10 Horror Movies That Put Insane Effort Into Details Nobody Noticed
2. Host - Multiple Horror Film Easter Eggs
Host is homegrown British horror at its absolute best, low budget yet resourceful, familiar yet original. With recent world events placing limitations on all our lives, director Rob Savage saw an opportunity to create something special - this really is art imitating life - with a splash of terror.
When six university friends hold a Zoom call, one of the group, Haley, decides to shake things up and invites a Scottish medium to hold a remote seance for them. As a demonic presence begins to manipulate the proceedings, the results are wonderfully ghoulish. Rob Savage clearly has an encyclopaedic knowledge of horror, as this film is Easter Egg City. The filmmakers discussed some of their favourite references in a blog post.
The very first frame of this movie has two small but very distinct details: the first character we are introduced to is Haley's desktop. Her Zoom participant ID number is 31101992, or in date form 31/10/1992. This is the date that BBC Halloween mockumentary classic Ghostwatch gave Orson Welles a run for his money - presented as a live broadcast, Ghostwatch received over 30,000 complaints in under one hour, as half the nation were convinced of its authenticity.
Other scenes homage The Evil Dead, Audrey Hepburn's Wait until Dark and the peculiar Lake Mungo, all influences on the director, Savage.