PLOT: A couple gets invited to their neighbor's Christmas feast. Instead of bringing wine or a decorative plate of cheese, they instead bring death and torture to ring in the holiday season.
LOWDOWN: After watching all of the promotional material and reading the synopsis, I must warn of mild spoilers. The film's central element, which happens in the first fifteen minutes, and sets up everything after, is something HOSTS (WATCH IT HERE – OWN IT HERE) is either purposely trying to avoid or deliberately trying to be cute with, which can't be avoided in a review. So I will keep as spoiler-free as possible, but If you want to go in blind, skip to the bottom for my finale rating.
I must confess that I love the English. Growing up in a military family, I was exposed to other entertainment besides the ones produced in the good ole' U.S. of A. FAULTY TOWERS, ABSOLUTELY FABULOUS, and MR. BEAN was apart of my existence from a young age, and Basil Fawlty was my Al Bundy from across the pond. I was excited when I got the link for the English indie flick HOSTS. Like anything worth doing in life, I gave it a sporting chance, and like a couple of pints after a long day, ended up have a damn good time.
HOSTS is the answer to what would happen if you mixed INVASION OF THE BODY SNATCHERS with THE STRANGERS. To be clear, this is my own interpretation, as the nature of the entities is kept purposely vague. Jack (Neal Ward) and his girlfriend Lucy (Samantha Loxley) become infected, possessed, or commandeered? And head over to their neighbor's Christmas dinner initially as planned, only the Jack and Lauren we originally met have been fundamentally changed. Loxley and Ward steal the show from the second they show up to the dinner. Once this kick-off, they don't let up. I know a film is good when I give an audible, "Oh, shit!" Being able to play something as complicated as "pretending to be human" without coming off foolish is always impressive, yet to do it in a way where I also felt unsettled deserves not only a tip of the hat but a shot and a beer as well.
Samantha Loxley's Lucy is the standout playing curious, demented, and f*cking frightening all at once. In a key scene (which may give a clue to the nature of our "visitors,") has Lucy recount a disturbing story to the adolescent Ben (Buddy Skelton) in the most aggressive and foreign understanding of a whisper I've ever heard. Lamin owns it here with these piercing glowing eyes that will stay with you long after and ends up pulling off a career topping performance. Neal Ward is also great as the shotgun-wielding Jack, while the story's heart would be the burly, mumbly Michael (Frank Jakeman). After a brutal and shocking "act of aggression," HOSTS becomes an intense and daring story of survival against an enemy whose ultimate intentions aren't clear. *hint, keep an eye on the paintings* Though Michael has some connection with his neighbor's, Nadia Lamin's Lauren is who we spend the most time with and brings a sweet and caring charm with her. As the one who may have the best survival odds, Lauren isn't the heroic type, which makes things more nerve-wracking as the night goes on.
By the third act, everything is off the rails in the best way possible, and not only do we get some impressive gore but an intriguing direction for our final act. I'm trying to keep this vague because the less you know going into this, the better. The pacing is tight, the look and feel compliment the anxiety, and when things get violent, it gets F*CKING VIOLENT. I'm impressed by Adam Leader and Richard Oakes, who wrote and directed HOSTS. It's a tense and vicious thriller that mixes science fiction with the New French Extremity of the early 2000s.
Any issues? Not many. HOSTS is an indie film, and as hard as they may try, the budget rears its head in a few places. A few scenes could have gone further or felt cut short by its own limitations. Things want to go big, and though I appreciate the workarounds, It's still evident that a lack of money kept some ideas purposely small. I don't love the score either. It isn't bad, but it felt out of place in the story being told. The song in the credits felt more appropriate (IMO), and that should have been the style throughout the film.
GORE: When this gets bloody, it gets EXTREME.
BOTTOM LINE: HOSTS is a great time that had me by the balls and didn't let go. A genre film that is both expansive yet personal, this is intense, mean, and bleak in the best ways possible. I love it when an indie film can surprise me and hold my undivided attention. HOSTS caught me off guard more than a few times and, in the end, had me raising my beer in respect. Well done, boys. Well done.
You can catch HOSTS on VOD Friday, October 2nd.