[Film Review] Bite (2022)

A film that can be considered a cross between Snatch and The Texas Chain Saw Massacre sounds like a pretty good deal, and overall, director James Owen’s Bite takes bits from each film in a manner that doesn’t entirely feel like a retread, but also doesn’t quite hit the mark of an original genre film. There’s an equal amount of interesting character work and convoluted storylines, with practical set pieces that please the gore hound, but strange transition choices that tend to confuse the timeline and muddle the tone of the film. 

Bite follows Nina (Shian Denovan), a thief on the run after following her drug addict girlfriend Yaz (Nansi Nsue) into a foolhardy plan to rob violent gangsters, drug dealers, and dogfighters. When Yaz dumps Nina on the side of the road and leaves her, Nina takes a ride from Beryl (Annabelle Lanyon) a sweet yet completely creepy older woman who all but insists Nina stay the night at her home. Once inside Beryl’s house, Nina begins to see the cracks in Beryl’s story, including the lie she told about living alone, but is enticed by a hefty wad of cash she keeps in her cupboard. In a slight subversion of expectations, Nina leaves the house safely in the morning, but through a flurry of chaotic random events, she ends up right back at the country house with Yaz, determined to change her fate by stealing Beryl’s nest egg. 

Despite screaming at the screen for Nina and Yas to use even an ounce of instinct, the film does get better once they make their bad decisions, and the requisite house of horrors kicks off. With as much as Bite borrows from other films, Owen still manages to inject some interesting themes and develop compelling characters in Beryl and her family unit, though at times there’s a little too much manic cackling and cartoonish villainy. 

It is safe to say that Bite gives a bit of whiplash, but the performances overall are solid and, while the film bounces between genres, there are some horrific scenes that show ingenuity and a deft hand at visceral violence. There’s also a lot to be appreciated in the observation of the family unit, with not-so-subtle judgements on social class, who is allowed to inflict punishment, and who deserves to receive it.

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