It’s my favorite time of year: leaves are turning hues of amber and umber, there’s pumpkin spice aplenty, and streaming services are dropping horror movies like little candies into the trick-or-treat bag of my television set.
It’s no secret: a dream job of mine is to work as a content curator for SHUDDER. The horror-based streaming service has done wonders for providing access to horror gems we might not otherwise have the chance to enjoy. They’re not all masterpieces, but for the most part, I genuinely trust and respect what they have to offer. Case in point: 2022’s DEADSTREAM. (Get it? Instead of “livestream?”)
Shawn (a hilarious Joseph Winter, who also co-wrote-and-directed) is a cowardly, disgraced influencer, canceled for some unspeakable act of his live streaming past. He’s a stunt influencer, doing outrageous pranks in the name of viewership…and sponsorship. He locks himself inside a condemned haunted house to repair his damaged reputation and regain his followers (and paychecks). He throws away the key, setting up cameras everywhere as he explores the homes’ troubled past. That’s all you need to know about the movie. Don’t even watch the trailer.
The movie is described as EVIL DEAD 2 meets THE BLAIR WITCH PROJECT, but I give it a little more credit. Of course, those films influence it, but there’s a little more to it, bringing a modern spin to the found-footage/secondary-footage sub-genres. Writers/directors Joseph and Vanessa Winter (who also contributed to the upcoming V/H/S/99) accomplish a lot in the film’s 1:27 runtime. It’s rare that a horror/comedy can simultaneously scare me and make me laugh, but DEADSTREAM hits every beat it needs to, doesn’t overstay its welcome, and maintains a killer sense of originality.
Carrying the film with insufferable whininess, Joseph Winter makes his problematic character somehow lovable and engaging—you can’t look away from what an absolute tool he is yet you somehow find yourself rooting for him. Sure, he’s a sniveling POS, but he’s likable and delivers a surprisingly believable performance, whether running and screaming, crying in a closet, or arguing with his viewers in real-time. What a fun role to play.
There’s also a lot of fun detail to watch out for. For extra laughs, keep a steady eye on the live comments happening on the side of the screen during the livestream—they also effectively help move the plot forward.
DEADSTREAM is the perfect movie to watch with a bunch of friends at a party or by yourself in the middle of the night. It’s not brilliant or life-changing, but strangely timely, scary, and hilarious. It’s nothing that I thought it would be and everything it needs to be.
DEADSTREAM is available to stream on SHUDDER.
