Bite

I don't normally watch horror movies, but as this was a thriller horror, I decided to accompany my daughter as a Halloween Fest Treat for her!

I am so pleased I did, OK there were times I had my eyes closed, and I wish I had taken ear plugs as my imagination of what was on screen from the sounds I could hear were a bit stomach turning!

The director James Owen, being a surgeon in real life, certainly understands the noises a human body makes when being dissected!! My favourite actors apart from the dogs! Were the psycho family, they portrayed the right amount of sane to be believable.

It was interesting to hear my daughter enjoying it but also analysing due to her background in film studies and acting. Recommend 👍

Bite (with live Q&A) - 7.5/10

An impressive feature debut from local (to me) up and coming director James Owen. He is a former surgeon who has branched out into the world of film and decided that the horror genre is the perfect place to cut his teeth.

The story begins with two con artists on the run after a botched robbery attempt. One of the girls gets spit up from her partner and ends up stranded in the pouring rain, until a lovely old Lady comes along to pick her up. But when we get back to her place, perhaps she isn't quite as lovely as she seems...

It keeps throwing twists and turns at you. The performances are strong. The gore is used sparingly and looks suitably authentic. Considering the tight budget and way it was sporadically filmed in phases over many months, the end product is impressive.

I look forward to following James Owen's career as this shows that he is a more than capable director, brimming with ideas.

I am not a fan of horror movies so was surprised at how much I enjoyed this one but that is because there was far more to the story. The main characters were sympathetically drawn and the relationships felt realistic. The opening scene at the dog fight venue was fast paced and hard hitting and set the tone for the rest of the film. Shian Denovan's portrayal of Nina and her devotion to Yaz (Nancy Nsue) was completely believable. Nancy's performance was equally strong but supported by some excellent script writing.

Annabelle Lanyon's "Beryl" was your typical harmless little old lady with a twist. A great performance. Stewart Session's character was also really strong. The script, sets and locations were all realistic and supported the story. Well worth a watch.

I have just read the other reviews and noticed that someone suggested there is dog fighting in this film and switched it off. THIS IS SIMPLY NOT TRUE!! So don't be mislead by this. Yes the opening scenes portray gangsters and implies an illegal dog fight arena, but obviously there is no dog fighting or dog cruelty at all. It is just a set up for a great action sequence with the bad guys. In my opinion Bite is a well crafted story with unexpected twists and some fantastic and very realistic gore (but not gratuitous like some films). The main characters have dimension and flaws, which I really liked and for an indie film it looks awesome. I thought Bite was a lot of fun so give it a go.

The director of Bite, James Owen, came to filmmaking from being a surgeon. I had the pleasure of meeting him and he is a very lovely guy, but all I can say is that having watched his movie, I never want him near me with any sharp objects. Bite is a fun first-time-film that ticks all of the low budget horror boxes. It has scares, laughs and gore and some fun performances. I especially enjoyed Annabelle Lanyon and Stuart Sessions as the (big air quotes) "sweet" couple that our hero stays with when her car breaks down. The practical effects are also well done, so much so that if you're a wimp like me you'll have to spend half the film looking away. James is making waves in the UK film industry so catch his first film when you can and he is one to watch too. Just maybe don't accept an invitation to stay over at his place and if you do, definitely don't eat the pie.