The flip side to a film like Host is this insipid entry. There are so many paint-by-numbers variants to this ‘film, were I to begin counting them on my digits, I would run out of my own and soon have to appropriate others. This is every paranormal activity retread, reskinned with a youtube interface utilizing every worst weary trope imaginable. In a film featuring a hotel full of jittery technophobic ghosts, the greatest suspension of belief required is imagining the main character has the wit or charisma required to maintain his level of social media followers. His literal gimmick is insulting his follower (ie: the viewing audience) so quickly you may begin hoping the supernatural entities will have their insidious way with him, slow and leisurely. Alas, slow is certainly the measure of the pace and wit of the writing and direction involved in this film. There’s the attempt at a wraparound gimmick, but the whole exercise comes off as indulgent and groan-worthy. Where Host represents a gimmick utilized effectively and adheres to the rules established from the onset, this film has no such restraint or even respect for the viewing audience.
Followed (2020)