Warning: Spoilers below for Superhost

Sara Canning is well known to fans of The Vampire Diaries for her role Jenna Sommers. For Superhost, she experiences a more acute horror story in an isolated setting. As the two protagonists of the film, she and Osric Chau face a terrifying threat from a most unexpected enemy.

In Superhost, Teddy (Chau) and Claire (Canning) know they need to boost the subscriber base of their eponymous YouTube travel vlog channel. Their new host Rebecca (Gracie Gallam) seems to be the solution they’ve been looking for in a remote mountain location. However, they’re in for a horrifying surprise when Rebecca’s serial killer instincts are finally unleashed.

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We speak to Sara Canning on the making of Superhost, the experience of shooting during the COVID-19 pandemic as a very small production, and some of the challenges the film’s story presented to her as an actress.

Screen Rant: How did you become involved with Superhost? 

Sara Canning: I worked with these guys previously on a film called Z, so I knew Brandon [Christensen] and Kurtis [Harder] from then. Brandon just kind of reached out to me and said ‘I’m working on this idea. What do you think?’ I said ‘It sounds really fun and very pertinent. It sounds like most people could relate to that sort of strange situation’. It’s also just really fun working with them and I would do pretty much anything with them.

Was the whole movie made during the pandemic? 

Sara Canning: Yes, we shot in October of 2020. It was pre-vaccine availability, so we were very aware of those restrictions. Not just government restrictions, but also just being very aware of ‘How do we do this safely?’ So, we were testing in a pretty tight bubble. The entire cast and crew was I believe thirteen people, and we kept everything contained to one house. We were pretty isolated.

How did the impact the feel of working on Superhost?

Sara Canning: It did, yeah. I’d been working since July up in Canada, things opened up pretty quick in Canada, so I’d already gotten through the nerves of going back to set and being around people. I’d been lucky to be on a few sets where we really took care of each other and I trusted this group to do the same. I did one short film where I went and isolated for two weeks before I shot it, so my brain was well versed in what goes along with working in a pandemic. I know it was strange for a couple of people who hadn’t, but I think it was a pretty quick adjustment because it was such a small group, we had COVID tests, and we were staying in Mount Charleston. We weren’t in a really busy area, so we were understanding that and luckily we had no positive COVID cases.

So what really drew you to the role of Claire in Superhost? 

Sara Canning: I like the character of Claire, but I think even more so, I just like the way these guys work. I really like the way they make films and the way that they design the working experience as really fun and collaborative. I knew the tone that Brandon was going and that he was inspired by the film Creep, which is so great, it’s a fun movie. I like the character of Claire, but I think more so, I just liked the overall script and I knew that we were going to have a great time making the film. I think it was more sort of a broad experiential draw.

What were some moments or scenes from the making of the film that really stood out to you?

Sara Canning: Definitely the interview scene where Osric Chau’s character and myself sit down to interview Gracie Gillam, who plays Rebecca. She’s amazing, and that scene, we shot it in so many different ways and it’s kind of a turning point in the film for everyone’s characters. Teddy and Claire are sort of registering ‘Oh my, there’s something afoot here’. It’s an important for Gracie as well, and – spoiler alert! – my death scene was a pretty wild one to shoot. I loved shooting some of the scenes outside, it was such a beautiful location. I really liked shooting the YouTube selfie videos, but Osric and I found that really challenging, because that’s not where we exist naturally as performers. We watched videos of some famous YouTube couples, because I really needed to get myself into that mindset. That does not come naturally to me!

So, what was the most memorable day or experience from the making of Superhost for you?

Sara Canning: Oh man. I loved so many things on set, and one moment in particular was kind of cool. We were shooting in this incredible house, and at lunch, we were on the side of a very steep hill and there were wild horses that would just roam around this little mountaintop neighborhood. It was so beautiful and we said ‘Why don’t we take a quick hike up there?’ The view up there was so unbelievable, we told the guys about it and they hiked up there as well. I think there’d been some question about where the proposal scene was going to happen and they immediately were like ‘Oh, this is where it’ll happen!’. It was a fun little discovery and a lot of us ended up taking walks up there every day, it was such a great group of people to spend time with.

What other projects do you having coming up after Superhost?

Sara Canning: I actually directed a student film for my old film school which was so fun. I loved it so much, so I’m hoping this year to have more opportunities to direct, and I just did another film with these guys. It’s Kurtis’ new film and it’s pretty wild, so I’m looking forward to that being released too.

Superhost is now on home media and streaming on Shudder.

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Brad Curran
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Growing up, Brad developed an innate love of movies and storytelling, and was instantly enamored with the world of adventure while following the exploits of Indiana Jones, Japanese kaiju, and superheroes. Today, Brad channels his thoughts on all manner of movies, from comic book films, sci-fi thrillers, comedies, and everything in between through his writings on Screen Rant. Brad also offers philosophical musings on martial arts and the filmographies of everyone from Jackie Chan to Donnie Yen on Kung Fu Kingdom, where he’s also had the privilege of interviewing many of the world’s great stunt professionals, and hearing plenty of gripping stories on injuries incurred in their line of work and the intricacies of designing the acts of death defiance he first thrilled to as a youngster. When he’s not writing, Brad enjoys going on a ride with the latest action hit or Netflix original, though he’s also known to just pop in “The Room” from time to time. Follow Brad on Twitter @BradCurran.

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