3 Out of 5 Stars
A hallmark of engaging horror is the ability to take a situation that is already scary and compounding that with horrific elements to tell a story that’s meant not simply to scare the viewer, but also have something much deeper to say. Recent examples that come to mind in this new wave of horror are It Follows that put a very grim spin on teenage sex and The Babadook that took a hard look at postpartum depression. Both films had the basic trappings of horror, but it’s their underlying themes that transcended them from your standard genre fare. Looks like we have another addition to that list with Chad Archibald’s Bite, which is hitting theaters this week thanks to Scream Factory.

In Bite we have Casey (Elma Begovic) a bride to be with very cold feet who goes on a bachelorette outing with her closest friends to a remote tropical beach. While there, two things happen. First, she is bitten by a strange insect, and second we get the impression she may have been unfaithful to her fiancé. The film combines psychological thriller elements as Casey attempts to piece together what happened to her when she blacked out on her trip and whether what happened was consensual or not, while also having her plan for her wedding with the mother in law from hell. This is all compounded by the bug bite that has begun to affect her entire body as she begins to morph into something else.



The film’s not so subtle metaphor using Casey’s transformation into a creature that’s sole purposes is to reproduce and create eggs to mirror Casey’s fear of marriage, commitment and having children is a great approach to these very normal fears. The body horror aspect that owes a great debt to Cronenberg’s classic The Fly does a great job amplifying the situation as well as making this this the most horrific bride with cold feet film ever, sorry Runaway Bride. Given how stressful weddings tend to be for the brides involved, I couldn’t imagine one who hasn’t wanted to spit acid in her mother in law’s face during the process.

Even though the film suffers from time to time from the trappings of low-budget fare, I feel like its concept and its cast led by Elma Begovic are able to jump that hurdle and give us a solid body horror film that would make even David Cronenberg proud. While the film’s focus is on a group of women, it does so in a way that’s not seen often in horror, the film treads a very fine line in its story not to fall down the easy path of exploiting Casey and her friends. Bite moves a decent clip and the story leaves jut enough to the imagination to keep the viewer engaged as Casey finally puts all the pieces together.


Bite takes bridezilla to a whole new level and could be one of the best indie horror films you check out this year. It’s lean, mean, and very unique compared to what is currently being churned out by indie horror and for that alone it’s worth checking this out. The film manages to take the body horror genre to an interesting place with its story that is compellingly brought to life by Chad Archibald; who will definitely be on my radar going forward. Bite opens this week in select theaters.