Movies
‘It Lives Inside’ SXSW Review – Cultural Metaphor Gives Demonic Horror a Smart, Refreshing Update
Writer/Director Bishal Dutta refreshingly gives a new spin on demonic possession for his feature film debut, It Lives Inside. Dutta uses a familiar framework of teen horror as an accessible introduction to underexplored mythology exacerbated by a cultural divide and adolescence. While Dutta wears his influences on his sleeves, the gnarly new demon and the complexities of its characters mark this director as one to watch.
Like most teens, Sam (Megan Suri) wants to fit in at school, so much so that she’s tried to distance herself from her cultural background as an Indian-American teen. This includes distancing herself from former childhood friend Tamira (Mohana Krishnan), who’s taken to carrying a strange jar around, to avoid staring looks and hushed whispers. Sam’s insecurities spike when a frazzled Tamira corners her in the locker room, begging for help with a parasitic evil. In a moment of disbelief and anger, Sam breaks the jar, unwittingly freeing the ancient Hindu demon, who kidnaps Tamira and begins a sinister, supernatural torment of Sam.
Save for an intriguing opening hook, Dutta keeps the horror minimal at first to establish character dynamics and emotional stakes. Sam’s relationship with her mother (Neeru Bajwa) remains tenuous at best over Sam’s withdrawal from their culture in favor of assimilating into their suburban neighborhood, following in line a bit with dad (Vik Sahay). Sam would rather sneak off to see crush Russ (Gage Marsh) than participate in family customs and gatherings. Since dad works the night shift, Sam often turns to teacher Joyce (Betty Gabriel) for counsel instead. These relationships highlight the warring halves in Sam as she internally struggles to reconcile her Indian heritage with growing up in a primarily white American town. That rich context and internal conflict captivate even before it becomes clear what horror can arise from losing cultural heritage while adapting.
The culture explorations mean the telltale signs of a lurking demon play out far differently than expected. It’s here that Dutta dials up the horror to a thrilling degree, offering plenty of spooky closet scares or waking nightmares to slowly unveil the Pishach and its patient, torturous reign of terror. The more it escalates in the second act, the more some of its scare tactics draw from horror’s scariest. An unsettling attack in the middle of the night borrows a page from The Ring’s Sadako, for example, though it’s no less effective in evoking chills.
Luckily, Dutta ties it all together in a satisfying third act that brings gnarly imagery and original demon design. There’s an assured confidence in the horror that makes for a thrilling watch, but It Lives Inside’s biggest strength is in the nuance of its cultural metaphor and Sam’s lingering guilt. Gabriel and Sahay bring a gentle tenderness, but it’s the fiery battle of wits, customs, and passion between Suri and Bajwa that drives the emotionally charged finale to a satisfying finish.
A conventional teen horror formula gets reworked into something that feels new thanks to an unforgettable Pishach and Dutta’s refusal to handhold. The filmmaker admirably relays only as much exposition about this world as needed, leaving the rest to strong visuals and direction. And it can’t be understated just how unique this demon is on screen. It’s bolstered by strong performances, especially from Suri and Bajwa. It Lives Inside introduces a bold new voice with an evident passion for the genre, creating a captivating new spin on demonic horror.
It Lives Inside made its World Premiere at SXSW. Neon will release theatrically later this year.
Movies
‘Cinderella’s Revenge’ Review – Horror Adaptation Returns the Fairy Tale to Its Gruesome Roots
Fairy tales, in their undiluted forms, need no help when it comes to being creepy and horrifying. However, the Disneyfication of these classic stories makes it rather easy to forget their morbid beginnings. In the case of Cinderella, most modern adaptations of this quintessential rags-to-riches tale rarely bring up the violent aspects. All of that has been long removed in favor of safer elements, such as fairy godmothers and anthropomorphic mice. Yet, when reimagining the flaxen servant-turned-princess as someone who seeks “bloody vengeance,” Tom Jolliffe looked to the past; the Cinderella’s Revenge screenwriter found inspiration in the character’s gruesome roots.
The Brothers Grimm did not come up with Cinderella (or Aschenputtel) all on their own, but their familiar variation provides part of the source material for Cinderella’s Revenge. Charles Perrault is also credited, seeing as his French version (Cendrillon) was the first to feature the fairy godmother, the pumpkin carriage and the slippers. Directed by Andy Edwards, this film is the merging of two worlds; it carries over the violence from the Grimm retelling, all while sprinkling in those now obligatory ingredients introduced by Perrault and immortalized by Disney. Of course, a few adjustments make this new take more fitting for the horror genre. In the opening, masked killers murder Cinderella’s father at the stepmother’s command, forcing the protagonist into years of hardship which, eventually, fuel her murderous rampage.
Before getting around to the biggest appeal of this film, Cinderella’s Revenge has to get the basics out of the way: meaning, how the maltreated namesake (played by Lauren Staerck) toils away as her cruel stepmother (Stephanie Lodge) and two stepsisters (Beatrice Fletcher and Megan Purvis) take delight in her suffering. And when her family goes to the prince’s ball, Cinderella is aided by a wish-granting fairy godmother; this one is played by Natasha Henstridge of Species fame. More in tune with the wisecracking genie from Aladdin than her noble, granny-like counterpart in the 1950 animated film, this godmother is flippant and pop culture-savvy. She’s also not British and has access to a world and time outside of this story’s universe.
For instance, the godmother brings up Hammer pants at one point, much to the confusion of her latest client, and she summons (actors portraying) Tom Ford, Vidal Sassoon, Christian Louboutin and Elon Musk to help with the magical makeover. These might all be considered anachronisms, but this is a fairy tale, after all. Anything is possible — even an orange Tesla taking Cinderella to the ball. Yes, really, that happens here.
Once it finally comes time for Cinderella to take her revenge, the mayhem is more calculable than shocking. Staerck dons a scary but generic mask while picking off those who’ve wronged her character — it doesn’t take a genius to figure out who will make up the body count — and she does so in slasher fashion. It’s all very predictable. On the bright side, Cinderella’s carnage is amusing, at least on a surface level. A bit graphic as well. Edwards and Jolliffe have fun with the Grimms’ contributions to the overall Cinderella mythology: namely the mutilation. The voluntary disfigurement of one’s foot in order to fit into that glass slipper is included along with some eye gouging. These gory nods to the German source material are also achieved by practical means.
Had Cinderella’s Revenge gone even further with its concept and execution, it might have become a new schlock classic. Instead, it’s never as wild as promised. The potential is certainly there, but the end product feels uninspired. When all is said and done, both this film and its literary basis have that mandatory happy ending after putting the principal character through so much hell. The former just so happens to be bloodier. Does that make it better, though? In its current form, no. There is still something far more unsettling about the Brothers Grimm version that these lurid adaptations can’t quite capture on screen.
Cinderella’s Revenge is now playing in select theaters.
Pictured: Poster for Cinderella’s Revenge (2024) provided by Quiver Distribution.
Dev Patel’s ‘Monkey Man’ Is Now Available to Watch at Home!
Five Underseen Vampire Horror Movies to Stream This Week
‘Stream’ – Horror Movie from the Team Behind ‘Terrifier’ Sets August Theatrical Release
‘The Blair Witch Project’ – Original Stars Release a Statement Asking Lionsgate for Residuals & Recognition
‘Mountain Man’ – Joe Manganiello Will Battle Zombies in Upcoming Horror Movie
You must be logged in to post a comment.