Bite

bite

bite

A young women undergoes a horrifying transformation in the body horror film .  Shortly before her wedding to her fiance Jared (), Casey () goes on a bachelorette holiday to Costa Rica with her friends Jill () and Kirsten ().  While swimming in an off-path spring, Casey gets bitten by something under the water.  After returning home, Casey begins to worry about whether she is ready for her upcoming wedding.  At the same time, her bite becomes infected and she undergoes some increasingly grotesque changes.

Directed by (The Drownsman), Bite is a body horror film that is obviously trying to be a homage to ‘s The Fly.  At the same time, the film is being used as a visual metaphor of Casey’s uncertainty about her upcoming nuptials.  Even though the film initially appears to be a found-footage film, it quickly switches to a more conventional format after the opening title.  Bite is practically a single-location story, with the bulk of the plot taking place in and around Casey’s apartment.

In addition to some pretty impressive and grotesque prosthetic make-up, Elma Begovic illustrates Casey’s transformation through the development of various insect-like ticks, the effect of which is quite effective.  Ironically, even though Casey turns quite monstrous and violent, she remains the most sympathetic character in the film.  The other characters are either cartoonishly wicked (i.e. Jared’s “old fashioned” mother), have hidden agendas, or lose the audience’s favour with dumb decisions.  However, that is not really a major fault of Bite, which still ends up being a pretty effective piece of body horror.

 ★ ★ ★ ★ | LIKED IT 



Screenings:

  • Wed, July 29, 9:45 PM – J.A. De Seve Theatre


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Sean Patrick Kelly

Sean Patrick Kelly is a Toronto-based freelance film critic and blogger with a Bachelor of Arts in Cinema and Media Studies from York University. Since founding his site in 2004, Sean has shared his passion for cinema through insightful reviews and commentary. His work has also been featured in prominent outlets, including Toronto Film Scene, HuffPost Canada, Screen Anarchy, ScreenRant, and Rue Morgue Magazine.

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