A HORROR film set in the picturesque Oxfordshire countryside has been released online this week.
Hosts is home invasion horror film where an evil entity wreaks havoc.
It is set in the false sense of security of a couples quiet Christmas which soon becomes a living hell. The couple become hosts to a malicious unknown entity that takes its form as an ominous glowing light and wreaks havoc.
The micro budget horror film was shot in Cholsey near Wallingford where one of the directors, Richard Oaks, producer Gillian Williams and the composer Benjamin Symons live.
The location was primarily chosen to help keep the film budget small. Producer Mr Williams said: “It is not explicitly stated that its set in Cholsey, but it is filmed here. We were looking for an appropriate house and the team realised if we just redecorated the directors house it was more practical. It is also more picturesque in Cholsey, it has that quintessential British feel.”
Some of the shots in the horror will be recognisable to Cholsey locals as the film opens on the Cholsey and Wallingford railway.
Mr Williams said: “They were really helpful. They gave us use of the train so that was wonderful.”
Hosts is the directors Richard Oaks and Adam Leader's debut film and it won ‘Best Death’ at Frightfest film festival.
The movie had an international release in Canada in October 2020, but this week it was made available in the UK. It opened online on iTunes, Amazon, and Sky Store, already reaching number four on the iTunes Horror chart.
The production and editing were luckily mostly finished before March when the first national lockdown was enforced.
Mr Williams said: “It is very exciting seeing a British independent film being successful especially during Covid.”
However, the producers main concern was the film festivals as they were being cancelled across the world and ones that did go ahead either had a small turn out or were online.
Despite these initial struggle’s lockdown has also been a blessing in disguise for Hosts.
With the nation stuck inside people have had even more time on their hands to watch films and luckily for the creators of Hosts there is a huge demand for new content on streaming sites.
Hosts is available on iTunes, Amazon, and Sky Store now.
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