- Director: Spider One
- Writer: Spider One
- Stars: Krsy Fox, Jon Sklaroff, Bonnie Aarons, Barbara Crampton, Heather Langenkamp, Elizabeth Phoenix Caro, Chaz Bono
REVIEW
The one thing that parents say is that it is hard looking after your children. On the whole, parents want to protect their children from any harm. Mindy (Fox) is in that particular mode of parenting, having sent her daughter Alice (Caro) to her rather judgemental Grandma’s (Aarons) house, because Mindy has something going on. That something is a monster called Agyar (Sklaroff) that is in a room downstairs and periodically feeds on her.
Little Bites is a slow burn film that leans into the drama of the situation more than it does the outright horror of it. Mindy and Agyar’s relationship is what pushes Mindy in the various directions she goes. Agyar comes across as a refined creature, speaking with a posh English accent. This is in juxtaposition to how he looks. The relationship is, of course, a toxic one, Agyar says to Mindy that eventually he will kill her, but he keeps her around because the real prize he wants is her daughter Alice. As Mindy tries to deal with this situation, Sonya (Crampton) from Child Protective Services turns up further complicating things.
Fox is very good as Mindy, giving the character a few layers, when it would’ve been the easy choice to play her as a straight sympathetic character. Whilst Sklaroff nails his portrayal of Agyar, creepy, smug and menacing every single time he is on screen and it’s through his voice and delivery as physically the monster doesn’t do move very much. The rest of the cast do a great job as well especially Aarons, Crampton and Langenkamp, all adding to the film with thoughtful performances.
Spider One directs this well, understated and keeping the atmosphere grim. His script keeps things moving slowly but methodically, adding more detail and dread until the third act reveal, that isn’t all that shocking as the metaphors are obvious. The film is reminiscent of The Babadook in concept at least but looks at it from a far different viewpoint.
Little Bites despite a few small issues, is definitely worth seeking out.
Little Bites is on Shudder February 21, 2025
Ryan Morrissey-Smith
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