Bite

Bite
Directed by Chad Archibald
Canada 2015

PLOT

Casey is on vacation with some friends to celebrate her bachelorette party. After a night of drinks, dancing, and festivities, the girls decide to take a dawn swim in a hidden riverbank. Here, the young bride-to-be is bitten by a mysterious insect. Following what seems to be a trivial incident, her body and mind mysteriously begin to change.

THOUGHTS

Archibald, as a decent craftsman, hasn’t exactly invented anything new with Bite. We’re deep in the realm of Cronenberg’s *The Fly*, Carpenter’s *The Thing*, and even Del Toro’s *Mimic* along with other body horror films. While the premise and some ideas are interesting, the direction is solid, attentive to detail, and the acting is decent, the same cannot be said about the screenplay, which is somewhat sloppy and full of plot holes. Casey’s transformation progresses relentlessly throughout the movie. From the first symptoms to the final completion, we watch as she vomits fluids, produces body acids, lays eggs, physically transforms, and kills anyone who invades her lair—her nest. The concept of the lair/home is perhaps the best idea in the entire film. The interiors of the protagonist’s home will also transform in symbiosis with her body: furniture oozing liquids, eggs laid everywhere, dim lighting, and as the movie progresses, corpses fill the rooms. This creates an environment perfectly aligned with the protagonist’s genesis and the flow of the film, especially since Casey’s apartment is where almost the entire story takes place. *Bite* is a film that may satisfy audiences with strong stomachs who don’t expect particularly intricate plots or deep dialogues. In the field of splatter and the disgusting, the film does its job. However, the low budget is very apparent, especially toward the end when more impressive visual effects and stronger makeup work were needed. You can watch the movie for free, in its original language, on YouTube.

PANDEMONIC MOMENT

Casey’s altercation with her mother, ending with a splash of acidic vomit on the elderly woman’s face, which melts away.

---