A couple comes across a host who does not seem all there in this film from the director of Z.

Claire and Teddy are a couple who at one point, hit it big with their viral channel “Superhost”, in which they would visit vacation homes and meet the houses’ owners and share their experiences. However, after an incident with one host they didn’t agree with as well as a clickbait video, their subscriber count begin to dwindle down. A chance to get a place they had been wanting to visit has finally come so they head to the mountains.

After a mishap with the front door code, the pair meet Rebecca, the home’s owner. She gives off a bit of a vibe at first, but she means well. However, on their first night, Teddy finds a mysterious figure in the shadows and both he and Claire lose a bit of sleep. They find themselves confronted by the owner who they gave a bad review to, but they are saved by Rebecca. Claire and Teddy soon realize that Rebecca is slowly beginning to show signs that she may not be who she said she is and once they learn the truth, must find a way to escape before it’s too late.

Brandon Christensen is definitely a storyteller. His film Z offered us a mother’s slow descent into madness when she comes to grips with her son’s new imaginary friend. This latest offering takes a look at social media and viral videos and how far one, or in this case, two, are willing to go for subscribers. While in reality, some do things in a more positive light to gain followers, the case with our leads Claire and Teddy are bound to bring dangerous consequences.

Sara Canning and Osric Chau are excellent as Claire and Teddy, the couple who are looking to get their channel back up in subscribers. When it comes to their ideas, they clearly are polar opposites. Teddy has something special planned in a more positive light where Claire finds the formula humdrum and decides that chaos and drama could be a good idea. This leads to a sometimes internal conflict between the two at times, especially when Teddy’s idea is mistaken for not being real in Claire’s eyes.

The film’s break out is Gracie Gillam as Rebecca, the titular “superhost”. The best way to describe this character is a combination of early 1990’s Sherilyn Fenn and The Craft’s Fairuza Balk. Gillam conveys a duality of nice and complete psychopath. She seems nice and warming at first but gives off a creepy vibe but by the third act, we see her true colors, and this brings a major twist from psychological thriller to slasher film. The iconic Barbara Crampton makes the most of her screen time as Vera, the host who had issues with Teddy and Claire and this leads to some amazing chemistry between she and Gillam. The final act really brings in some shocking twists and reveals that in a way are jaw-dropping.

Superhost is an excellent film that melds psychological thriller and slasher film. Sara Canning and Osric Chau are great together in this and Barbara Crampton makes the most of her screen time. However, it is Gracie Gillam’s rousing performance that really makes the film. This is a fun and crazy film for horror fans.

WFG RATING: A

Shudder presents a Superchill production in association with First Look Pictures. Director: Brandon Christensen. Producers: Brandon David Harder, Osric Chau, and Brandon Christensen. Writer: Brandon Christensen. Cinematography: Clayton Moore. Editing: Brandon Christensen.

Cast: Sara Canning, Osric Chau, Gracie Gillam, Barbara Crampton.

The film is now available on Shudder. The film will be released On Demand, Digital, DVD, and Blu-Ray on February 1.