Nerdly » ‘Deadstream’ Blu-ray Review (Arrow Video)

03rd Sep2025

‘Deadstream’ Blu-ray Review (Arrow Video)

by Phil Wheat

Stars: Joseph Winter, Melanie Stone, Jason K. Wixom, Pat Barnett | Written and Directed by Joseph Winter, Vanessa Winter

Deadstream sees co-director Joseph Winter star as disgraced YouTube celebrity Shawn Ruddy, who will do anything to reclaim his influencer infamy. So he locks himself inside the reportedly haunted Death Manor that once belonged to lovesick 1800s poet Mildred Pratt. As Shawn breaks every horror movie rule for follower spikes, he accidentally angers a vengeful spirit, and his big comeback event becomes a real-time fight for his life.

The Winters, Joseph and Vanessa, get the entire YouTube/streamer personality schtick PERFECT… From the over-the-top behaviour, the constant plugging of merch, the no-shame attitude, and the fake and shallow nature of influencer culture, everything about Deadstream‘s protagonist Shawn is INCREDIBLY on the nose – even down to the fawning “apology” he makes to his audience following behaviour that got him cancelled. And like influencers that get cancelled, Shawn decides to pull the ultimate stunt to appease – and please – his fanbase. And he does it with the same sort of “innocence” (for like insensitivity) that seems to be a mainstay of these kinds of YouTubers and influencers… ones that have no concept of their own behaviour; behaviour that got them into trouble in the first place!

A blend of the supernatural scares of The Blair With Project, the CCTV terror of Paranormal Activity and the “haunted-house” insanity of The Evil Dead, Deadstream is a legitimately brilliant take on the “shaky-cam” found footage film, using the tropes of live-streaming to tell its story without ever – unlike a lot of its found-footage brethren – using the format to tell its story on the cheap. Here, the Winters have gone for authenticity; it really DOES look like the kind of livestream you’d see online – right down to the ridiculous comments that pop up on screen throughout the film and the video responses that Shawn’s fans send him as the night progresses!

Speaking of The Evil Dead, Mildred looks and sounds like she’s stepped out of Raimi’s film at times. From the pasty white complexion to the jokey way in which she delivers some killer one-liners, there’s a real “Henrietta” vibe to the character. A vibe that’s matched by Joseph Winter’s performance as Shawn, who seems to be channelling the same sort of manic energy that Bruce Campbell did in his most famous franchise appearance!

However, where Deadstream REALLY excels is in the way it explores the similarities between Mildred and Shawn, the parallels between Shawn’s motivations and Mildred’s – with Shawn coming to a conclusion only a self-centred influencer possibly could. That Mildred is killing people within the walls of Death Manor to collect “followers”, and given that he has a ton of followers on his YouTube channel and live stream, it only makes sense that she wants him to join her ranks and bring his followers with him! Yes, it seems even in the face of the supernatural and imminent death, influencers still gotta influence…

Special Features:

Audio commentary with writer/directors Vanessa & Joseph Winter, producer/cinematographer Jared Cook and producer/co-star Melanie Stone
Brand new introduction by Vanessa & Joseph Winter, recorded exclusively for Arrow Video
Real-life Scares at Death Manor, a brand new featurette
Six archive featurettes: Monsters & Makeup FX: Bringing Deadstream to Life, On the Set of Deadstream, Daystream: Test Footage and Rehearsals, The Cameras and Lighting of Deadstream, Sound Designing and Mixing Deadstream, True Scary Stories from the Set of Deadstream
Blooper reel
To Hell and Back, a 2019 short film by Vanessa & Joseph Winter
Deleted and extended scenes
Death Manor cam footage
Original trailer
Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Gary Pullin
Illustrated collector’s booklet featuring new writing on the film by Meagan Navarro and Josh Hurtado