Samidha "Sam" (Megan Suri) is a teenage girl of Indian descent who is often at odds with her mother Poorna (Neeru Bajwa) over adherence to culture and tradition with Sam even anglicizing her name and speaking mostly in English in order to downplay the connection. Sam is approached for help by her former best friend Tamira (Mohana Krishnan) who often isolates herself from others and carries a jar. Tamira tells Sam that inside the jar is a monster she's trying to keep contained but is losing the ability to do so, Sam disbelieving of Tamira rejects her and in a moment of anger slaps down the jar. Soon after Tamira disappears and Sam and her friends and loved ones soon start to experience a sinister unseen presence in their lives that is tied to Sam's culture.
It Lives Inside is the feature writing and directing debut of Bishal Dutta who previously had directed a number of short films and some TV episodes. Dutta took inspiration from his experiences of growing up in India prior to moving to North America and used Indian mythology as the basis for the story. While the movie doesn't stray far from the standard template of this kind of horror story, Dutta does give the material a unique spin with an interesting mostly untapped mythology in Western horror films which is well carried by Megan Suri's performance.
While the film takes us to a template that those familiar with The Ring, The Grudge and its various imitators are liable to know, it's important to understand that familiarity isn't necessarily a negative against a movie like this. While this premise can be done in mediocre fashion (Polaroid) or even downright awful (Feardotcom, Friend Request), that's less on the premise itself and more on the execution of the material. In the case of It Lives Inside, Dutta examines Sam's cultural and ethnic identity which is well acted by Megan Suri. We also get some strong character work from Neeru Bajwa's Poorna as we examine that schism that has developed between Sam and Poorna. In terms of scares, Dutta does a solid job of giving us a memorable and unique monster that ties in with the film's take on cultural baggage. Dutta puts the monster to good use in the first two thirds as we seldom get a good look at it (save for its eyes in the darkness) and once we see it, it's a very memorable and threatening design. I think my only real misgiving is with the ending of the film which isn't one of those shock endings or anything, but for a story that seemed to be trying to handle the reconciliation of one's cultural identity it really seemed like it was the wrong route to take in my opinion.
I honestly really enjoyed It Lives Inside. While it's not a perfect film and features an ending I really wasn't a fan of, I still give props to Dutta from creating a scenario I was invested in and a unique and memorable monster.
It Lives Inside is the feature writing and directing debut of Bishal Dutta who previously had directed a number of short films and some TV episodes. Dutta took inspiration from his experiences of growing up in India prior to moving to North America and used Indian mythology as the basis for the story. While the movie doesn't stray far from the standard template of this kind of horror story, Dutta does give the material a unique spin with an interesting mostly untapped mythology in Western horror films which is well carried by Megan Suri's performance.
While the film takes us to a template that those familiar with The Ring, The Grudge and its various imitators are liable to know, it's important to understand that familiarity isn't necessarily a negative against a movie like this. While this premise can be done in mediocre fashion (Polaroid) or even downright awful (Feardotcom, Friend Request), that's less on the premise itself and more on the execution of the material. In the case of It Lives Inside, Dutta examines Sam's cultural and ethnic identity which is well acted by Megan Suri. We also get some strong character work from Neeru Bajwa's Poorna as we examine that schism that has developed between Sam and Poorna. In terms of scares, Dutta does a solid job of giving us a memorable and unique monster that ties in with the film's take on cultural baggage. Dutta puts the monster to good use in the first two thirds as we seldom get a good look at it (save for its eyes in the darkness) and once we see it, it's a very memorable and threatening design. I think my only real misgiving is with the ending of the film which isn't one of those shock endings or anything, but for a story that seemed to be trying to handle the reconciliation of one's cultural identity it really seemed like it was the wrong route to take in my opinion.
I honestly really enjoyed It Lives Inside. While it's not a perfect film and features an ending I really wasn't a fan of, I still give props to Dutta from creating a scenario I was invested in and a unique and memorable monster.