After being discredited and ruined following an Internet controversy, a streamer attempts to win back his audience by staging himself, alone and live, in an abandoned haunted house. But he didn’t count on the wrath of the vengeful spirit who inhabits the premises.
The found footage should be a thing of the past, but the genre still resurfaces from time to time to give us farts or pearls. But we’re not immune to a revival of the genre in the age of new methods of communication and video broadcasting. A sort of sub-genre of found footage, screen reality has taken full advantage of these new communications methods with Unfriended and its sequel, Searching, and the excellent, Profile. Deadstream is somewhere in between, in the sense that not only does it use new technologies to stage its story, but it doesn’t limit itself to a frozen screen, sending its hero to film his adventures live in a haunted house (a real one, according to the filmmakers).
This is a found footage film, so a few questions remain before launching Deadstream, because we know the genre all too well. Found footage is an open door to anyone who doesn’t know how to hold a camera and do just about anything with it, on the pretext that the genre demands it, especially since it’s a first film. And this first film is all the rage at festivals, with the rave reviews that go with it, and we’re starting to get the hang of it too (see PussyCake recently, which I’m still wondering whether I actually saw the same film as the one the US critics are praising). And yet, Deadstream is a pleasant surprise directed by a couple of directors, Joseph and Vanessa Winter, who love horrific cinema.
The hero of Deadstream is Shawn, played by Joseph Winter, a youtuber and Jackass heir whose specialty is to put himself in situations he dreads, such as crossing the Mexican border illegally or being chased by cops he’s insulted. But his videos triggered a series of controversies that had the effect of alienating his followers and sponsors. Six months after having his videos demonetized, Shawn is back on youtube, and to win back his audience, he launches a live show in which he explores a haunted house.
Although on the surface Deadstream takes up the obsessions of influencers, such as the race for followers and sponsors, for which they won’t hesitate to do anything and everything for a buzz, even if it means provoking controversy, or simply passing for a profound moron, which brings a semblance of notoriety, the film is never a satire of this world. On the contrary, the Winters extract only the pathetic side of it, and use it to create a character who is not detestable but endearing, both moronic and sad, and for whom we can’t help but feel empathy as the minutes go by.
At first glance, Shawn is a complete moron, but in the end he’s a pretty well-written character, torn between his own survival and the conditions he’s imposed on himself for his live-action (see why he can’t escape from the house, which is both silly and clever). This is a character who stands out in found footage because, rarely not to be mentioned, the hero has logical reactions. Here, the character runs screaming for cover as soon as the demonic presence that haunts the premises manifests itself, and arms himself in panic with whatever he can get his hands on as soon as the opportunity presents itself.
Deadstream doesn’t stop at this character, who happens to be very funny at times, the film has many other trump cards up its sleeve. Starting with the direction, which is far more masterful than it appears. Two cameras are on the youtuber: one on his shoulder, the other attached to his head. Shawn also places cameras in various rooms so that he, and by extension his viewers, can keep an eye on supernatural manifestations. We’ve already seen this elsewhere, in the incomprehensibly successful Paranormal Activity for example, where we alternated between scenes filmed by the protagonist and views on surveillance cameras. Here, the concept works because it’s perfectly exploited.
Deadstream’s direction is perfect. The direction is never messy, and yet between the two cameras on Shawn, and the multiple angles of view on the rooms of the haunted house, everything is coherent and therefore controlled, even when the action gets more intense. Still, the screen is sometimes too busy. This is due to the occasional live commentary, and you’ll have to choose where to focus your eyes: Shawn or the comments that add to the comedy, and not just those read by the hero, so Deadstream deserves two views to capture all the humor.
Because yes, Deadstream is a pure horror comedy, and a good one at that! For the horror side of things, you’ll have to be patient, as Joseph and Vanessa Winter take their time building up the tension. But once it reaches its climax, the film finally takes off and doesn’t stop. To sum up without giving too much away, in addition to its referential humor, Deastream is a tribute to Evil Dead in Internet 2.0 mode, if not a thinly disguised remake. Everything is there: the accidental summoning of demons, the hero who is tortured physically and morally before taking up arms in an attempt to get through the night without dying, the demonic entity that possesses the protagonists…
The film is a pure blend of horror and comedy. You jump, you laugh, sometimes both at the same time. The whole thing refuses to use CGI for practical effects everywhere. Some of them lack polish, but most of the time, the demons that appear have a clear look and a design that harks back directly to the 80s. In the basket of found footage, Deadstream is at the top. Despite a first part that takes too long, without being boring, its atmosphere, its homage to the 80’s and Evil Dead, its duo of actors with a chemistry that works (Joseph Winter and the cute Melanie Stone), the comedy and the horror that are very well dosed hit the bull’s-eye. The film may not be a slap in the face, but it more than lives up to its promise to thrill and delight for 1 hour 27 minutes. Joseph and Vanessa Winter are looking forward to their new feature, having already delivered To Hell and Back, the best and only interesting sketch from VHS 99, which has the same qualities as Deadstream. Double the anticipation for their new directorial effort.
Deadstream is a nice surprise, and is the kind of film that fulfills its contract: to make you laugh and shiver, sometimes both at the same time. The film is also packed with qualities that put it right up there with the rest of the found footage genre, and make Joseph and Vanessa Winter a pair of directors to watch.
