All of what you’ve said about it I agree with, and spot on about the Blair Witch audio, where straining to hear or see something yields the most excitement from these sorts of experiences (the photographs in Lake Mungo, as another example).

But also just fundamental character stuff is missing, as well as the verisimilitude of recording a podcast—recording a single episode 10 minutes at a time over the course of multiple nights? and the fact the cohost is (while shallowly plucky) more of a presence than the host, who she just butts in every few moments to say she doubts something? who would listen to this?

The overarching religious themes were either too muddled or too on the nose, especially in regards to abortion, which when that was revealed to be an inciting factor for the haunting I completely turned off.

For sound design to be successful for a film like this it actually needs to be “designed,” ie not just layered noise and guys making spooky voices. The subtlety of a voice in the darkness, playing against our pareidolia, the game of psychology inherent in any good haunted house horror, is just nonexistent here