SPOILER DISCUSSION

1. The presence, or rather absence, of any positive male figures feels intentional in a movie like this. All the main members of the séance are women. The one man who’s invited promptly leaves, much to everyone else’s chagrin. On top of this, when the group goes around talking about their family , both Caroline and Radina have male family members present who are causing them trouble. The former’s father breaks quarantine constantly which is more than worrying enough if you take the warnings seriously. Meanwhile the latter’s partner seems to be combative and draining . Finally, the nail in the coffin is Jack himself. The ultimate spirit that Jemma and the group conjure up is based on the story of an imaginary male, and he wreaks vengeance on the group.

Invisible problems caused by males in the women’s life along with an actual invisible male causing demonic problems seems to be a way of calling attention to the way the pandemic has caused a host of hidden violence’s. The collapse of the private sphere in forcing it to accommodate the public sphere as well means problems from one area bleed into the other and vice versa which means issues become brushed under the rug. Even when the girls talk about their problems, it’s in the most positive way possible. It comes off like a subtle way to deflect from the issue so the movie brings the problem up in the most direct way possible.

2. I also love the movie’s method of connecting the nature of the séance to the nature of corona. The latter is a disease that may kill you, that can be passed to people who had nothing to do with the situation, and can be prevented by people following protocol. A séance may kill you (as evidenced by the movie) if not done properly, can effect those not involved (Radina’s boyfriend) , and can be prevented by following protocol (maybe not imagining the demon). It’s a clever way of demonstrating the importance of precaution and the consequences of disrespecting the gravity of a situation even once.

3. The Easter Egg’s I have found are great. In particular, there are a few moments where Emma snivels and the camera zooms in on her that look exactly like shots of Heather’s (Heather Donahue) face during her infamous apology scene during The Blair Witch Project. So far, my favorite Easter egg one is the depiction of Jack in what seems to be the mask from Alice, Sweet Alice.

The best part about these moments is they take nothing away from the terror of what’s going on and feel like nice in-moments for horror fans. In the case of the one above, it doesn’t feel out of place in the context of the filters that Emma has shown previously in the movie so it works even if you don’t get the context.

4. Speaking of the horror being related to the characters, I love how each character’s method of death is foreshadowed early on. Haley has her camera so she sees Jack at the end. Teddy is seen playing with a flame early on and is also the first to put it out. Caroline shows off her Zoom loop skills and her death involves her beating her face against a camera while the loop makes it seem as though nothing is happening. If you pay attention, there’s a clue to everyone’s demise set up fairly early on.

The best part is the way the entire movie is hinted at near the start. Haley is disturbed by a fake scare. She hears a loud thud. We’re led to believe this is something scary. Given the context of the movie and the way similar movies, like Unfriended, operate seeing someone join in the meeting while the character is looking away is a sign of supernatural activity. Putting two and two together, it’s easy to feel like we’re already in the midst of a supernatural scare. However, it turns out to be fake. A fake supernatural scare created by Jemma. It might be a different context, but the way the situations play out is similar enough to make it feel intentional. If so, kudos.