Realizing Who You Are When Facing a Monster

Megan Suri in "It Lives Inside"
Photo Credit: RottenTomatoes.com

One of the most interesting things that the horror genre can do is focus on different cultures and express the genre through that lens. Whether it be the society or the politics within those cultures, it’s intriguing to see how filmmakers who have close ties to those backgrounds can use their experiences to shape a seemingly simple horror tale and weave it into something that has greater meaning, both on the surface and under it.  This allows us to not only enjoy a good horror movie, but also learn a few things that we might not have known about a culture.

This is the case with writer-director Bishal Dutta for his feature directorial debut, “It Lives Inside.”  Given Dutta’s close connection with the material, we have a horror movie that shows its director’s full vision and a promising start to a career.

Samidha (Megan Suri) is an Indian-American high-school student who tries to maintain a typical lifestyle at school, while also trying to respect her parents wishes to embrace her culture.  When a demonic spirit known as a Pishach latches onto Samidha’s old childhood friend, Tamira (Mohana Krishnan), Samidha must do what she can to defeat the monster and save her friend.

Suri gives a wonderful performance as a young woman who’s constantly being torn between her family’s culture and high-school culture.  She shows the strain of having to please her parents, and also having to put on appearances with her friends when Tamara comes back into her life and causes her to become more involved with her culture.  While Suri’s performance is terrific as a whole, it’s the scenes where her character grapples with her background that act as the heart of the movie.  Here, Suri brings out the emotional hardship of trying to fit in between two groups of people, and this heightens the rest of Samidha’s journey as we understand the dramatic fuel behind the horror that she faces.

Neeru Bajwa, who plays Samidha’s mother, Poora, provides beautiful work as her character tries to understand her daughter, but also wants to make sure that Samidha doesn’t forget her culture.  Bajwa has us see the love behind the strict nature of her character, exhibiting a parent who sees herself as doing right by her daughter, and then as to realize that her daughter has to forge her own path.

While Dutta’s screenplay follows a framework that we’ve seen before, the overall story is a fascinating one as we’re given a view of Samidha’s home life and school life, all while providing a look into Hindu culture.  The thematic crux of the story is how the main character struggles with embracing her culture and has to suppress it to feel less like an outsider, and this ties intelligently into the horror aspect of the narrative.  As the story goes on, there are some clever visual and verbal subtitles in the development of Samidha’s character and situation, further adding depth to the plot.  Dutta creates a fascinating character whose journey is every bit as chilling as it is dramatic, and his script shows a filmmaker who’s heavily invested in the story that he wants to tell.

As a director, Dutta constructs some nail-biting horror set pieces (particularly one on a swing set), and takes advantage of ways to have the monster mostly concealed for a lot of the runtime until the finale.  Whether working with lights and shadows, keeping it out of the frame, or keeping it invisible, Dutta and cinematographer Matthew Lynn have us on edge as we wait to see what we’re in for.  While doing so, Dutta utilizes chilling sound effects, and later on some neat creature design for the finale, to have us know how menacing this demon is both when see it sparingly, and then in the flesh.  In between the horror sequences, Dutta allows for some impactful emotional moments that show the tension and love between Samidha and her mother, letting the audience’s apprehension abate from time to time so we can further understand the dynamics between these two characters.

Now that we’re getting into the swing of Halloween season, I’m sure you’re trying to get your seasonal movie-viewing in order, be it in theaters or at home.  If you’re looking to include a newer movie with smart and creepy thrills for your lineup, look inside this film.

Grade: A-