Little Bites

I recently watched Little Bites (2024) on Shudder. The story follows a woman who allows herself to be eaten by a monster to keep her daughter safe. Meanwhile, child protective services starts asking questions, her health rapidly declines, and the pressure of keeping the monster fed becomes overwhelming. At some point, she won't be able to juggle it all...

This film is written and directed by Spider One (Allegoria) and stars Krsy Fox (Terrifier 3), Barbara Crampton (From Beyond), Jon Sklaroff (Three Kings), and Elizabeth Phoenix Caro (The Christmas Chronicles).

This was a mysterious and unsettling horror film, with Jon Sklaroff delivering a standout performance as both a villain and a monstrous presence. The ghoul's design and voice work are particularly effective, adding a sinister atmosphere to every feeding scene. The bites and gore effects are well done, and the film delivers some strong jump scares. The mother-daughter dynamic is well-executed, making the emotional weight of the story feel real. The mother's slow transformation and descent are handled well, and the film builds toward an ending that is both satisfying and chilling.

In conclusion, Little Bites is a solid entry in the horror genre that's worth a watch. I'd rate it a 6/10.

I was rather excited for Little Bites because the premise sounded unique enough, and there were some familiar faces attached to it. It tells the story of a young widow desperately trying to protect her daughter from something evil, to put it vaguely. Krsy Fox, as the mother, does a solid job and largely carries the movie on her back, as her character demands a lot from her.

There are only a limited number of characters, and the acting ranges from pretty good to rather poor at times. From the overall quality of the film, it's clear that the budget was limited and that Spider One and the rest of the team worked with what they had. While I appreciated the use of practical effects, it was obvious that the antagonistic force was just an actor in makeup. The film is very dark and poorly lit, which not only contributes to the cheap-looking effects but also does the movie no favors.

The narrative unfolds at a snail's pace, and the movie feels too long, making for a rather boring viewing experience. It felt like a short film stretched to over 100 minutes, with slow pacing and barely any questions answered. In the end, it was rather unsatisfying, and therefore, I can't recommend watching it. However, if the premise sounds interesting to you, you might want to check it out and form your own opinion.

Mindy Vogel (Krsy Fox) is talking with a creepy creature in her dark basement. Child Protective Service comes knocking at her door. She tells the agent that her daughter Alice is visiting her mother.

This small horror has good creepiness. Mindy looks absolutely haunted. The creature is pretty basic but effective. It is lurking in the dark and that is very creepy. The problem is the slower pace. The story needs to have one more thing to happen or one more person to kill. It is great to see Heather Langenkamp, but I don't want her getting killed. The fat guy is great. Maybe she should get the woman who called CPS.

Single mother shoos her kid away with grandma so she can deal with the bloodthirsty demon/vampire living in her downstairs storage room. Minor, independently-produced horror outing was something of a family affair: writer-director Spider One is also married to the lead, Krsy Fox, who doubled as the film's editor; both were producers on the film, along with executive producers Cher and her son, Chaz Bono, who has a supporting role. There's nothing at all wrong with the acting--which is quite solid--and the production doesn't feel slapdash; however, Spider One's script doesn't go in for a backstory, leaving itself open to unanswered questions and gaps of logic. This guy just wants to get to the finale, which has a comical twist--though, again, it doesn't make much sense. *1/2 from ****

Starts well enough, creepy and atmospheric. Immediately thrown into the premise which isn't a pretty on in its own right. Pretty horrific situation with choices that are moreso.

Then, well, it's sits idling a bit. Almost feels like a film made out of a short but there was promise. Kept me interested for a bit and just further continues down the hole that feels like filler, only to stumble into a disappointing "flat" finish. Overall, interesting. Chalked this one up as many"missed opportunities" as it was creepy and atmospheric and built enough tension, only to waste so much time spinning it's tires, it loses it's early-on head of steam.

4/10.