 As Halloween approaches, Deadstream would make a great second half to a double-bill with The Blair Witch Project, a light-hearted palette-cleanser after the darkness of the former. Or perhaps the jam in a triple bill with Mean-Spirited the third found-footage horror I recently reviewed for Ginger Nuts. Deadstream (2022) Written and Directed by Vanessa and Joseph Winter A disgraced internet personality attempts to win back his followers by livestreaming one night alone in a haunted house. But when he accidentally pisses off a vengeful spirit, his big comeback event becomes a real-time fight for his life. A Horror Movie Review by Mark Walker Deadstream is the second of three recent viewings based around the piecing together of frightening ‘found footage.’ However, just like He’s Watching (the first review) it could be argued that the footage in Deadstream is not strictly ‘found.’ This time around the footage is livestreamed by the film’s protagonist, Shawn (Joseph Winter) as he stays the night in a haunted house in an attempt to boost his views and win back his audience. Shawn is staging a comeback from losing sponsors and followers after disgracing himself online and believes the haunted house angle is the key. The house is supposedly haunted by the ghost of Mildred Pratt, a Mormon, who Is also thought to be responsible for a number of supernatural deaths in the building over the years. Shawn sets up cameras in various locations around the house and garden, kits out a control centre in the least haunted room, and then locks himself in for the night, literally. He padlocks the main door and chucks the key down a floor vent after he has already removed spark plugs from his car and hurled them into the bushes. He is serious. He sets himself the challenge of not leaving the house and being obligated to investigate any unusual goings on. If he fails to do these things, he forfeits his sponsorship and, more than likely, can kiss goodbye to his fanbase forever. There is a lot at stake for Shawn! The evening turns spooky very quickly. Shawn gets very scared almost as fast, and it doesn’t take long for him to question just how sensible his plan really is. However, when superfan Chrissy (Melanie Stone) tracks him down and joins him in the house, helping with his investigations, Shawn has no other option than to see the night through and do his best to survive. Deadstream definitely doesn’t take itself seriously. Shawn is a piss-take of over-enthusiastic internet personalities desperate for their fifteen minutes of fame and a growing fanbase of followers. It is a tongue-in-cheek look at how people can choose to do stupid things in the hope of becoming famous. Although a caricature, anyone who has spent any time online with social media will recognise the spirit of Shawn. Shawn’s experiences in the house range from the corny and predictable to the unexpected and hilarious. There is a definite ‘Evil Dead’ feel about the stylings here, with fantastically cheap and rubbery-looking special effects. This isn’t a negative, it feels like this was a definite stylistic choice to mirror the humour in the film and it feeds into the fear and panic that Shawn projects all the way through the movie; it is perfect for the frenetic ending to the film and Shawn’s panic-laden streams. Shawn’s reactions and high-pitched screams when anything happens, whether the banging of a door or a full-blown demon attack are very amusing, reminiscent of Ned Flanders from The Simpsons. However, this does also run the risk of making Shawn a little annoying. He is obviously a comedic character, and we don’t expect him to be brave but, as is fitting for the character, some viewers will find Shawn annoying for much of the film. He is rude and arrogant to both his late-night visitor and his followers communicating through the livestream chat. This can make it difficult to sympathise with him as, after a while, he can start to grate and, while I obviously won’t say what happens and whether he makes it through the night, by the end of the film there will be a definite split of people who care or just couldn’t give a shit. However, with Deadstream, I definitely think the journey is more important than the destination. It is a bumpy road of creepiness and shocks, and I did find a couple of sequences to be genuinely spooky! Kids and nurseries in horror films will never not be creepy!  Whether you like or loathe Shawn is a minor issue though and I suspect it was a deliberate choice by the filmmakers; we probably aren’t supposed to like Shawn all that much and that is reflected in some of the comments that flash up on screen from his livestream followers; some people just want to watch someone suffer and are we complicit voyeurs in that as we watch Shawn from the safety of our living rooms? Despite some small niggles, I had a laugh with Deadstream. It’s a fun film that doesn’t take itself seriously and is just out to entertain. As I said early, the effects in Deadstream are obviously low budget, but they very well done and, even when they boil down to a latex head on a stick, they don’t detract from the film and are in-keeping with the tone and style of movie. To have spent thousands on realistic effects would have lessened the impact and joy of what we do get. We don’t get a wide cast of characters for the most part. Shawn and Chrissy are the main characters and cross paths with a number of spirits who pop in and out of shot but don’t hang around for long. In addition we get to explore the history of the house through videos Shawn plays on his livestream where previous paranormal investigators experience weird shit going down in Mildred’s house. As Halloween approaches, Deadstream would make a great second half to a double-bill with The Blair Witch Project, a light-hearted palette-cleanser after the darkness of the former. Or perhaps the jam in a triple bill with Mean-Spirited the third found-footage horror I recently reviewed for Ginger Nuts. CHECK OUT TODAY'S OTHER ARTICLES BELOW  THE HEART AND SOUL OF HORROR PROMOTION WEBSITES |
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