It Lives Inside

With Halloween just around the corner, there's no better way to celebrate than with a good horror movie. Prior to watching It Lives Inside, I had no expectations beyond a general curiosity. Recently, I've noticed a staleness in the horror genre, with a repetition of plots and characters we've seen before. Although I thoroughly enjoyed the new Evil Dead Rise and No One Will Save You, most of what I’ve seen has been disappointing. The opening scene and how it made me anxious and nervous about what was to come sold me on this movie. When a movie has that effect, it has my full attention. It really set the tone for the rest of the movie, or at least that’s what I thought. I believe that it is merely another horror film, which is not necessarily a negative attribute when that is the intended tone. I guess? But all jokes aside, there were several aspects of the movie I really enjoyed. For one, I LOVED the Indian representation, something we rarely see in Hollywood, especially in the horror genre. It was so refreshing to see young POC in a horror movie that doesn’t kill them off in the first thirty seconds. I loved the way Bishal Duttaway directed the scenes and paid attention to the fine details. The cinematography was incredibly pleasing and brought to mind the early work of M. Night Shyamalan, a director I greatly admire. I would definitely strive to emulate the cinematography if I were filming a movie that needed to make a strong statement. But outside of that, there was nothing else that really stood out to me. The acting was pretty decent at times, and the storyline plateaued for me toward the second act. Despite its flaws, I can honestly say that I thoroughly enjoyed this movie. As a lover of movies and the horror genre, I believe that creating a spooky horror movie can be challenging. I will be looking out for Bishal Dutta and Megan Suri in future projects, as I see lots of potential in them. I will give this movie a 6/10. But as always, check the movie out for yourselves.