[REVIEW] LIVESCREAMERS: a fun and fresh take on deadly haunted houses

For me, any film that is related to gaming, I am sold on. Having previously worked in the gaming industry in Australia, I am easily persuaded towards movies that come from gaming franchises—Silent Hill, Resident Evil, and even Doom. One perspective that I’ve been drawn to is that of found footage tech horror and in particular, livestreaming. It’s quite niche, but films like DEADSTREAM and SPREE have been in my top 5 since their releases. LIVESCREAMERS finds itself in that sliver of livestream horror, with references to parasocial relationships, horror games of the past, and gaming community nods—who doesn’t love some l33t speak?! Having not seen its predecessor, I cannot speak on improvements or draw comparisons, but LIVESCREAMERS is an entertaining standalone in its own right. 

From indie filmmaker and director Michelle Iannantuono comes LIVESCREAMERS, the sequel to 2020s’ LIVESCREAM. Content creator group, Janus Gaming—a popular YouTube channel—along with one of their Discord Mods Lucy, are filming a playthrough of an upcoming survival horror game ‘House of Souls’. The premise of the game is slightly cliche, however, the creators soon learn the ultimate twist: die in the game and you die in real life. 

Thrown into a (literal) game of survival the Janus Gaming crew—Nemo, Mitch, Jon, Davey, Taylor, Gwen, Zelda, and community manager, Lucy—need to work together after losing one of their members in a brutal slaying in game and in real life. The Livecreamers storyline is propelled forward by the in-game puzzles, dialogue and linear storyline. The linear nature of the storyline contributes significantly in providing an immersive experience alongside the characters' interactions on the side of the screen—almost like a real life Twitch stream. There are a few pacing issues with scripting that cause frequent awkward moments between cast members, but it isn’t a major issue for the film overall. 

Throughout the film, there are undertones of important social commentary about online lives vs who people are offline. This is evident with the parasocial lives of characters coming to the surface of the livestream, with all players gaining access to online secrets. Themes of diversity, predatory behaviour and unethical business practices are explored through character discourse; all themes reflecting real issues that have impacted the gaming community. Iannantuono’s approach to the dialogue around these issues are authentic in its exploration, providing a critique much needed in the online community landscape. 

While their are a few ‘janky’ moments throughout the film, the intensity and creative approach to the found footage genre certainly take the foreground of Livescreamers. As a fan of both found footage and gaming, Livescreamers delivers a unique experience that stands out. Iannantuono has blended together engaging elements of found footage alongside crucial commentary of the gaming community. Despite the minor flaws, the original perspective on a much loved genre makes it a noteworthy watch.