I first saw the trailer for It Lives Inside when I went to see the A24 horror film Talk to Me, and immediately, it piqued my interest. A ragged, sleep-deprived young woman carrying a black jar with a demon inside? Sign me up. In a similar vibe to Talk to Me, the character was a young woman of color, navigating a new and complex environment created by unknown supernatural forces. I made a mental note to go see it then practically forgot about it, until I saw it had been dropped unceremoniously on Hulu less than five months after its release. After watching it myself, I can solidly say it deserves better, and it’s worth a watch.
The plot centers around Samidha, played by Megan Suri from The MisEducation of Bindu and Never Have I Ever. Samidha is popular and has made efforts to distance herself from her Indian heritage. However, her former friend Tamira has not. In fact, Tamira has been acting really weird lately. She looks ragged, shows up for class late, and is seen clutching an ominous black jar to her chest. In other words, Samidha, or Sam as her classmates call her, wants nothing to do with her.
Everything comes to a head when Tamira corners Sam in the girl’s locker room, begging for her help. In a panic, she insists that something lives inside this jar, that it feeds only on raw meat and it’s so hungry. Samidha dismisses her concerns, and in one horrible moment, knocks the jar from Tamira’s hands. The jar crashes to the floor, a black powder clouding the area. Samidha scrambles to apologize, but Tamira is silent. Her expression shows the full horror of what Sam will soon know.
The acting in this film is great. Suri is very convincing as Sam, and displays the full range of grief, fear, annoyance, and pain. However, it’s Mohana Krishnan’s Tamira who steals the show. From the moment you first see her in the school hallway, she is a haunting presence for Samidha and for the audience. So many of her scenes do not show the monster, and they do not need to. The way her eyes follow an off-screen figure as her lips tremble with terror is enrapturing to watch. Her acting carries the film, and she is electric every time she is on screen. Other standouts are Neeru Bajwa and Vik Sahay as Sam’s parents Poorna and Inesh, who display a thoughtful parental dynamic of the struggle between patience and control. Bajwa in particular gives a very moving performance, capturing the grief and struggle felt by many immigrant parents trying to preserve their culture in a country that expects assimilation.
In terms of genuine scares, this film has a lot to offer. In the interest of limiting spoilers, I won’t go into details, but this film has a great mix of jump scares and moments of dread. While not being overly gory, moments with the monster are uncanny and bloody. I was definitely glancing over my shoulder after turning it off, and it will definitely make you question turning off the lights.
Fans of more character-driven horror like Talk to Me, The Babadook, or Oculus may be left a bit disappointed by It Lives Inside, though it is clearly shooting for a similar vibe. The story, while fine, sets up some plot threads that must be resolved quickly because of the run time, and the characters suffer for it. Russ, Sam’s love interest, has a small arc that feels rushed and unearned. The mother-daughter conflict, while the main crux of the film’s story, would have benefited from being fleshed out further in a longer runtime.
Finally, the film looks fantastic. Director Bishal Dutta mentioned in his interview with Collider that he was very inspired by The Shining and Terminator, and you can see it in the way this film is shot. Shots follow eyes, shadows, or lights turning on and off instead of showing the monster. Dread builds as Dutta takes time to savor each character’s terror. The monster, which is a clever mix of CGI and special effects, is never on screen for very long until the end, which serves it well. Some of the kills were spine-chilling (particularly the swing set scene) and shot creatively to disguise an impressively low budget for a film that looks better than it should for an estimated budget of around $5 million.
Overall, I recommend It Lives Inside. It presents a new kind of monster, with background in a culture many (including myself) may not be familiar with. It’s not perfect, but it’s a fun ride.
The official ScreenAge Newsletter has arrived! Subscribe to receive a semi-regular round-up of all our exclusive content, including reviews, editorials, Top 100 lists, and more! C'mon, we know you want to venture further into the Wasteland with us!