In horror movie, It Lives Inside, Samidha is an Indian-American teenager who lives with her parents. Like most girls her age Samidha spends her days at school, where she is quite academically minded, is fairly popular, and has a potential boyfriend on the horizon.
At the opposite end of the scale is fellow student, Tamira. Unlike Samidha, Tamira isn’t popular – in fact most people avoid her – and she spends her time alone, carrying a glass jar around with her wherever she goes.
One day, while getting changed during gym class, Samidha is approached by Tamira, who asks her for help. Tamira tells Samidha the jar she carries with her contains a flesh-eating monster, that she can no longer keep under wraps, and unless Samidha can offer her assistance, something terrible will happen.
Upon hearing Tamira’s story, Samidha dismisses what she has to say and causes the jar to smash. But this is an action Samidha soon lives to regret, when she learns that Tamira was telling the truth and she now has an unleashed demon to contend with.
Directed and co-written by Bishal Dutta, and starring Megan Suri, Mohana Krishnan, and Gage Marsh, It Lives Inside is a supernatural teen horror movie about a demonic entity. The film had its UK debut at FrightFest on Friday 25th August, but will be available to watch in UK Cinemas from Friday 20th October.
Spooky, occasionally unnerving, and suitably atmospheric, It Lives Inside is a devilish little horror. The film boasts an ominous tone, as well as some well-placed scares, and it should keep most horror fans invested throughout its 90(ish)-minute runtime.
It Lives Inside is also the feature film debut for Bishal Dutta, and it proves to be a very strong start for the director. So, if you’re looking for something which can offer you a few frights as we move into the spooky season, then this film could be for you.
What I like about It Lives Inside is the way it feels a bit like something from the 1980s or the 1990s. There’s certainly a dash of The X-Files in here, maybe even a tiny hint of Wishmaster or Pumpkinhead too, and I really enjoy this little sense of familiarity within the picture.
All the way through the film it is clear Dutta is a big horror fan, who understands this genre inside out. This comes across in the way the movie is staged, as well as the way in which the scares are dropped into the narrative, and this makes It Lives Inside seem less like a newcomer, and more like a pre-existing picture which has always been a part of the horror fabric.
However, while the film does feel like an old school tale, don’t be fooled into thinking you’ve seen it all before, because it does offer up its own unique flavour. At various points throughout the film, It Lives Inside leans into Indian-American culture in a way which is not often seen within this genre, and this helps it to stand out from the crowd.
The film also benefits from a good cast, with lead actress Megan Suri giving a solid turn, and it has some fun effects work too. The demon in the film is kept in the shadows for the majority of the picture, but when it is unleashed toward the end it arrives perfectly formed, and this ensures the movie doesn’t turn into a disappointment during the final act.
Overall, I really like It Lives Inside. The film gets the tone and atmosphere just right and makes the most out of its core concept. The interactions between Samidha and her parents regarding their culture and heritage give the film a unique voice, while the story has enough going for it to keep things ticking along nicely.
Bishal Dutta kicks off his feature-film career in style, and I look forward to seeing what comes next. There’s something here which really gets under the skin, and even though films about demonic horror are ten-a-penny, It Lives Inside has some bite.
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