer form. Oh yeah, of a director's cut. I wonder how long it is.

I would have continued to watch for sure. So who is this for?

We think it's for anybody. I don't think you have to be a huge I mean, if you're a horror movie aficionado, I think, obviously we know you'll appreciate it. But even if you don't tend to like horror movies, this is a fun movie to put on for. You know, a lot of times you have mixed company. I've dealt with this, We've all all dealt with this threat our lives. When you love horror movies, half your friends don't, or

I promise this isn't.

So scary that you'll be mad at me, but you'll actually appreciate how fun it is.

This one doesn't come with a warning from us so many. Hey, if you don't like there's a little killing in here, there's a little guts in here, there's a little it's really not that. I don't feel like I need to give anybody a heads up necessarily. I think anybody can watch this and dip a toe, and if somebody's at your house, you get to make the call on what movie is being watched.

Ha ha.

Yeah I don't like it, you can leave, you can go to another room. But yes, it is a compromise for horror belief.

And who is it not for. I think anyone who has a Buiji ward in their house, or anyone who actually participates in seances. I think this would freak you out. Maybe you think it's maybe I don't know, maybe that would even make it more thrilling to watch. If you do have those things in your home, or that is something you regularly do. But to me, that would scare me to the point where I wouldn't want to watch this movie.

This is further confirmation not to mess around because this thing is not It doesn't bring in a Wiji board. I'm not just specifically that, but like some outside like there's a magic dagger or they're right using something as a part of it. This is just simple conversation and lighting of candles. That's it. We all got candles in the house. We got candles burning right now. Like it's just it hits you in that it's not so foreign, like we could all get caught up in this, and

Yeah yeah.

If you're already turned off by the idea that literally the entire movie is a zoom call, then yeah, just skip it. That's fine food drink pairing, all right, I hear it is, so obviously you're gonna need to have some shots because it would be fun to play along with the characters. There is a part of the movie where they do shots, and it's when one of the other characters says a specific phrase, and so it's.

Fun and knowing it ahead of time, you.

Could just have whatever tequila shots lined up, all right, everybody, when the part of the movie comes for shots, yes, we're gonna.

Do it with the characters. That would be fun, right.

Also, you mentioned you loved the medium and as the woman who conducts the seance, she is Irish and she likes to say spirits. So I suggest that you drink some spirits and set them on the table. So whatever spit it you like, just every time she says spit it, you could have a sip of your spin it.

Don't drink every time she says spirit though, because you are going to be wasted.

My other, my other suggestion is setting the mood with candles. You mentioned candles. Yes, I think you need to have some candles lit. And this is a popcorn movie, period.

Could you watch this by yourself?

You can, but you'll regret that you did.

I wouldn't want to.

Yeah, as a heads up, if you're what, you actually get through it to a little ways and you think you're okay, and then you realize, damn, I screwed up. I should not have watched this.

My MoMA. Yeah, if you're by yourself and you have your computer, op or something, and you're feeling like, oh, if I just jumped on a zoom with somebody, i'd feel safe. That is gone after you've watched this movie, and you'd be looking over your shoulder.

Can't you watch this one in the daytime? I think a lot the screens were lit. I don't think there's a lot of night.

You can watch it in the daytime. You're right, because it is on screens. Everything is bright. But I would be nervous, definitely. If you're by yourself, you would be looking over your shoulder the entire time because it's said at night.

It's just they've got the brightness of the screen.

This is a nighttime movie or the experience.

I think it's a night time.

You should be in and pitch blackness in the room with a couple of candles going is how should be And my recommendation of food was something you don't have to look down at to pick up, like just a bunch of those little hard mini pretzels that a little salted, something light on the stomach. But it's something you don't have to popcorn works.

Yep, you don't want to have to look down.

You gotta keep your eyes on the screen.

Yeah, because there are things you will miss.

Oh yeah, you gotta keep you out one hundred percent.

All right.

This one can be found on Netflix. It is available on Netflix though.

Fantastic.

All right, So our next movie will be number two on the list.

And how would we tease this one?

It's the Is it the only one we have that's a foreign We had another foreign length, but you can't this one. You can't.

Yes, we had another one we had, remember, and we watched it dubbed.

This one. The dubbing is not available. Don't have that right, not right now.

I have seen reviews that people have watched this one dubbed, but I don't recall that I have. I'm fairly certain I've only watched this one with subtitles. And the thing that's interesting is I have found this when you have a good movie with subtiples. It ends up you forget that you saw the movie with the subtitles, and I feel like you don't miss anything because you're almost like reading a book and watching a movie at the same time.

Obviously, this.

Is an incredible and you know what, this one might have dipped its toe into a little mainstream. It seemed like a lot of people might have known about this one.

Lately, but initially I believe, am I correct that I'm the one who introduced this to you.

You had not seen it.

I hesitated to watch it for so long because I don't like subtitles. I don't like to have to read. Boy, was I wrong? And we assure you this one is not PG thirteen.

And we assure you this one is filled with action.

Whereas obviously host we said is just zoom screens frightening.

This is the antithesis of that.

We're gonna make up for it the next one.

All right, with that, everyone, thanks for listening. I made me roboch alongside TJ. Holmes. We'll talk to you soon.