The recent buzz around Shudder’s newest horror film, Host (2020), was loud enough to capture our attention. This film, shot in three months during our lockdown, has had the internet too scared to sleep. But, could it really be that scary? We invited one of our favorite subjects to view the movie while strapped to the heart monitor. As requested by the horror community she will be watching the film on a laptop using earbuds. We will be monitoring her heart rate in a semi-dark room while simultaneously viewing the film as well. Find out if evil spirits awoke our subject’s pulse during the possessed zoom call.
Where to Watch:
SYNOPSIS:
Six friends hire a medium to hold a seance via Zoom during lock down – but they get far more than they bargained for as things quickly go wrong. When an evil spirit starts invading their homes, they begin to realize they might not survive the night.
Test Subject: Leah
Age: 35
Gender: Female
Fears: Phasmaphobia (Fear of ghosts)
Resting HR: 60-65bpm
Walking HR: 80-85bpm
ANALYSIS:
At the beginning of Host (2020) our subject needed to acclimate herself with this unconventional style of filmmaking. While she was familiar with zoom meetings, the audio was jarring at first as the cast pretended to work through their own technical difficulties. Our subject was unfamiliar with the premise so most of the first act was an introduction of characters and waiting for the plot to reveal itself. But soon, hints of a supernatural presence began to slowly escalate her pulse as the anticipation of terror grinded on her nerves. The unsettling scenes along with several extreme jolts kept her heart rate numbers above 80bpm for the entire second half of the film. Included in this was her 93bpm peak during several spooky disturbances. With a mix of chaotic noise and frightening moments, Host (2020) left our subject with a constant feeling of dread as seen in the screen capture below.
CONCLUSION:
Host (2020) is a fun, stress filled experiment in fear. The film was able to ratchet up the tension and maintain a high level of anxiety. We were forced to keep low lighting on our subject to capture her footage but had the room been completely dark we feel her numbers may have been even higher. The optimal viewing experience for this film would be a completely dark and solitary setting. Still, even with a lengthy setup and a short runtime this movie created steady heart racing numbers in a claustrophobic environment. Beyond the frights, Host (2020) is a brilliantly executed film. As much fun as we had watching our subject cringe, it was equally entertaining for us as we tried to figure out how they shot some of those terrifying scenes. Overall, she made it willingly through the entire movie (peeking through her fingers at times) and slept well. That was until her computer powered on by itself at two in the morning. Happy Spookies!
Host: Burns an average of 124 Calories
Zoomers (Oven baked snacks): 70 Calories
If you love this style of filmmaking check out our heart racing results from Unfriended: Dark Web.
How many Fear Calories did you burn watching Host? Let us know in the comments below or on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook
