There are found footage films, and there are comedy-horrors. I had never watched a found footage comedy-horror before, until now.

Deadstream is a 2022 film by husband-and-wife filmmaking duo Joseph and Vanessa Winter. The couple live and breathe the film, taking on almost every department themselves. Writing, directing, producing, editing, acting, and composing—this was beyond a passion project for them. And to top it all off, it is their feature film directional debut.

Another thing to mention is that you will recognize the actors in this film, as they star in the segment of VHS: 99 “To Hell and Back,” which was written and directed by the couple as well.

The film starts off with various clips of our lead. The controversial influencer Shawn Ruddy (Joseph Winter) reveals he is making his return to livestreaming after some legal issues.
He’s planned his big return as Death Manor, which has a bloody history. He makes the claim that he will not leave no matter what and even throws his spark plugs away.

He starts setting up cameras and interacting with the chat, and the way he talks with his viewers, you can tell that he is still the old version of himself, making fun of the viewers.

Some strange things do start happening straightaway. His chat let him know of a shadow on a different camera, and this is part of the film I like. He uses a Stream Deck to switch camera angles and replay so he can review what was captured. This lets him see that the shadow is just outside of his door. The chat tells him to check it out, and when he does, we think it is a ghost until a woman opens the door. Chrissy (Melanie Stone). She says she’s a fan who managed to track him down, but her behaviour is off from the start. She doesn’t seem like just a fan.

They find an old book that belonged to the house’s original owner, Mildred. The book is full of poems, and the two read some, and Chrissy seems to be too excited about this when she suggests a Ouija board.
They make contact with what they believe is Mildred, and Chrissy suggests that Shawn should say a Latin phrase to call her spirit closer.

This is where Chrissy becomes erratic. She’s off, laughing, and then Shawn reads this and attacks him, which leads him to stab her in defense. I won’t spoil things, as I would say this is a film you need to watch.

There’s lots of paranormal shenanigans that occur, and the effects, while spotty in a few places, really add to the film. Though the effects in the film are all practical, and I have to give credit to filmmakers who do that.

The last half of the film is full of ghosts, dark magic, and gore. It is full of tension and suspense while keeping the comedy going. Throughout the film, Shawn’s personality keeps the humor going too with his overacting and outrageous behavior.

It debuted in March 2022 before finding a home on Shudder. The success led Joseph and Victoria to be part of VHS: 99, which debuted the same year.