Starring - Sara Canning (The Banana Splits Movie, War of the Planet of the Apes), Osric Chau (Supernatural, The Flash), Gracie Gillam (Fright Night, Z Nation)
Release Date - 2021
Genre - Horror
Tagline - "Don't forget to like and survive"
Format - Bluray (Personal Collection) (Screener)
Rating (out of 5):
I've been a huge fan of the Shudder originals and exclusives. Shudder has released some seriously amazing genre films over the last few years and their partnership with RLJE Films has brought many of these awesome releases to my collection. Not long ago I received the press release for the blu release of the Shudder original Superhost. I'm not much on horror films centered around social media but it's not often that Shudder lets me down so I requested a review copy. It arrived while I was taking a break due to COVID but once I was feeling like my old self I decided to give it a go. I want to thank RLJE and Shudder for sending a review copy my way.
The film follows a young couple who are travel vloggers who have booked a house in the woods for a few days after they saw that it had an almost perfect rating. Their stay starts out innocently enough but over the course of their stay the home's owner Rebecca (Gillam) says and does things that makes the couple question her sanity. However, after doing some investigating and interviewing Rebecca they soon realize that the home's original owners disappeared without a trace and Rebecca was the last person to see them alive.
Superhost wasn't exactly what I was expecting. In fact, I was surprised by how the film played out. It could have went the cheap route and made a vlog style horror movie that a lot of the no budget found footage films are going but it didn't. Instead, it really focused on story and character development while keeping great atmosphere and tension. It's predictable but the film does have replay value which is something we don't see often in most modern horror efforts. The acting in this one is fantastic. Sara Canning and Osric Chau are fantastic as the couple vlogging. Their relationship is built around their online business and while one is in love the other is clearly using him to get what she needs to capture views. I loved how their characters were written and these two did a fantastic job bringing them to life. We also get a small role from horror legend Barbara Crampton. She never disappoints and her performance is great even though it is brief. With that being said, Gracie Gillam is the star of the show. Her character is fucking batshit crazy and her performance makes the film for me. I absolutely loved what she did here and now I'm actively looking for her other films. Please return to horror Gracie! The story for this one is maybe about ten or 15 years too late BUT I thoroughly enjoyed it. Travel vlogging was extremely popular with the rise of YouTube and blogs but no so much that important now with the rise of review sites like yelp and so on. However, I still enjoyed the set up of the film. It starts slow and build on the characters and as we progress we really see the characters come into their own before the story takes a sharp turn. It is predictable but that doesn't take away from the fun performances and characters. Finally, the film has some pretty gnarly kills that incorporates a mix of practical and visual effects. One kill stands out from the rest and it has noticeable visual effects. It wasn't bad but it does stand out when you look at the entire scene. Overall, Superhost sounds like it will be a goofy and awkward watch but I thoroughly enjoyed it. The cast is absolutely amazing and the story works. I highly recommend snagging this blu from RLJE Films.
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