"Your Host" (Medoff, 2025) - Review

Your Host: The Movie in Which the Killer is the Most “Likeable” Character

While Your Host isn’t the perfect horror movie of the year, it has the vibes one would get from a famous and beloved horror movie. 

Written by Lara Rosales

If the Saw movies are your favorite ones, this might not be the movie for you. However, if the premise of those movies is your cup of tea, then you might just like this one. A group of young people gets terrorized by a killer who wants them to play games to stay alive…or to have them believe they will stay alive.

Truthfully, the performances given by the main characters aren’t the best. The dialogues feel forced, as if the movie wants them all to sound like they are having conversations. While it’s understandable that young people curse and fight and yell, it all feels a little too much in every scene. Eventually, this makes us, as viewers, not feel empathy for any of them.

Of course, no one wants the serial killer to win. No one wants to see the bad guy get away with such terrible acts. But what happens when the characters who are supposed to keep you engaged and rooting for them are simply unlikable? That’s when one watches the movie for the plot rather than for the characters.

It’s not like the audience is consistently rooting for the killer, the host, to win or kill everyone. It’s not that he is actually the most likable character, but that his existence in this world makes sense. His character is well-rounded and cohesive with the kinds of stories the film is trying to tell. Just like in the Saw franchise, the one who keeps the game going is the one to bring the viewers' attention back to focus.

The nasty, gory details of the movie are achieved perfectly. One does feel the horror that comes from the different games, the deaths, the blood, and the screams. Essentially, those are the things that horror fans look for: that everything feels real enough to terrify us…or to at least make us feel like we’re watching something within the genre.

While Your Host isn’t the perfect horror movie of the year, it has the vibes one would get from a famous and beloved horror movie. If the team behind it had spent a bit more time fine-tuning the dialogues and the character development, it might have ended up being a perfect movie. But if you are looking for something fun and thrilling to watch during spooky season every year, then you can add this one to your list. Just don’t expect to fall in love with any of the characters.

Your Host is now available on VOD.