Deadstream recently arrived on Shudder and it’s one of their better films. It’s simple, basic af and full of hilarious horror that would please fans of The Evil Dead
A simple premise of a man called Shawn Reddy who has lost a vast amount of his followers due to a stunt that went wrong on his live stream. In an attempt to win back his fans, he decides to hold a 24-hr stream staying at a famous haunted house.
He has one rule: if he hears a noise then he must investigate it further. He starts by placing multiple cameras throughout the house and the surrounding area outside and at the same time, destroying any chance of escaping….which he soon regrets. It ain’t long before Shawn wants out, but he is forced to piece together the horrific tragic history of the spirits making his life a living Hell.
Is It Scary?
Personally, I never found Deadstream scary at all. However, it’s a fun horror/comedy that’s hugely entertaining and the best thing about it is that it never takes itself too seriously. And just because I never found this scary, it doesn’t mean you guys won’t. I think Deadstream would be perfect for Halloween party viewing. And, I would say it could be enjoyed by people of all ages…that’s just my opinion, I will accept no blame if you’re kids get scared.
Another clever trick in the film is the use or should I say NO use of bad language.
Usually, when you’re faced to face with some sort of demon, you would think the language that would come out of your mouth would be vulgar. Shawn has to keep his language squeaky clean, if he cus’, he gets a monetization strike. Very funny, and also very smart as it really opens the film up to be pretty much suitable for all ages.
Another fine example of what can be done with very minimal filmmaking resources and a strong leading man/girl. The house itself is definitely creepy af and it does offer some excellent atmospheric scares, I just saw them coming a mile away but there’s nothing wrong with that.
As the story gets going, we see an unexpected turn in the ghosts/demons. Shawn enters into a fight for survival that Ashley J Williams would be super proud of.
One thing about found footage flicks I have never quite been able to understand is how they’re able to have ominous drones playing when looking back at the footage. Most of the time, it is never quite explained how the creepy music is there. In Deadstream it is hilariously brought to our screens with Shawn simply having an old tape player. When he hears something creepy, he presses play on his walkman and instantly creates a creepy OST to help him investigate the ghostly goings-on
Deadstream is a minimalistic horror/comedy that packs more of a punch than most huge horror franchises out there. A tonne of fun. It’s gory, with great sound design, acting, clever found footage direction and full of laugh-out-loud moments. It won’t be making you turn on the lights after watching but you’ll laugh until the end…I was anyways,
Deadstream is now available to stream on Shudder. Go check it out.
As always, thanks for reading.
