[Film Review] It Lives Inside (2023)

This piece was written during the 2023 WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes. Without the labor of the writers and actors currently on strike, the film being covered here wouldn't exist.

It Lives Inside, written and directed by Bishal Dutta, won the 2023 Midnighters Audience Award Winner at SXSW – and with good reason. His movie manages to be extremely moving and extremely creepy at the same time; it's the rare horror film that is heart-wrenching as well as bone-chilling. It's anchored by a standout performance from star Megan Suri, who finds herself in increasingly terrifying situations.  

It Lives Inside follows Samidha (Suri) – or Sam, as many of her friends call her – an Indian-American teenager who wants to fit in with her peers. As she struggles to develop her own identity, her mother urges her to spend more time at home and respect her family's culture. While Samidha's relationship with her dad is more convivial (he's clearly the "cool" parent), her mom frets about Samidha and asks her, "Why do you want to be one of them?" as Samidha starts spending more time with her white friends and less time with her Indian-American friends and family.

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As Samidha spends time with her new friends, her old friend Tamira (Mohana Krishnan) lurks around the girls' high school, practically quaking with fear. Samidha isn't sure why Tamira has been acting so strangely – she carries around a glass jar full of a mysterious substance, she doesn't make eye contact, she habitually wanders into her classes late, and raw meat bleeds through the cloth of her backpack. Her torment is palpable, even though no one is quite sure who (or what) is tormenting her. 

One day, Tamira approaches Samidha in the girls' locker room at their school, pleading for help. Something is inside her jar – and that something is what is tormenting her. In her performance, Megan Suri perfectly balances her concern for Tamira with her frustration with Tamira's insistence on acting so bizarre and calling so much attention to herself. Tamira disappears after their locker room conversation, and Samidha knows that it’s up to her to find her troubled friend.

After Samidha's parents host a puja with their Indian-American friends and neighbors, she starts to put together that Tamira isn't the only member of their community who has exhibited disturbing behavior. Another Indian-American teen and his parents had died under gruesome and mysterious circumstances before Tamira went missing. Is there something happening in their community? And if so, how can Samidha stop it?

As it turns out, she needs to return to her Indian culture to understand what's happening in her community. Despite their ongoing conflict, she needs her mom's help more than ever. She realizes the scary stories her mother told her when she was a child are more than just stories; there is a malicious demon (known as a pishachi) hunting her and Tamira. After spending so much time pushing away her culture and her family, Samidha needs to fully embrace her mother's beliefs and traditions to have any hope of finding Tamira and banishing the demon. 

One of the songs used very effectively in the film is Mallrat's "Teeth":

It's in my hair, in my sleep,
In my hands, in my teeth.
It's in my chair, it looks like me,
And when it stands, I take my seat.

It's in the air that I breathe.
Understand it's up my sleeve.
It's in my hair, in my sleep,
With my hands, in my teeth.

The song's lyrics can apply to many things that Samidha is struggling with throughout the course of the film: puberty and the uncomfortable, unavoidable feeling of being a teenager; culture; her friendship with Tamira; and even the presence of the demon that she must figure out how to defeat. 

It Lives Inside also plays with light and shadow: There are many shots of Tamira in glowing red light, ratcheting up viewers' anxiety about the danger she's in. There are also many scenes of Samidha in the dark, fighting her growing dread or being dropped into horrific nightmares where her reality is uncertain. The cinematography in the film contributes heavily to how unsettled it leaves viewers. Most of the movie appears to take place in fall; as striking as the vibrant autumnal colors of the trees are, the changing leaves also symbolize the change Samidha must undergo in the movie. She's not only growing up, but she's accepting her fate and learning to take care of her community. The stormy weather throughout most of the film also perfectly echoes Samidha's conflicts about how she wants to move through the world. 

It Lives Inside is a fresh take on horror. It combines elements of teen horror, frightening family stories and extremely effective scares. Megan Suri's performance is the background of the film. She manages to convey Samidha's inner turmoil and strength, while seamlessly incorporating her more typical teenage behaviors, like being bashful about dancing with a cute boy or being overwhelmed by Tamira's neediness and lashing out at her. Her performance endears viewers to Samidha so much so that they are emotionally invested in this horror protagonist and on the edge of their seats until her ultimate fate is revealed. 

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