Those who have been mourning the absence of a new entry in the Saw franchise should rejoice as a playful, torturous horror icon is born. Your Host feels cut from the same cloth, a bold and bloody gameshow where everyone is a winner! A tight group of four friends snatched from their cabin and planted in an empty warehouse are forced to compete in this deadly game. Jackie Earle Haley plays the demented host, notably the second time Haley has transformed into a maniacal killer after 2010’s A Nightmare on Elm Street remake. Disturbing and twisted, strap on your collars and chains, and prepare to bargain with Your Host.
Who would want to actually play a game with no clear way to win? There’s a reason why Jigsaw’s accomplices in the Saw franchise were never successful, if mostly because they were intentionally sabotaging the results. The opening scene of Your Host sees half-masked maniac Barry (Haley) proclaim a winner to his game. The only thing the winner needs to do is pull the right string, and then he can go free! Easy enough, right? When there’s a shotgun waiting on the other end, maybe not so easy after all. Barry doesn’t want his victims to actually be able to start anew after their experiences, or to teach them vital life lessons through outrageous means. He simply wants them dead, just after giving them glimmers of hope.
Four friends show up at the summer home of trust fund baby James (Jamie Flatters, Avatar: The Way of Water), prepped and ready for some debaucherous, drunken escapades. A montage highlights their easy vibe together as they play by the poolside, chug alcohol, and eventually engage in a saucy game of truth or dare. The crew mostly fit into traditional horror molds. James, of course, is the cocky eye candy, a douche we long to see bite the bullet. Matthew (David Angland, The Devil’s Hour), the only other male of the group, falls on the opposite end of the spectrum. A gentleman who respects the ladies rather than demeans them, Matthew is our “good guy” caricature. Animal-lover Melissa (Joelle Rae, Christmas in Notting Hill) has a sassy backbone, and nervous nelly Anita (Ella-Rae Smith, Seance) checks off the final girl boxes. A brief personality clash barely has time to breathe before each get snatched and whisked away to a massive warehouse. The actors portraying these characters lean into the absurdity of their situation once it takes a turn for the unsettling—Flatters in particular gives good panicked freak out.
An audience of mannequins watch as the game unfolds, with every moment recorded on film by their twisted benefactor. Is he broadcasting the footage somewhere? Could there be a Hostel-esque group eating up all of the torture? Or are Barry’s intentions more of a personal vendetta? All becomes clear as the film charges towards a sinister endgame. They start with a simple game of rock, paper, scissors, but even that has a disturbing edge to it. Barry forces the group to make disturbing confessions, to carry out snap decisions with devastating, morbidly funny consequences. Fingers will be severed, relationships put to the test, and vital secrets will come to light at last. Practical effects make the dire situation even more insane as we can truly feel each wound as if it was our own through the blood-curdling screams of the cast.
My favorite aspect of Barry’s nutso nature was that he is not portrayed as some perfect villain who has choreographed every moment. He screams for his players to make their choices, but a lot of what he is doing feels new to him rather than some well-oiled machine. Once we finally learn his backstory, it recontextualizes the madman from front to back. Donning a doll mask with half his face showing and a flamboyant outfit, there is something very wrong with this host. While watching, sequel prospects were racing through my brain. If this manages to birth a horror franchise, it would be so much fun to see the evolution of Barry in subsequent installments. Punctuated by gallows humor and a committed turn from Jackie Earle Haley, Your Host gives audiences the prize of a disgusting cake of genre delights.
Your Host screened at 2025’s Frightfest London.
