14. Host (2020)

While Host’s premise is similar to that of Unfriended, the technology of the times has changed. Instead of Skype, we’re now all on Zoom. And we all became especially reliant on Zoom during the COVID-19 pandemic, which Host incorporates into the creepy-crawly narrative with finesse. An attempt to connect during pandemic isolation turns deadly when they accidentally conjure a demon during their online séance. The format works very well for the scares, forcing the audience to watch multiple points of view at the same time, never knowing from which Zoom square the evil spirit will strike. The protagonists are stuck where they are and cannot help their friends.

Even the Host actors worked from home. Although directed by Rob Savage, every cast member filmed their own sequences from home, arranging the cameras, sound, lighting, makeup, and stunts. For being such a homegrown film, the effects are quite stunning. Host is a remarkable little found footage movie that exemplifies some of the positive creativity that came from the pandemic.