SXSW 2022: Deadstream
It was the opening night of SXSW 2022 and I just finished watching my first film in a theater at the fest, The Much I Know To Be True, the mystical music doc that ended up blowing my mind (I wrote about it). I was on a high, surely—attending my first in-person film fest in three years and, right out of the gate, the first film for me was a reminder of how vital theater experiences are at film fests. I was thrilled to be back. Then, I sat down for my first “Midnighter”, Deadstream, in a packed theater. I really had no expectations—save for a logline, genre, and one photo, I liked going in blind. I’m sure you’ll hear a lot about Deadstream closer to its release, but let me just say I think the best way to go in was how I went in: know as little as possible and watch this with an audience in a theater, or a group of friends at home. The screening I attended had an electricity I rarely ever see. It might be “festival hype” or the fact that for a lot of people this screening was also one of their first times back in a theater at a film fest— they were all laughing at the right moments and jumping out of their seats at each scare. Deadstream turned out to be the best of the fest for me and my favorite experience at SXSW 2022—it’s a film that reminds me why I love watching movies.
Maybe it’s been way too long since I’ve watched a truly great new horror-comedy that is good at being both a horror and a comedy. The writer-director duo of Vanessa Winter and Joseph Winter have made a hybrid movie that takes elements from Paranormal Activity, The Evil Dead, Unfriended, and One Cut of the Dead, making a smart, funny, and honestly terrifying thrill ride.
Co-director/writer Joseph Winter is also the film’s lead, Shawn Ruddy, a YouTube personality who decides to spend the night in a haunted house, livestreaming the entire thing, all for the clout. For a small production on a low budget, Deadstream is expertly staged and shot—cameras are strapped onto Shawn (there are two main cameras: a POV/first-person cam and one pointed right at his face), and he mounts about a half dozen of them all around the house. Taking place mostly in real time, Shawn talks at his followers as he streams his break-in into the abandoned house and sets up for the night. The script is sharp, lampooning the loud, obnoxious, attention-seeking online celebrities whose large loyal following help escalate their antics with each new video. Shawn is one of those celebrities, promising to not leave the haunted house under any circumstance, locking himself in and throwing away the key. He’s truly terrified, but he’s also playing it up for the views, each move motivated by his audience’s wants.
Deadstream is hilarious. Joseph Winter as Shawn never drops the heightened, grating persona and we’re laughing more at him instead of with him as he freaks out over every strange noise and unexplainable occurrence caught on video. It’s pure schadenfreude—I delighted in seeing this YouTube influencer get tortured through Deadstream’s entire runtime. It’s a one-man show (until it isn’t) and Winter is captivating, holding your attention like any real YouTuber. Not only that, the Unfriended-esque/computer screen aspect keeps your eyes moving—a comment section pops up every so often during Shawn’s live stream and hundreds of text jokes scroll past the screen. Surprisingly, despite playing for laughs and scares, the film also plays as a smart commentary for the current age of social media consumption. Shawn’s community tries to save him many times during the live stream and as much as he listens, the fact that he continues to broadcast from a haunted house proves the Internet and online fame was a mistake.
Shawn pokes and prods the ghosts inhabiting the house. He’s asking for it, and the spirits eventually come in full force. The lovingly-crafted practical effect creatures feel like a throwback yet also prove that low-budget horror filmmaking is still alive and well, not hindered by relying on digital effects. Decades later, it’s still more impactful to go The Evil Dead route in creating a sense of real horror. Other films have gone for the same schtick (a mix of found footage, comedy, and horror), but very few have pulled off balancing every single element as well as Deadstream.
It’s a joy. There’s a love for the genre that’s infectious. I felt it watching it in a theater filled with horror fans, and I want others to feel it outside of that singular experience. I do hope it has a theatrical run; it was just picked up by Shudder so it’ll hit streaming sometime soon. However you see it, I think you’re in for a treat, and I wouldn’t be surprised if it ends up in your regular Halloween horror movie rotation. It’s that good.
