Bite

Bite (2022) is a well-crafted horror thriller with a unique and disturbing premise. Annabelle Lanyon gives a standout performance as Nina, a con artist who finds herself caught in a web of deceit and violence. The practical effects are excellent, and the film features some truly gruesome and unforgettable gore scenes. However, the pacing can be slow at times. If you're a fan of horror films with a unique premise, strong performances, and impressive practical effects, then I would recommend this impressive debut. I think there's a few more releases available / due this year - looking forward to seeing them.

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.

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.