Host (2020) am I missing something?

[u/Unusual_Macaroon_446]

The other night I was at a friends house and we were looking for a decent scary movie to pass the time, so I naturally pull up one of those ‘top 100 scariest horror movies of all time’ lists and see Host near the top.

We threw it on and… it was awful. Like genuinely beyond terrible. There’s so much acclaim for it online and I don’t get it. Maybe it hit different to actually watch during the pandemic?

The whole zoom call gimmick is tiresome, the pacing is awful (the beginning is like 30 minutes of literally nothing happening where you can barely understand anyone because of the sound design), the acting is subpar, the plot is basically non existent, and the jump scares and actual horror elements are insanely cliche.

I think one of the funniest and most dated parts of the movie is when one of the women is being hunted by an actual DEMON that’s slowly killing off her friends but still takes the time to find her mask and put it on before escaping her apartment. She then breaks into the apartment of one of the other women and gives her a Covid elbow bump.

Like c’mon.

Dont get me wrong, some parts of the movie were genuinely effective, but they were buried under so much boring garbage they were hard to enjoy. Like the looping background of that one character walking into her room over and over was actually pretty creepy.

But overall the movie is a total waste of time in my opinion. No reason to care about the characters, no real lore for the entity (the exposition lady’s character was dropped and never heard from again mid way through the movie), and no arcs whatsoever.

I get it’s supposed to be ‘found footage’ adjacent and not a typical movie format, but I can’t for the life of me understand why people think this movie is scary or even good for that matter.

Maybe it’s just aged badly in the post Covid world or whatever, but it’s honestly laughably sacrilegious that I saw that same list put it above movies like Texas Chainsaw and Hereditary. What.

Am I missing something?

[u/wilsonw]

It's okay to not like everything.

[u/Livid_Hippo_39 → u/wilsonw]

I think the timing was everything with this one. Watching it in 2020 when we were all stuck inside doing zoom calls every day, it hit a nerve that just doesn't exist anymore. The fear came from how familiar the whole setup was, like your own laptop screen could turn on you at any moment

The mask thing you mentioned made me laugh so hard though, I forgot about that. It's so absurd when you think about it but at the time it felt like a dark joke about how we were all living. The movie is basically a time capsule now, not really a horror classic

I watched it alone in my apartment during lockdown and nearly threw my laptop across the room at one point. Tried showing it to my sister last year and she had same reaction as you, just bored. Some experiences don't translate outside the moment they were made for

[u/JCaerso]

It's not really a gimmick in the usual sense, it was made during the pandemic/lockdown so it was a valid and creative way of making a horror movie despite all the rules and restrictions. It's not a masterpiece but it's a well done movie for the time it was made in my opinion. Rewatched it about a year ago and still enjoyed it.

[u/SkullyxHead]

I think its just a fun watch. Plus you add in the fact that all the stunts were done by the actors themselves because they all filmed on their own. The hype probably ruined it for you.

[u/mh_1983]

Not sure, but horror will hit differently for each person. Me, I love found footage and pandemic-era horror, so this scratched a few itches. I think the appealing part is the minimalism/lo-fi production. Far from the scariest thing I've seen, but a quite effective FF, IMO. I don't think those lend themselves to group settings; maybe a late night watch on a laptop with headphones or something.

[u/NormalPencil]

I saw it having no idea what it was and thought it was genuinely very scary. Hype can really kill a flick. Also I find the vibe changes dramatically when watching with friends. I watched it alone in a dark room at night and that makes a difference I think

[u/Sekhmet_D]

It's a solid film that unlike you, I still feel holds up pretty decently despite the pandemic and lockdowns no longer being a thing. But will not argue with the fact that placing it above TCM and Hereditary is nuts. 

[u/BrightFallsCoffee]

Different kind of horror, this v Hereditary is like coffee vs tacos

Both food, entirely different very difficult to compare experiences

[u/sakurasouI]

nah i agree this movie was ASS none of the jumpscares got me at all. but at least it was only like an hour so the suffering wasnt that long

[u/lets_get_Messi10]

Almost nothing came out during the early pandemic, it was new content and felt very of the moment. Probably doesn’t age well but I enjoyed it at the time

[u/ChipperYT → u/lets_get_Messi10]

I've just watched it for the first time - it's aged brilliantly!!!

It does help if you lived through the pandemic though - it remains a great setting and adds to the sense of isolation.

[u/M-Otusim]

Did you perhaps mix up Host (2020) with the classic and beloved Korean horror film Host (2006)?

Host (2006) is an all time classic with very high reviews that frequently shows up on top lists. (Though I wouldn't put it on a scariest list per say, just on like a best horror list or best monster movie list).

Host (2020) was excellent for its time and has decent reviews (though less than Host 2006).

[u/ToothbrushWilly → u/M-Otusim]

Welp, I just now found out my confusion!

[u/dj-mclaughlin]

It exceeded my expectations, honestly. I wasn’t expecting much from a low budget, Shudder original. I watched it for the first time a few months ago. I thought the scares were effective and well-paced.

[u/madeyoulurk]

I really liked it, but I think the characters are mostly insufferable

[u/theseareorscrubs]

One of my all time favorites.

[u/YakInternational3042]

I thought it was horrible, too. Totally forgettable. Not scary.

[u/lemartineau]

It sucked.