“Hosts” is certainly a movie hidden in the depths of the movie ether out there and is hard to find much information about. It’s a movie debut for pretty much the entire crew, at least on the American side here. The movie was made in the UK.
“Hosts” was directed and written by Adam Leader and Richard Oakes. This would be the first full-length for Adam Leader, and there aren’t any well-known actors/actresses in the movie.
The base storyline was pretty straight-forward. It’s Christmas time and Michael, his wife, and their three children are gathering to celebrate. They’ve invited their neighbors, Jack and Lucy, to join them in the festivities.
Turns out to be a bad idea to have the neighbors over!
Before the dinner gathering, Jack and Lucy (the neighbors) are possessed by a malicious entity. This took a little while to get going, but was a very suspenseful scene to get the movie started.
After Jack and Lucy were possessed, they still physically looked like themselves, but their eyes take on an eerie glowing light that signifies the intruder within them. Their eyes aren’t always lit up, which helps them still blend in as humans. At first, this cool little trick was pretty damned creepy. But, through the movie it’s almost like the creators of “Hosts” reeeeaaallly wanted to drive that effect home. I felt like they overdid the slow-down scenes where Jack or Lucy stood looking at the camera with those glowing eyes. Cool at first but it gets overdone.
The Christmas dinner arrives, as do the two neighbors, now hosts to the malevolent beings. Jack and Lucy are silent without any expression and don’t respond when spoken to. Michael and his family should’ve noticed or mentioned something was horribly off with them. But it wouldn’t be the movie it was without this oversight by the family.
As this lovely meal is going on, there is some amazing joyous news shared to the family from the mother. It is also revealed at this time that Lucy is sitting there with a hammer in her lap. And as the scene progresses, you’re just waiting….and waiting….and waiting for the hammer to fall.
Literally and figuratively.
And wow…when it does finally happen it is so bloody and violent. For those who appreciate the ‘art’ of gore in horror, this scene is more than enough to watch this movie. I knew it was coming from how they were building it up, but was not prepared for the level to which the gore and ferociousness is taken!
This first kill scene set the tone for the rest of the horrifying imagery sprinkled throughout the rest of the movie as the family tries to survive the sudden viciousness from their attackers.
Lauren, the only daughter of the family, becomes more of the focal point of the story as the possible heroine. She is dragged down the hallway by her hair, forced to pull the trigger of a shotgun pointed toward a family member, and has to fight the two possessed neighbors before her and her entire family can be wiped out.
Even after watching the entire film I’m not entirely sure how to describe what the evil entities truly were. As the movie progressed, more is revealed about them, but it’s not very clear what their motives were, or what their origin was. That gives a bit of mystery to the story.
We also find that there’s a way for Jack and Lucy to convert others to be possessed like they were. The entities also know a deep secret of Michael’s (the father), which was a little confusing as to what these possessors are capable of and where they came from. Which makes me think about this about "Hosts": There were a couple of side stories in the movie, such as Michael’s secret, that were thrown into the mix. These side stories could’ve been an attempt to build on the characters but came to be distracting at times.
The downside to “Hosts” was that it seemed to wander aimlessly when in between the crucial scenes not knowing where to go with the story. This inconsistency with the pace made the overall movie a little 'bumpy'. Such as, I loved it at times, then was bored, then really wanted to like it, then there would be an amazingly bloody scene, and I was then lost again.
The ending was also disappointing with no explanation or hint as to what happened. Which, it doesn’t always have to be laid out and explained as to 'why' something happens in horror, but it has to be done a certain way for the viewer to be okay with an ending like that. I felt that “Hosts” fell short of that.
I really wanted to give a higher Bloody Reel Score for “Hosts” because at moments it was a really great movie! But, I feel like I would be misleading you, the reader. However, I suppose “Hosts” could end up being one of those movies that didn’t land well during the first watch, but then tickles the brain leaving a lasting effect. As it is, time has passed since I've watched it and the movie has already grown on me just a tidbit more each day.
One more thought…rusty metal pliers anywhere near teeth apparently make me squirm and cringe deeply! Yes, that happens here. Oof!
I’d be really curious to hear what others think about this one. If anything, the gore in this movie was amazingly portrayed and could be called beautiful gore…if that wasn’t one of the more disturbing things to say out loud…
Stay Creepy and Enjoy!
“Hosts”
Released: 2020
Rating: NR
Director: Adam Leader, Richard Oakes
Writers: Adam Leader, Richard Oakes
IMDB Rating: 5.9 out of 10
Metascore: NO SCORE LISTED out of 100
Rotten Tomatoes: 67% (only 6 people’s ratings)
Runtime: 1 hour 29 minutes
Rentable as of this Blog: $6.99 Prime Video, Google Play (Purchase on same platforms)
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