Set in America It Lives Inside joins Samidha (Megan Suri), a second generation immigrant who is struggling to find her place in the world. At home, her mother speaks exclusively in Hindi and expects Samidha to honour her culture’s traditions. At school, she is desperate to be seen as cool and popular. In order to fit in, she goes by the name Sam and has shunned her former BFF, Tamira (Mohana Krishnan). Whilst Sam has become popular, Tamira is viewed as an outcast; her proclivity for carrying around a jar full of dirt further alienates her. During a heated exchange between the ex-friends, Tamira’s precious cargo is broken, and she vanishes. As the community begins to search for the missing girl, Sam suddenly finds herself the benefactor of an ancient curse. With only days left, can Sam find a way to defeat the monster stalking her?
On the surface It Lives Inside is a standard cursed story. But when you dig deeper you will find that this is a story about a child from an immigrant family trying to piece together her identity. Having only ever known America, it is hard for Sam to connect to her cultural heritage. Outside of her house, and her mother’s small community of friends, there are very few people that look like her and adhere to her culture’s rules and traditions. No teenager wants to stand out, but based purely on her skin tone, Sam does, and she goes to troubling lengths to fit in with the caucasians around her. When first introduced she is shaving the hair on her arms. Later she is seen using camera filters to lighten her skin tone in her selfies. It is tragic to see, but a sad reflection of the West’s obsession with conforming to white beauty standards.
However, you cannot deny your roots, and Sam finds herself dragged into her heritage. After acquiring the curse from Tamira, Sam has no choice but to dig into her culture’s history. Her research uncovers the legend of the Pishach, a flesh-eating demon whose malevolence has earned them the title of the very manifestation of evil. In order to attempt to slay the beast, Sam must embrace the side of herself that she has tried to repress. It’s an interesting journey to see represented on screen and one that will strike a chord with many. So often films in the Western world only concern themselves with telling the story of white Americans and the shift in focus is a welcome progression.
Megan Suri is excellent as Sam. Her performance balances all the complex emotions battling inside her character. Suri communicates Sam’s initial embarrassment about her culture, her desire to fit in, then later her anger and fear, beautifully. The dynamic between her and mother Poorna (Neeru Bajwa) is electric. Their journey from bitter combatants to allies will be a familiar one to most teens and their parents. Even without the added complication of warring cultures vying for the teen’s attention, most families will recognise the change in behaviour that comes during adolescence and the exasperation that causes the parents. Seeing these two female characters interact and try to understand each other’s perspective is riveting, so much so that It Lives Inside almost doesn’t need a monster.
An entity that feeds on loneliness, the Pishach systematically drives wedges between Sam and her support system. In order to properly isolate her the Pishach begins murdering those around her, and the deaths are very imaginative. Initially invisible, the creature is the perfect implement of terror. A death involving a swing-set is an easy standout, rivalling Wes Craven’s A Nightmare on Elm Street’s bedroom scene. Other sequences during which the entity lurks unseen, but is still felt, generate a vast amount of unease. Add to that a nightmare inducing image of its eyes piercing the darkness and this beast has all the components to make it a horrifying creation. The snag comes, as with so many of the Pishach’s brethren, when its true form is revealed. Nothing can compete with the power of the imagination and though the design tries hard, it fails at inducing any further torment on the viewer.
A vibrant and vital story told from a perspective not often granted time in the spotlight, It Lives Inside has plenty to say about the collision of cultures. Although presented as a horror, It Lives Inside offers an intriguing setting for a girl to explore her heritage. A meeting of tradition and terror, It Lives Inside is smarter than your average curse movie, and presents a new demon to be afraid of.
It Lives Inside
Summary
Heritage and horror collide in this affecting tale of a girl reclaiming her culture through the veil of terror.
It Lives Inside was reviewed at Pigeon Shrine FrightFest 2023. It Lives Inside is coming to UK Cinemas from 20th October.
