We’re all afraid of monsters. We’re terrified of a monster in the house. Yet the most terrifying of all is the monsters inside ourselves. In the film Little Bites, a mother battles a monster feasting on her very body while confronting the demons inside her soul. While fantastical in its construction, this somber tale delves into a sociological study in its execution. An eeriness cloaks the film from start to finish, evoking feelings of terror and pity. It is devilishly clever, with a beautiful cadre of horror regulars and icons popping up. Little Bites takes a bite this Halloween season and does not want to let go.
At the start, we spy the shadowy sight of the Agyar (Jon Sklaroff), a fiendish, flesh-eating monster living in the house of Mindy (Krsy Fox), a young widow and single mother. The monster feasts on Mindy daily, who has made the ultimate sacrifice, offering herself to the beast to spare her daughter, Alice. Meanwhile, Alice is tucked away safely at her grandmother’s house, unaware of the evil unfolding. Mindy devises a plan to save her daughter and herself as the monster’s ferocious appetite intensifies.
This hellish creature, feasting on Mindy’s body, has left her weak and desperate. As a result, she plots to provide other meals to the monster in exchange for herself. Early on, Mindy tries to sacrifice Paul (Chaz Bono), a man waiting for a bus, by poisoning him, but Agyar refuses to eat him. While frustrated, Mindy furthers her resolve. As a result, she goes to greater lengths to vanquish the beast.
Fox is staggering in her role. Even playing off a nightmarish monster, she brings a sense of realism and undeniable grit. She is haunting and spends much of the film solo, allowing the movie to play almost as a character study on single motherhood. She unwinds to reveal a sense of quiet stealth and untamed darkness that will leave the audience floored.
Ultimately, the effects of the monster’s slow eating of Mindy are shown in full detail. It is grotesque and horrifying. Equally important, the shocking imagery drives home the movie’s grander point. Little Bites is less about a hideous monster and more about the complexities and sacrifices of parenting. Even as Mindy faces threats from Child Protective Services, she refuses to give up on building a better life for herself and Alice.
Here, the movie finds its strength and rises about traditional monster trappings. The decision could have a simple creature feature and a mere story of survival, but Little Bites plunges deeper. The film unpacks the rigors of single parenting and the effects of grief and trauma. For a surprisingly simple concept, the movie is layered with subtext and delivers a devastating gut punch that is both shocking and inspired.
In a way, the film parallels The Babdook, a similar psychological horror film about a single mother confronting an entity larger than herself. Here, the monster represents parenting—the trials and the fears. This creature is more than a frightening boogeyman; it is a multilayered antagonist that plunges its teeth into the audience and tauntingly holds a mirror simultaneously. The monster is a literal nightmare and an allegory for a parent’s personal failings and inner demons.
In addition to serving as a dark statement on parenthood, the film provides brilliant nods to fans of the genre. A cast of horror regulars stacks the movie with fun who’s who. Bonnie Aarons (from The Nun) plays Mindy’s concerned mother. Barbara Crampton plays a social worker in one of the most spine-tingling scenes of the movie. Last but certainly not least, one of the great horror Final Girls, Heather Langenkamp, enters the fray. She plays a character like Mindy, who reinforces the story’s theme in a small but pivotal scene.
Ultimately, the film arrives at a terrifying climax that unpacks all the truths of parenting and the noble lies parents tell their children. In a similar construction to The Babadook, Little Bites arrives with force, deconstructing a bond between a mother and daughter and then reconstructing it in a riveting fashion. The ending may leave some divided, but it is bold and unforgiving like, all the other horror playing out in this sleepy little house.
Little Bites takes its time like the monster playing with its food. The story unwinds to deliver a stirring commentary and a blistering final act. The movie is dark and unsettling, but it is provoking. There are fascinating performances and spectacular use of a boogeyman that feels less hokey and more threatening because, through his taunts, there is a sadistic element of truth.
Little Bites will debut in select theaters and on Digital platforms on October 4, 2024, courtesy of RLJE Films and Shudder.
Little Bites takes its time like the monster playing with its food. The story unwinds to deliver a stirring commentary and a blistering final act. The movie is dark and unsettling, but it is provoking. There are fascinating performances and spectacular use of a boogeyman that feels less hokey and more threatening because, through his taunts, there is a sadistic element of truth.
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GVN Rating 7
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Writing & podcasting. Movies are more than entertainment; movies are a way of life.
Favorite Genres include: horror, thrillers, drama. Three Favorite Films: The Dark Knight, Halloween & Jaws.