Deadstream (2022)
Deadstream is about Shawn, a disgraced YouTube vlogger who gains notoriety by streaming himself performing dangerous stunts in an effort to overcome his greatest fears. Although he gains a significant audience, Shawn becomes a pariah after one of his videos goes too far. Shawn is played by Joseph Winter, who also directed and co-wrote the film.
Desperate to get his audience and sponsors back, Shawn decides to livestream himself staying overnight alone inside a haunted house. Shawn locks himself inside and throws the keys down a drain to prevent himself from escaping.
While exploring the house and commenting on the eerie atmosphere, Shawn engages in back-and-forth dialogue with viewers on his social media feed. The viewers alternately encourage, mock, and give advice to Shawn as he explores the house.
After hearing strange noises, Shawn encounters Chrissy (Melanie Stone), who is ostensibly an obsessed fan of his. She has somehow followed him inside the house and wants to be part of his show. Shawn is reluctant, but his viewers’ positive reactions to Chrissy makes him warm to her.
To the surprise of probably nobody, Chrissy turns out to be the ghost of Mildred, an eccentric recluse who committed suicide inside the house back in the 19th century. She is one of several spirits who torment Shawn throughout the night. Desperate for help, Shawn turns to his viewers for advice on defeating the maniacal ghosts.
Deadstream attempts to balance scares and laughs throughout its 90-minute runtime. It never matches the tension of movies like Host and Paranormal Activity, but it does have its share of creepy moments. Deadstream also has humorous scenes that poke fun at modern social media.
Nearly the entire movie is done in a livestream format with viewers reacting in real time to what is happening inside the house. This is a relatively new approach, although it has been done before in movies like Spree. The comments are well-written and realistic. Anyone who has watched livestream videos on Instagram has seen similar comments.
Rating
Deadstream is an entertaining but unexceptional found footage haunted house movie. It is neither terrifying enough nor funny enough to truly distinguish itself.
Rating from 1 (avoid at all costs) to 10 (masterpiece) 6
