Plenty of tricks are the treats for Halloween as Jackie Earle Haley games some unwilling subjects in Your Host for the spooky season!
In a story that begins with two young couples partying at a now-deceased rich father’s summerhouse, all is not calm. Hard liquor brings out the mean streak during a game of “Truth or Dare,” which is then followed by confusion when a camcorder is found on the property, all the while it has been filming the aforementioned shenanigans. Not thinking clearly, they bring it in, unaware that also welcomes in a dark presence, which hides in the shadows.
Once the quarreling returns, the crew separates and one by one they are caught off guard, drugged and captured. Awakening cloudy headed inside what appears a dungeon of doom, they are introduced to a sinister, psycho serial killer (played by Jackie Earle Haley) whose self-harm fuels his rage. But instead of simply slowly killing his subjects, he has turned the process into a twisted game show. Introducing the newest Bad Guy for All Hallow’s Eve: Your Host!
What begins as a home-invasion horror story quickly delves into torture porn as the backstory of our heroes slowly develop. The viewer quickly learns what motivates these people into making poor life decisions. As the hidden truths of our “heroes” are revealed, overall, it truly boils down to them not being good people, at all, and these four terrible individuals probably deserve each other (Are they Californians, by chance?)… which makes the inevitable gory details of their horror story all the more enjoyable.
“There’s always a winner.”
Jackie Earle Haley postures for his studio audience in Your Host. Photo Courtesy: Gianfilippo De Rossi for Benacus Entertainment and RNF Productions.
But the true breakthrough here is Your Host — that’s a really bad character name, by the way, but it is a decent movie title.
Bedecked in a partial Halloween mask in something that looks like it was made in the ’80s — Could it be a Ronald Reagan mask, by chance? — this villain with an overactive imagination practically pulsates Phantom of the Opera vibes. He’s demented; that’s for sure. He’s had years of frustration and revenge on his mind, so this approach to releasing the pent-up feelings actually makes sense for him. And while he’s not searching for forgiveness, justice is on his mind.
At times, this mysterious, somewhat manic personality kinda reminds me of a random Jim Carrey impersonation from In Living Color, and I like him immediately. I feel his pain as he becomes the most sympathetic character of the bunch, even though I don’t approve how he takes out his anger on those who have wronged him. I would have liked to see a little bit more from his alter ego’s former life, though.
And that takes us to the most pressing of questions: Will this film ultimately prove to successfully build a franchise? Time will tell… along with positive reactions online. I really dug the old-school aspects here: there aren’t any hints of modern-day digital technology being used, it’s mostly analog. Glorious analog. I hope no one ever forgets the meticulous process of using a handheld camera that used videotapes. Our villain definitely didn’t!
While I’ve only seen two releases of the entire Saw franchise, this one is similarly themed, but different in its presentation. I will admit that body horror seems to be my kryptonite, but for the spooky season, I powered through this film, even though I spent the majority of my time grimacing, dreading the characters’ punishment — lots of this terror is implied, as I couldn’t stomach it — only partially seen between the fingers that were covering my eyes.
As a film, Your Host takes a creepy, nostalgic trip down memory lane that’s a perfect psychological nightmare for October. And I can’t give Jackie Earle Haley enough praise for his performance here. I truly dug his transition from TV game show host to demented killer, but the ultimate intended message of following the crowd while not fully understanding the impact of your actions onto others feels somewhat glossed over by the film’s conclusion. That probably should have been brought up a lot sooner in the storyline and then reaffirmed at its conclusion, instead of feeling like it was simply tacked onto the end. That was my only complaint.
Your Host is an enjoyable slasher film that makes me wonder about all of the former game show hosts throughout the years and what kept them occupied outside the glorious glare of the spotlight. Hopefully, none of them had alter egos that punished their enemies… although that does sound like a documentary I might watch.
Your Host is currently streaming On Demand.