The horror genre often uses the wilderness, dark forests, and rural backroads for a reason. It is where we expect to see clueless city slickers flail most deep within nature, miles from civilization, surrounded by something they do not understand.
The Camp Host an indie-hitting free streamer Tubi this week is very much in that tradition but throws a few twists into its story that make it feel particularly timely. Written and directed by Henry Darrow McComas (co-writer/co-producer of Monster Squad documentary “Wolfman’s Got Nards”), The Camp Host follows married couple Sadie (Rachel Colwell of Resident Alien) and Ed (Dillon Casey of Nikita), who have hit the road in their camper van with their three-legged dog Meeka to get some nature after nearly three years of covid lockdown. There’s tension between them as tends to happen on an extended road trip that has taken them from California to Wisconsin but there are also lingering issues beneath the surface, he’s still working his job remotely; she’s “between things right now” but gets annoyed when he checks his phone too often; he’s starting to lean toward eventually buying a house and being more settled, while she loves living in the moment and exploring with him.
All these little irritations continue to bubble up throughout The Camp Host until they come out at the worst possible time for Sadie and Ed but the biggest threat here isn’t relationship drama. It’s never-named Brooke Johnson as the title character, who goes from “welcoming” to “off-putting” about 30 seconds after meeting Sadie and Ed at her campground. She’s white, but her eyes light up when she sees that Sadie is Indigenous (calling her “Baby Bird” and “Thunderbird,” creepily grabbing her beaded earrings), says things like “I keep a loaded revolver in my camper at all times.” Red flags! But the Camp Host’s main problem is her list of rules, which seem perfectly reasonable (fire safety, quiet hours, etc.) but end up being The Camp Host’s tipping point into savage violence.
The movie doesn’t have many surprises we know Johnson’s character is dangerous from the moment she shows up and the prologue really tips its hand on her violent tendencies but it does deliver some nice payoffs. Sadie isn’t always a likable character, even though she’s clearly smart and brave; Colwell still makes her somebody you want to root for. And Johnson crafts an especially unsettling creation here: this unhinged power-mad environmentalist just can’t wait for another excuse to go off. Oh, also there’s a disgusting toilet scene that will plague your memory the next time you visit a campground’s primitive facilities.
For More Movies Visit Putlocker.