[FrightFest] Review: BITE
Premiering over the weekend at Arrow FrightFest 2022, Bite is a psychological crime thriller with the hearty essence of a gory horror that pays homage to films like The Texas Chainsaw Massacre and The Strangers. Writers James Owen and Tom Critch have developed a unique take on the “those who enter beware” story arc and plastered it with blood, limbs, and a family secret that will have gore lovers reeling.
Bite starts with Nina (Shian Denovan) in the pouring rain as she accepts a ride from an older woman named Beryl (Annabelle Lanyon). They sit in the car partaking in awkward conversation, Nina admitting that she has nowhere to go and Beryl offering her spare room for the evening. The audience is then transported to two hours earlier where con artist Nina and her partner Yaz’s plot to rob an illegal dog fighting ring backfires. When returning to their flat, Nina and Yaz realise they need to make a getaway, and to fund their escape, they decide to rob Beryl as she appears to be an easy target.
Initially Beryl appears to be a lonely woman who wouldn’t be able to put up much of a fight, hence why Yaz concocted the plan to rob her. However, Beryl has an uneasy air about her, making her far more creepy than her counterparts in the cast. When the secret of the family is uncovered, Beryl is the least of the worries of Nina, who puts up a hell of a fight throughout the entire movie. Shian Denovan (Sawney: Flesh of Man, 2012) is a ferocious force as Nina, pulling major punches, but also showing us that being able to escape a hell house isn’t a skill we’re all born with.
Whilst initially feeling ameatuer, Bite picks up the pace and goes into full blown insanity in a brilliant and gory way. The plot is thick with tense moments that aren’t overdone or detract from the development of the story. Elements of violence are used with technique and aren’t over gratuitous, making for the more blood soaked moments to hit with a packed punch. There are some absolute gorefest scenes throughout Bite, one including a finger digging into putrefied muscle tissue, every scene more dense than the one before it. James Owen has directed a film that hits the nail right on the brutality head when it comes to well designed gore that works within the financial restrictions of a low budget horror (not that you can tell with the special effects).
Bite takes the audience on a unique journey into the depths of a brutal hell house run by Beryl and her evil cohort. Nothing is as it seems at first glance of this small suburban home but when taken into its belly, Nina and Yaz run afoul of blood, sinew, and cannibalism. Bite whilst on the surface seems like a low-budget entry into the genre, at its foundation, the film is unique and captivating. Definitely worth a watch when you have the chance!