Deadstream

In the era of ghost hunter shows and saturation of YouTube influencers, Directors Vanessa and Joseph Winter have found an innovative way to combine the two…and make it hilariously appropriate. The film Deadstream follows the story of YouTube influencer Shawn Ruddy (Joseph Winter) and his rise and fall via social media, resulting in his most daring stunt that may make or break his career: one night in the most haunted unknown house near Payson, Utah. Deadstream is a nod to those who will do anything for their fifteen minutes, as well as the occasional absurdity at the drama of ghost hunter-style shows. 

In the world of YouTube and social media saturation, influencer Shawn Ruddy has managed to not only establish himself as a giant wuss tackling fears one at a time…He has also managed to have his YouTube and LivVid accounts suspended for six months due to one incident getting completely out of control. To revive his disgraced influencer career, Shawn decides that the best way to get back in the game and get his viewership thriving again is a livestream where he faces his final fear: ghosts. Locating the most haunted but non-famous house near Payson, Utah, Shawn arms himself with cameras, a laptop and trusty merch to market his experience for the fans.  

Informing fans of the dark history of the house where first victim Mildred Pratt (Melanie Stone) ended up killing herself and sparking the negative energy within the four walls, Shawn starts to realize he is in over his head when he unleashes the spirit of Mildred. Once Mildred is free from whatever kept her at bay, she comes out to toy with Shawn and tries to convince him to hand over his soul over to the cursed abode. What was once a pathetic attempt to retain his fan base, Shawn now finds he is in a fight to stay alive and defeat the evil spirits lurking about. 

While ghost hunting shows are one of my guilty pleasures, Vanessa and Joseph Winter have found a way to blend their creepiness and occasional ridiculous nature in Deadstream that is quite amusing and sometimes skin-crawling to watch. With Shawn’s character being a little extra for his viewers and trying to play up the creep factor of Mildred’s home, he ends up making you laugh as he blunders through trying to revive his career. It’s when he realizes that he has unleashed the dark energy of the house that it stops being funny…but only for a minute as he jumps into yet another ridiculous idea. Winter plays Shawn Ruddy in a Zac Bagans-style of shock and disbelief, minus the actual paranormal knowledge and background. Instead, Ruddy tries to recreate a “Ghost Adventures” type of program but adds in tacky music and overreaching videos from prior investigations to pad his revival and gain new followers. And it works for the movie itself, especially the way that viewers get an occasional screen view of Shawn’s camera with ludicrous comments coming in from those watching the livestream.  

And not only is the ghost hunting aspect brought to light, but also how influencers are willing to do anything to gain a following, whether that be in breaking into an abandoned house to conquer a fear or creating bogus merchandise to advertise during their videos to generate more income. Even trying to create an unnatural atmosphere on camera rather than trying to gain viewership by being themselves. The Winters also play up that angle to remind us all that the online world is fake…until Shawn meets a real-life problem and suddenly has to put aside his fans to save his own life. 

The absurdity of Deadstream is a reminder that ghost shows may be ridiculous at times, but we watch them anyway. The embellished claims of spectres roaming and making contact via audio can become outlandish, but the entertainment value is what we value. Social media can be ridiculous, yet we follow influencers anyway. It’s in our nature to absorb what we can. And with Shawn Ruddy at the helm of the investigation, Deadstream is the laugh and scare we need with a reminder that we need a little ridiculousness in our lives.