Bite

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.

Even more so than with lame zombie-comedies or dimwitted masked killers, I think I've had it completely with dysfunctional and/or insane cannibalistic families. I'm fed up with pretty boys or girls turning out to be part of a psychopathic household. I'm sick of the sneering and hysterical brothers they are hiding in the basement. And I'm tired of the deeply religious elderly patriarch and matriarch turning out to be craziest ones of the whole bunch. There, I had to get that out of my system...

Films like "Bite" aren't a total waste of time, but they feature 0% originality and nothing even remotely surprising or memorable. From the first moment lead girl Nina steps from the pouring rain into the car of the friendly old Beryl, you already know she'll be in more danger now than from whatever she was running away for.

A lengthy flashback enlightens us that Nina and her lesbian partner Yaz were pretending to be animal activists, infiltrating into a lair where illegal dog fights take place. Their real intention, however, was the downright stupid idea to rob the gangsters, but obviously their plan backfired. To start anew elsewhere, Nina and Yaz decide to rob the friendly and talkative old lady that gave Nina a lift. But guess what, granny Beryl isn't as naïve and harmless as she looks, and her husband with his surgical tools in the basements definitely isn't.

"Bite" is a spitfire of one dreadful cliché after another, and there nearly isn't enough gore, sleaze, black humor, or general weirdness to compensate for the lack of plot-creativity. Co-writer/director James Owen is a nice guy (met him at the festival where "Bite" premiered) but he makes all the wrong choices. For example, why didn't all the robust criminal henchmen get lured to Beryl and Gerald's house? This would have resulted is much more glorious gore and bloodshed, and thus less time spent on Yaz' dull moral dilemmas and drug-abuse. And what's the point of making a piano with human fingers instead of strings if you can't hear any music?

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.

The plot has been covered well in other reviews I think. It is worth mentioning that although a scene is at a dog-fight event, there is no actual fighting shown. The only violence is on a human level and it is pretty gory; although the humour in the script lightens the intensity. There are certainly enough twists and turns to keep you guessing, as to the fate of the lovers, as the suspense builds.

I think fans of the genre will like the film and there is enough character development of the main characters, to give the story extra depth. I would say its worth watching if you have an interest in this type of horror. Certainly it will be interesting to see future projects from the director James Owen.

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.