Shudder has released Superhost, the most recent film from filmmaker Brandon Christensen (Z, Sill/Born). The film’s distribution rights were quickly picked up by Shudder after it won best picture from the Popcorn Frights Film Festival. Superhost stars the small cast of Sara Canning (War for the Planet of the Apes), Osric Chau (2012), Gracie Gillam (Fright Night – 2011), and Barbara Crampton (Re-Animator, Jakob’s Wife).
Superhost follows Claire (Canning) and Teddy (Chau) as they take their Airbnb review vlogging channel on the move to a new location, in hopes to put a halt to their consistent bleeding of subscribers, after one of their biggest reviews was seen as a clickbait scam. The couple meet Rebecca (Gillam), the eccentric and excitable “superhost” of their weekend mountain house. As the amenities start out a little lackluster, and Claire and Teddy start to realize that Rebecca is more unraveled than they initially thought, the couple decides documenting the host may be exactly what their channel needs to gain subscribers again.
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The story here is light as a feather, void of convolution and messes, offering a simple home invasion feel while giving the audience the added intensity of the location being unfamiliar to our characters. I’m always a fan of smaller casts in films which take place in close, intimate settings, because the chemistry always shines. All three of the main cast members’ performances were strong, with Gillam taking the prize for how awkward and flat out crazy she could become in a instant. I also appreciated that Teddy’s character was written as vulnerable and cautious, not a “tough guy” protector. I felt myself becoming frustrated with his character, but in turn, I was invested, and his performance was more realistic. Barbara Crampton had an extremely small role but was a fun addition and effective as a past “superhost” the couple had previously reviewed on their channel.
I loved the director’s choice to alternate between found-footage style shots when representing the vlog, and normal cinematic shots outside of it. I was afraid this was going to be completely found footage when it started, and was quickly relieved, being that it’s not one of my preferred sub-genres. The vlog style shots were actually few and far between, and allowed more room for beautiful environmental filming, with scenes shot in the gorgeous Nevada mountains.
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My only real gripe with Superhost was the predictability of it. I felt like I knew exactly where the film was going and would end from the get-go. I did appreciate Christensen’s ability of taking tiny story building moments, like the couple realizing they were on camera, or finding mail to unknown tenants, and making them intense and dramatic in order to gradually up the ante for the audience. I just wish there was a more climactic and less foreseeable finish. Up to the final act, the film had felt pretty unique, so I was a bit bummed that it ended in a similar way of other comparable films.
Overall, I thought Superhost was an entertaining and fun flick. It was light, straightforward, and intense enough to keep me invested in both the story and characters. The film has me interested to check out Brandon Christensen’s other two films, as well.
Superhost is now available for streaming on Shudder!
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